One hundred and ten-year-old Flossie Dickey had endured two world wars, the Great Depression and Kid Rock, but nothing would be worse than the inhumanity she suffered at the hands of “Good Day Spokane” reporter Nichole Mischke. During a 2016 interview, Mischke conducted one of the most raw, uncomfortable and funny interactions to ever grace the Internet. Punctuated by long silences and refusals to answer Mischke’s questions, the interview drags as Dickey states multiple times that she was tired and would rather be taking a nap than answering the reporter’s uninspired questions.
Indulging in “elderspeak,” a patronizing, high-pitched way of speaking that presumes the elderly person is of lesser intelligence, Mischke asked Dickey questions like “Are you excited for your party?” to which the supercentenarian replied, “Not one bit.” But the icing on the condescension cake was when Mischke pressed her subject for the secret to living such a long life. Expecting an answer that Dickey somehow strived to outlive the rest of the country and reached the point where every trip to the bathroom is an ordeal, Dickey responded, “Don’t fight it, just live it.”
Dickey’s overt sense of fatigue and refusal to play along was refreshing. It wasn’t the first time we’ve seen interview subjects mock news etiquette, but it was certainly one of the best. In a follow-up story that year, Dickey was given an honorary induction into the Air Force, something that was a lifelong dream. The reporter and serviceman spoke softly but directly to Dickey, and she responded accordingly. Smiling and joking, Dickey seemed to enjoy an interview where she was treated with the respect she deserves, rather than like an oddity or infant.
But that’s often the way elderly people are perceived in society. On television and in pop culture, old people are stereotyped as racist, asexual and mean. Sometimes they serve as the comic relief, completely oblivious and ignorant to the dementia that’s already hatched inside of them.
Alternatively, old people are rebels. They may be unfairly characterized as crabby, but they simply refuse to adhere to our norms of politeness. For them, life is exceedingly short and there’s no time to be fake or to pretend you enjoy the company of something or someone. It may come as an affront to younger people, but old people speak their minds because they’ve earned it. Old people are not occupied with the notions of feelings and sensitivity — something the millennial generation has an excessive concern over.
If our culture insists on continuing these hackneyed interviews with people of a certain age, the questions and content need to be well worth the time of the subject and the audience. Older people may suffer from hearing loss and a lack of acuity in general, but they are still capable of answering questions beyond their health. Old people want to engage in mutual conversation. They don’t want anyone else to serve as an interpreter. They want to be spoken to directly, clearly and respectfully. Many want to learn and be challenged with new information.
Kristen DiPietra is a senior double-majoring in English and human development.