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Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Elderly People Are Taking to Crime Because of Financial Need, Senility - TOI

"Mumbai Grapples with Grey Crime Wave" screams the headline of this article in Times. Now, what? 

As the article alleges (probably a first to its credit), old people are increasingly taking to crime. For the life of me - one who is on the threshold of old age - cannot imagine India's biggest newspaper alleging this spurious thought on its page number two. 

Has all sense of common decency gone from people, will they stoop to anything to make a sensation? That's what popped up in my mind when I read this. The statistics the paper quotes also show a one-sided view, as if it is going all out to prove it is right. It shows an increasing number of criminal acts committed by elderly people. Sure, buddy, all crime and criminal acts have gone up. So what's new if elderly people also committed more crimes? Is this news? But why didn't they show the increasing number of crime by juveniles, youths, by middle aged people, and people in their fifties? I am sure these graphs might have shown an even more grimmer picture.

The newspaper is firmly on the side of the young in this case. So, the thinking seems to be: old people are criminals. Now, spread the word. They are doing this because of, "Financial need, deteriorating community ties and senility." Old is no longer the period when a man rests on his laurels, a man is content to give up his fight gradually and fade away, because a new allegation has been put forward: old people are also criminals. 

Imagine the number of young people who are - with their tongues hanging out and salivating - waiting to cite this as example to drive poor helpless parents on the roads, forcibly seize their assets, brand them as satans and excoriate them, brand them as anti-social elements. 

Oh, God! It's better to die than see such a day!

I am @johnwriter on Twitter and John.Matthew on Facebook. I blog here.

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