Being judged by one’s looks...and what to do about it

By Jim Thompson
HCP columnist

Maybe it is inevitable and maybe it is deserved. Being an old white guy carries some baggage, even before I open my mouth.  

We can start with the extreme. Professor Stacey Patton of Howard University recently “discouraged white liberals from asking her how to be a better ‘ally’ to minorities and encouraged them instead to emulate [John] Brown.” Brown tried to start slave rebellions in Pottawatomie, Kan. and Harper’s Ferry, Va., leading up to the Civil War. Professor Patton suffers from the same flaw of anyone who judges anyone else by their skin color – and I don’t care what color the judge or the one being judged is.

As an old person, I now understand what ageism is, too. When we are younger, there is some judgment we make about others from skin color to age. For me, it seems like 75 has been a magical age to start noticing this. Years ago, I read that nearly every adult, mentally, thinks that they are about 27 years old.

From the inside out, I still agree with this assessment. But I have noticed that others looking at me from outside in notice my physical frailties seem to think I am frail in the brain, too. 

So let’s talk about fixing our physical frailties. I’ll use me as an example and express the hope I have for the future, as long as the Lord wants me here.

You know I was first diagnosed with cancer in 2000. The cancer has not gotten to me, but the treatment has. I have neuropathy from my ankles down and can only feel pressure there – all caused by heavy doses of chemo.   

I got fed up with my overall deteriorating physical condition and went to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. back in the spring (if you have decent Medicare coverage, you can afford to do this, too). They kept me for a week and determined I have fibromyalgia, NPH (Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus – a brain condition that causes your legs to not work, can be fixed in many people), PVC (Premature Ventricular Contraction – this also can be fixed in most people) and a poor diet! I also have a small kidney function problem that was caused by chemo back in 2007.

Why am I focusing on me? Because I want you to get better, especially if you are approaching being elderly or are elderly. I want to transfer my experience to you. Knowing what I know now, I see many people in their mid-50s to 70 who could have a better lifestyle if they would just get up and go do it. If not Mayo, try Ohio State or the University of Cincinnati. I am not ignoring the very capable Highland District Hospital, but if you have some of these exotic issues, you’ll need to go to a larger facility.

What I see as the most foolish behavior is this: “Well, I am saving up my money to buy a new car.”  

If you don’t take care of your health, that new car will not be needed.

Jim Thompson, formerly of Marshall, is a graduate of Hillsboro High School and the University of Cincinnati. He resides in Duluth, Ga. and is a columnist for The Highland County Press.