asdfbeau: Seventy per cent regard age as unimportant in terms of their personal identity, and almost without exception, they told researchers, they felt younger than their actual years and regard themselves as being more like their children than like their own parents. In short, this is the Peter Pan generation - who fly out to join their children on their gap year, who still talk about things being 'cool', who insist on wearing Converse trainers...

translation: "immature, even in old age."

Are we supposed to believe it's our fault that the environment we live in promotes the young and disregards the older people like they're an embarrassment and not worthy of our precious time? Also that we're supposed to believe that this hasn't happened before and the boomers' attitude is the consequence of ill-thought out times and philosophies?

I say we are what we are because of our parents and they are what they are because of their parents. To deny their right to stand up and be counted (and enjoy our luxury of cheap travel and accommodating hosts in many countries) is to deny our own right to have a say in how our World is being shaped.

If your grandfather was Kennedy or Churchill would you still dismiss their opinions and wants? I think not, but we're told that only the very successful and cheered 'oldies' are allowed a say and our precious attention must not be swayed by those oldies who have similar opinions but have not had the privileges and talent that the Eastwoods of their generation have been lucky enough to have been afforded.

Truth be told, our parents and grandparents have made as many bad decisions as we will do, but it's much easier to learn from someone elses mistakes and move on than it is to make your own mistakes and then try to recover.