I was in my oral communication class this summer when the divisionbetween us and them became clear to me. A peer of mine was giving aspeech about refusing driving privileges to the elderly. While Iagree with heron a case-by-case basis, she kept saying them as though she wouldnever be one of them and wanted this refusal to happen to all ofthem.

She then went on to stereotype most elderly people as eitherhaving glaucoma or not being able to drive, see or hear. I tookoffense to this. At the end of her speech, during her feedbacksession, I told her she should steer clear of using the us and thempronouns with the issue. The teacher then politely called her on thestereotyping, and told her to stay away from that.

The ultimate American conflict is not the youth vs. the elderly. Iam so tired of hearing young people talk sh** about the older peoplein our society. There is no us and them. There is just us.

Instead of us just complaining about old people or writingignorant, cynical letters to the editor saying, “We need to kill allthe old people. It’s the only answer. After all, they’re just astrain on the limited economy and resources of this country, andnobody really wants them anyway. The only thing they ever do is causea fuss about social security”(“Student lashes out at something,” Oct.30), we need to come up with some programs that make it easier to beof old age in society.

If you don’t think older people should be driving, then start aprogram where you carpool them around all day. Go grocery shoppingfor them or buy them computers so they can shop online. But don’tjust talk endlessly about how they are making your lives worse. Thesame argument could be made for the 16-year-olds we give licenses toin this country. All of their senses are working just fine — usually– unless they are drunk and have eight people piled into their 1987Volvos.

Or, how about this? Instead of making old age the worst part oflife, how about we praise it and make it something we are not afraidto admit is happening daily?

I was at my optometrist getting my first pair of glasses because Ican’t see (just like them), and next to me was a beautiful oldercouple. The husband had recently been in a minor car accident. He hadundergone some DMV tests. He failed the vision test and was gettinghis first pair of glasses. He swore up and down he didn’t need them,making everyone in the office a little irritated by his stubbornness.But he got them so he could keep driving. Perhaps he is just an oldstubborn man (not unheard of) or perhaps he knows that getting oldnowadays is not so popular. And admitting to losing a sense asprecious as sight is something you just don’t do.

I hope to live a long and healthy life and would like to believethat the people who are following me in life will also respect me. Idon’t want to feel like a nuisance to others just because I walk alittle slower. I don’t want to feel unsafe in my own house. I don’twant to feel as though I am easy to manipulate because of my age. Iwant people to look at me and say, “Wow, I want to live to be thatold.” I want younger people to relinquish their seats to me in publicplaces because I might be a little more tired than they are.

Just remember, turnabout is fair play, and all that you say and docomes back to you. Watch what you say now about old folks becausesome 23-year-old spring chicken will be saying the same thing aboutyou 40 years from now. Let’s end this us vs. them war or at least doas much as we can in our own lives toward achieving that end.

–Feather Ives is a public administration senior. Send e-mail todaletter2000@hotmail.com.

–This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of TheDaily Aztec.