A week or two ago, I was doing a medical set-up. The patient lived in a tall building in downtown Salt Lake. I have been to this building before, and the name has always struck me as really odd. The building is named "The Salt Lake Multi-Ethnic Senior Center." Despite the title being absurdly long, I find the title itself slightly absurd. Despite all the places I have been I have never once been sent to the White Only, Chinese Only, Black Only, Hispanic Only, etc. senior centers. I also have never seen a senior center that has a list of the races they will allow to reside there, and those they won't. I guess since I didn't live in the 60s I have never known the world to be so segregated, as to now need a Senior Center to be labeled "multi-ethnic." I really find the whole thing oddly amusing.
So, the patient buzzed all of my Caucasian ethnic self into the the multi-ethnic senior center. I was not worried about my ethnicity, because I felt all races were welcome there. I was worried that someone would be less accepting of me because I was not a senior though. Despite the title of the building and the bigotry I expected to greet me from angry old women yelling from their wheelchairs, and even angrier men shaking their canes in my direction, things were different. I helped the patient and got him the equipment he needed. I then headed back to the elevator to make the lonesome journey from the tenth floor back to the lobby. To my surprise, the elevator stopped on the fifth floor. A little old woman no more then five feet tall, looked up at me with bright eyes, and said, "Ohhhh my goodness!" as she looked at me like I was a piece of meat. While walking towards me into the elevator, "she said, my aren't you a wonderfully good-looking surprise when the elevator doors open?" She then walked right up and hugged me. She seemed just fine to even rest her head just above my belly button. She held me tight against her the whole way down from the fifth floor to the lobby. At one point on the long journey down, I thought she was going to push the emergency stop on the elevator and try to make out with me. The only thing that calmed my fears is the fact that she would need a step ladder in order for our lips to meet. When we reached the lobby, I said, "okay, this is my stop, I better let you go." She then said, "alright dear, just one last big hug for the road." She then squeezed me even harder for a second, before letting go. I shook my head as I laughed my way all the way back to my sweet mini-van. This was not some care facility, these were just apartments for seniors (obviously of many races!). I thought the whole experience odd, until I realized I had indeed been exposed to their bigotry! No, it wasn't the angry kind that I was expecting, but it was bigotry none the less. I think they should have a sign that says, "young and middle aged people, enter at your own risk." So sure they may not be racists there, but I think we can firmly say that they are ageist, and will treat anyone under 60, who dares to enter, like a piece of meat!
