[shanegu6]

Might stir up a hornets nest here, but we are a young family (wife and I 33, 2 kids 6 and 2) travelling around Australia and am fed up with some older generations rudeness and just plain ignorance. I am friendly to everyone we meet and say hello and in return I expect a hello or how you going back. I think 40% of the time all we get back is a grunt or a snort.

I don't know whether its the fact we are young and travelling with kids and they think we should be working or what but the next one that ignores us is going to get a ****ing spray.

Our kids are very well behaved and well mannered and we have had comments from quite a few older people we have met that they are well behaved.

I have asked a few other young family travellers whether they have experienced this and a they also have had similar experiences.

The other 60% are great and very friendly and love seeing kids as a lot miss there own grandchildren.

 

[Blake4x4]

just snobs mate, just enjoy your trip

 

[estcove]

Relax Dude. Stupidity and rudeness are not generational. Some people are just that way.
On balance, in my experience anyhow, the older people are more laid back...they've done it already.
Nothing left to prove. Be observant next time it happens...who are the arseholes?
Might be ****roaches...that could explain it. You need more info before you decide to give a spray.

 

[Ex-Digger]

Mate, I've been cruising this big, brown land since the '60s so I've seen both sides of it.

Rudeness isn't restricted to the older generation - it runs across all age groups.

Best thing is to continue to be friendly, polite as you are doing. Biggest mistake is to give them a 'spray'. If you do that, you will be the one regarded as rude. It also sets a bad example for your kids. Better they see you in a good light - they will work out soon enough that not everybody is friendly.

 

[Richo]

I've done a lot of outback touring and had my fair share of meetings with grey nomads. Most are great people, and very happy to see we are touring with the kids and always comment on how they miss their grandkids etc. Its great to have a yarn about this or that track, town, place to visit, scenic stop etc.

However, some are complete PITA's.....

The worst I found lately was after Birdsville last year, where everyone (around 4000+ people) was stuck in town after the races got rained out. I had to get back to work after being caught there for an extra 5 days (unlike many of the people there who were retired and had nowhere in particular to go).

To make it worse, we were detoured north to Bedourie when we wanted to head south, thereby adding nearly 800k's to our homeward trip.

DO YOU THINK those old farts in front would move over and let us pass? They generally travel at 70-80k's PH on dirt roads..... wide, flat dirt roads.

Nope, some actively moved over to block us, even though i called them up on the uhf, moved waaaay to the right and gave them plenty of time to move to the left. Some hurled abuse at me on the radio, gave me the finger etc as we passed, and generally acted like arrogant old Fcktards who thought they owned the roads and how dare I exceed their touring pace.

Dip****s.

 

[bamr33]

Can't stand old people in caravans blocking up the roads traveling ridiculously slow under the speed limit.

 

[shanegu6]

I don't care if they don't want to have a conversation, but instead of just grunting or snorting is it too difficult to say hello.

 

[LittleJohn]

Nothing gets up me clacker more than when i say gday, to someone, or i open a door for someone,
and you get nothin in return..
you feel like backhandin em.. WTF has happened?

but i gotta tell ya, some bloody great people i have met, just strangers, and had a quik remark/laugh... its the best..
theres some great nice people out there for sure... but i do agree, they are few and far between more often than not.

 

[RustyTruck]

Plenty of farkwits around mate, we are a young family aswell and get it sometimes.

 

[geeyoutoo]

I'm an old fart, and I do a lot of traveling both here in AU and overseas and those pain in the a*** types of people are around no matter where you go, they are across all age groups and they think that the world owes them, I must admit that some of my generation have taken it too an art form though.
Me, I just love to meet people.

 

[Ikbok]

I have noticed it as well when we have been travelling. I am a shift worker and pull my kids out of school for holidays ( they aren't going to split the atom in grade 3). I also have long hair and earrings and it seemed the grey nomads took one look at my camping set up, fourby and the whole family on hols during school and thought the only logical explaination was that I was a drug dealer because when they were my age they had to work 25 hours a day 8 days a week and walk 300 miles through snow or whatever to get there. One old woman even looked down her nose at my wife and kids and rudely asked isn't school back in?
Even my inlaws that are in their mid fifties have had the same experiences with grey nomads.
I'm not saying it's only old people that are rude (hello to all the drunk Double Island bogans) but generally I have found younger people are more freindly.

 

[scrawni]

I don't care if they don't want to have a conversation, but instead of just grunting or snorting is it too difficult to say hello.

My dear old gran, who was by no means a polite person and refered to as the dragon lady by quite a lot of people, once said to me "A smile and a good morning cost less than a penny"

Hey you never know these oldies might see youngsters as disrespectful and class you the same

 

[gqmad]

One of my 90+ year relatives was at the shopping centre and some young smart ar$e kid 'used some foul language' at her. She immediately belted him with her handbag and gave him a dressing down. I generally have a lot of time of the oldies, and find most pretty good, although I have come across some grumpy old bastards who were probably just ar$eholes their whole lives anyway.

 

[heyhey]

Thats weird, I'm 22 and I have traveled Aus a bit and just about every place I go to, I get chatting to some oldie and quite a few times I have been asked over for dinner or to have a look at their van/trailer. I don't know about you but I'm pretty easy going and look like a bit of a bogan