The Old Coot has a face for radio.
By Merlin
Lessler
I was
putting some books on a shelf in my office the other day and noticed that the
actual book covers were drab - title and author and that’s it, a plain wrapper.
But the slick removable cover the publisher put over it was colorful, eye
catching and exciting.
“Don’t judge
a book by its cover,” used to be a common saying, extrapolating that advice to,
“We shouldn’t judge people by how they look.” Hardly anyone follows that adage;
it’s in exile. People, and books, as publishers well know, are commonly judged
by how they look. Take the news, weather and commentary people on TV. Producers
certainly think, in fact know, that their looks are important. It’s human
nature. And, it affects a lot more than TV hiring; most companies do the same,
consciously or unconsciously. The saying, “he has a face for radio,” says it
all.
One of the
lessons that us old people learn, starting about when we get our first Social
Security check, is that we’re judged, or ignored, by how old our “cover” looks.
I’m well acquainted with the judgement, but I use it. - “Would you let me go
ahead of you in line? I’m in my 80’s?” It gets me through TSA in the fast lane
without taking off my shoes, jacket or belt and onto the plane ahead of the
line, especially when I use a cane, which I really need in a slow moving line
or on an excessively long and hurried race from one gate to another. And, I get
senior discounts automatically. I don’t have to ask. My “cover” does it for me.
It’s not all bad, this being an old coot thing.
Comments?
Send to mlessler7@gmail.com
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