Credit: Facebook/Jason Warner

By Mel Rothenburger

ARMCHAIR MAYOR

ROTHENBURGER: Assault on 71-year-old security guard deserves extra punishment

Jul 8, 2020 | 4:29 AM

KAMLOOPS — MEDIA HAVE A BAD HABIT of stereotyping older folks as helpless; others have an equally bad habit of stereotyping them as irrelevant.

Anybody over the age of 59 is, in the eyes of reporters who yet have little experience with the world, elderly.

So when media stories about an assault on a 71-year-old security guard in Riverside Park repeatedly made immediate reference to his age, my first thought was, here we go again.

But, in this case, the age is important. In case you missed the story, he approached a guy on a bicycle who was smoking in the park and asked him to stop. Bicycle guy responded with an expletive, an insult about his age, and a punch in the face before riding off.

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What a cowardly thing to do, hitting someone because you’re younger and stronger and know you can get away with it. Police have arrested a Surrey man in connection with the incident.

The thug on the bicycle physically enacted what many people do verbally every day. They dismiss older people and feel free to insult them while they’re doing it. “Old man,” they say. “Hang it up!” they say.

Ageism, as I’ve said before, is just another form of hate based on something we can’t change. Whether it’s age, colour or sexuality, we are who we are and should all get along as equals, respectfully disagreeing or respectfully reaching consensus.

I can’t help but wonder whether this reprehensible action against the security man was also based partly on the current hate-on so many have against authority and the rule of law, but maybe that’s a discussion for another day.

We can only hope whoever’s responsible is charged and convicted and that the judge throws the book at him plus an extra chapter for his unconscionable violence against a senior who was just trying to do his job.

I’m Mel Rothenburger, the Armchair Mayor.

Mel Rothenburger is a former mayor of Kamloops and a retired newspaper editor. He is a regular contributor to CFJC, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a director on the Thompson-Nicola Regional District board. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.

Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or the Jim Pattison Broadcast Group.