I would enjoy seeing the age groups of

Well I think you are stereotyping and making younger members look less experienced.

There is a member on here who I respect very much and he is half my age! He is one of the most intelligent people I have ever spoken to of his age or even my age for that matter. I thought he was my age when I started reading his posts and then chatting with him online. I can chat about things with him that nobody my age even understands. I know people my age who cant have a conversation with me on many things. It has nothing to do with age, IMO it has to do with how informed one makes them self. Just because someone is young it doesnt make them any less smart than someone older.

I dont think anyones age really has anything to do with their posts honestly. I dont care what the age is I just care about the quality of the thread.

[edit on 9/14/2009 by mblahnikluver]

reply to post by enigmalone

---

Sigh another thread with Age groups and the lot? Not cool. I just turned 18 and if their were some sort of notification of age, I doubt my threads would do good. I kept my age under wraps, because the first thing people want to know is your age and if you say your 16 or 17, people are like," this kid does not know anything... He doesn't have experience or knowledge that is equal to my own, because I am older and have seen stuff." Well I have to respond with some understanding of my own:

1) Experience creates BIAS
2) AGE is just a number, created to be used as an external time constraint.
3) There are many more, but I think you understand my point.

Since we are young, does not mean we do not have experience. I never witnessed Monroe's death, RFK's death, JFK's death, The Zodiac Killer, The Black Dahlia, and many others. But do I need these experiences to understand what the hell is going on? No.

Experience is not everything. Knowledge is nothing. Understanding is everything.

I've been 39 for a few years now.

We discuss ideas, opinions, expressions, not each other right?.

If a member wishes to divulge their age for whatever reason they are free to do so, otherwise it's really none of our business.

Heck the very idea of non personal conversation is a major element in thought liberation and free expression and is a cornerstone of ATS imho.


For the record: My Age + My IQ < Room Temperature

reply to post by ArMaP

---

I know its too big, I kinda like it that way ...... and so do the ladies.

what does that have to do with anything ??

reply to post by enigmalone

---

I kinda understand where you are coming from. There is (i wont say childish) maybe immature nonsense and who knows from all ages. I don't think we can split it into age groups because there are some smart youngsters around for sure.

I hate getting interested in a subjet that starts off well and then gets derailed into lunacy.

There I said it and I'm OLD
MJ2

I agree with mblahnikluver on this one. Although my birth date is connected to my username (there are a couple of jinx's on ats, most of them havn't logged in for years) I sometimes feel that people aren't interested in or misinterperate what I say, because I'm so young.

Although, I wouldn't have a problem seeing anothers age. Due to personal experience, I know how it feels to not be listened to by people who are older than me.
I think it is the subject that counts, it doesn't matter if you are 16 or even younger. If you are interested enough in a certain subject and read alot on in, you might know more about it than some 50 year olds.

If I see someone younger than me make a mistake, I would give them advice and help them achieve whatever it is they are after. I certainly would not ignore them because they are young. (Unless they are rude and act in an uncivil manner.)

And, personally, I love reading posts from, and chatting to older people. They are sometimes a bit more understanding and patient towards younger members and post in a respectfull manner. I feel they like to guide us younger members. And that's cool!

It does because you don't know what was the poster's idea when making the post, as we don't know what was your idea when using that avatar image.

If you think that a post looks like "a research paper for Special Ed that didnt make it" then that's the result of what and how it was written (and we can never really know what was the idea behind the way some post was made) and your interpretation.

Some people may look at your avatar image and think that, for example, you are too old or too computer-illiterate to know how to use the features provided by ATS.

Age is only an indirect way of knowing other people's experience, but it relies too much on our own prejudices to be useful.

Avatars work more or less in the same way, many people judge the posts not by what is written but by the poster's avatar, some people use all they can to judge other people, ignoring the most important, their actions.

reply to post by ArMaP

---

That is exactly why I changed my avatar from myself to something else. It is also why, up until recently, I didn't let people know I was only 18. When I was 17 this past winter there was a small group of membership that trolled my posts and reduced them to the ramblings of a kid. I was called childish, uneducated, all of that.

So what ended up happening was that the member was eventually banned for something else, and things quieted down. But every once in awhile I would get a very respectful message informing me that by having an avatar of myself that showed generally what age I was, I was actually reminding people that I was young, which could be interpreted negatively by some individuals.

So now I have a gender non-specific, age non-specific avatar.
Although it's pretty easy to tell that I'm female. Even though some people actually couldn't figure that out when my avatar was a picture of me.
(Why I would post an avatar picture of some other random person, I'll never know.)

I'm out on the age identification also. A couple of my closet friends on ATS are young, and extaordinarily bright and gifted, and I adore them and their contributions. (Yes you, Myth, for one).

I like the freshness of ideas, the wisdom and dignity of the more mature, and I don't really care to know anyone's age, or have them know mine.

It's irrelevant.

My mouse can click out of a thread as efficiently and quickly as it clicks in.

haha I will be that age next year,and hiding from all my friends the next year!

I would love every one here to use a real photo of themselves,rather than having virtual conversations with the joker and batman!

reply to post by enigmalone

---

I recently did a thread on age requirements.I got hammered by the
younger members.

I had more academic knowledge when I was at University in my early 20's, 10 years later i have forgotten most things I learnt.
Now, all i'm left with is my opinion on things rather than an academic perspective, which i would 10 years ago. I still feel I know more now.

Op if you dont like what the thread says then move on to one you want to comment on, Dont put someone down because you dont like what their saying or trying to learn

I for one think miles outside the box or at the center at times

Pay attention to the point not the way it is expressed

I say tomato you say tamata Its still food either way

Who cares about age