Susan Boyle dowdy and frumpy

In the New York Times Style section on Sunday a writer described how we judge people by their appearance. Mostly, she says, it is about our minds deciding quickly whether someone is "safe" or "dangerous and threatening."

In the article about first impressions, the writer says that "older people traditionally (are) seen as 'harmless and useless.' Wow. Did that ring a bell. She also says that "when people don't fit our preconceived notions, we tend to ignore the contradictions, until they are too dramatic to overlook." Well, then, I'm for dramatic!

I am on a mission to figure out how necessary it is for older people to be perceived at "harmless and useless" in our society. Because, you know we are (considered "harmless and useless"). More later.