The cries of the righteous, “I don’t know anyone like that” have dimmed as family members and co-workers come out. But sadly, in our somewhat united states, behind many a closed door, the well-known words are still persistent and routine. For all that, we are more and more in public view which is all well and good. However, I feel we are often added merely to satisfy the production’s PC requirement.
In a local (excellent) production’s opening minutes, a young man undergoes a bully’s homophobic accusations. True or not, it is never a part of the plot or referred to again. This non-involvement, non-relevancy is also in two books I just read in which a witness, unasked, suddenly announces to the detective, “I’m gay/lesbian.” No comment is made in response; the interview simply continues. Nothing whatever about either character appears again. Even a red herring requires at least one or two more subtle references for the reader-sleuth to think they’d uncovered a clue, but nothing, nada, zilch.
We all remember in the old days a “pathetic deviant” would appear as either ultra-fem or ultra-butch and more often as a confused loner and/or the killer whose ending was guaranteed to be by suicide to escape from shame and disgrace or by the hero’s bullet for justice and the American way.
I am happy to see the current acknowledgment of our existence as non-criminals or predators, however, as stars or bit players, for goodness sake, authors, do something with us. When using us as a robbery witness, if you add the LGBTUVWXYZ label to the clerk (sales associate/team member) do it for a reason. We make fabulous characters. Don’t waste us.
Seniors, the dream customers. Not
Clearly, seniors as a target audience are of low priority to the advertising world. The simple reason being other targets are where the money is. Various factors influence the order of preference with age, income and spending patterns at the top of the list which puts us seniors at the bottom.
It is felt those on pensions don’t have it and those who have it don’t like to spend it. We are therefore locked in the cross hairs of medical promotions, insurance policies and living accommodations gushed over by giddily happy retirees. The majority of advertisers, meanwhile, aim elsewhere for people willing to empty their pockets and swipe their credit cards for fabulous one-week-only deals.
The Internet gave me these preferred customer categories. From the bottom up, we start with the greatest generation, age 89+ with about 3 million; clearly not a vital part of the economic picture nor is the silent generation 71-88 with only 28 million. The oft referenced boomers extending from 52-79 have an enviable population of 72 million. They are followed by generation X aged 36-51 with a respectable 65.9 million. The winner, it seemed, would be the millennials, those young kids 19-35 with 75.5 million. But I (and you, I bet) forgot generation 2 those 18 year olds and under which tops them all with their whopping 77.9 million. They with their doting parents/ grand-parents who co-sign credit cards blithely buy toys, the latest fashions, school fad, electronics, etc. All reaping huge profits.
When you look at any one of the top four (boomers, generation x, millennials, generation 2) they far outnumber the greatest and the silents combined. Face it. Business is business.
