I can’t keep the rules straight. It’s so confusing.
Or maybe since I’m a straight white male I don’t get any victim points for ageism or ableism, which would simplify things a lot. Anyway I’m going to go ahead and preemptively denounce myself: this morning I went into the local drug store to buy a box of ammo, and on my way out I saw a little old lady with a bent back and an industrial strength cane coming in the vestibule. So I exercised my white male privilege and waited to hold the inner door open for her. I recognize that women are awesome and fully capable beings, and that by being so condescending as to non-verbally suggest that she was incapable of handling her own door I sent a message that all women everywhere are subservient and inferior to men.
I acknowledge the severity of my grievous error and publicly express shame for my aggressive and inappropriate white maleness. It’s just … that’s what I was taught to do in all those elementary school film strips…
And as an old lady with a cane and a dodgy knee, I thank you on behalf of all old ladies for remembering to be a civilized human being.
. . . and I’ll bet she appreciated it.
I’m not sure I’d call it ageism, but I think it is a question of age, because back in the day we were all taught to be polite and thoughtful. Even as an old woman, I’ve been known to hold doors for people and to thank people who held doors for me. And damn I’m glad I’m not young any more.
Did she whack you soundly with that cane and teach you some new language?
If not, I suspect that no offense was taken by the potentially aggrieved party…