https://www.reddit.com/r/unpopularopinion/comments/140c99p/i_dont_care_about_old_people_dying/
created by chandoni on 04/06/2023 at 12:56 UTC
626 upvotes, 127 top-level comments (showing 25)
[removed]
Comment by Flair_Helper at 04/06/2023 at 18:45 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Thank you for submitting to /r/unpopularopinion, /u/chandoni. Your post, *I don't care about old people dying*, has been removed because it violates our rules:
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Comment by Klutzer_Munitions at 04/06/2023 at 13:00 UTC
647 upvotes, 9 direct replies
Advocating for physician assisted suicide isn't really an unpopular opinion. Also, a huge amount of elderly people have DNR's
This only sounds like an unpopular opinion when you add in the shock value from your title, otherwise these are almost mainstream views
Comment by Seaweed_Steve at 04/06/2023 at 14:55 UTC
90 upvotes, 1 direct replies
I think your title is a bit sensationalised.
I agree that we shouldn’t always try and keep people alive. My grandfather was a vegetable that needed constant care for 8 years before he died. He had no idea what was going on, where he was, who he was, he took no joy in anything. It was a relief for everyone when he passed.
Your title however is just an edgy take without compassion, which doesn’t specify quality of living, that’s the unpopular part.
Comment by pianodude1981 at 04/06/2023 at 14:10 UTC
46 upvotes, 0 direct replies
I recently was sick for a very long time out of the blue and thought about killing myself a few times. I'm glad that I didn't though, now that the misery is starting to subside. I imagine that's true for people who are not well and very old. They probably have good days here and there and are glad they got another snort of sunshine
Comment by [deleted] at 04/06/2023 at 13:34 UTC
63 upvotes, 2 direct replies
I think if someone wants to live and squeeze out as many minutes as they can out of life, then provide them with whatever healthcare they need to do that. If they don't, and just want to get it over with, then help with that as well. I'm a huge supporter of medical assisted death.
Comment by Saul_Goodman_97 at 04/06/2023 at 14:12 UTC
65 upvotes, 7 direct replies
Your perspective will likely change when you're closer to that age. Most people fear death. It's easy to view it this way when you're young and in good health.
Comment by Sexy_lizard_lady at 04/06/2023 at 15:48 UTC
37 upvotes, 2 direct replies
Former EMT. SO MANY old people don’t have DNR’s and they just seem like they’re kept alive in misery for no reason at all. It was a big reason I left the field. At some point you have to accept that there are worse things than just dying. Death happens to us all. Why are we fighting it so hard?
Comment by CalmToaster at 04/06/2023 at 15:33 UTC
5 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Sounds like you do care about old people dying. It sounds like you support a dignified death when health begins to decline for the worse.
The post sounds like you don't care, but you do. You don't want your grandpa to suffer. You don't want people to needlessly receive life saving treatments when their bodies are failing on them.
Actually, I think you don't care about them dying when you make decisions to keep people alive when they are obviously suffering.
Comment by WebBorn2622 at 04/06/2023 at 15:53 UTC
6 upvotes, 0 direct replies
I used to visit my great grandma when I was younger. One time when I visited she told me “I’m just waiting to die. I’m not sure I want to live anymore”.
I do think that sometimes families push careers into keeping elders alive past their own wishes. I have heard many nurses talk about how sometimes old people stop eating, but the family insists on putting in a feeding tube or force feeding them. It’s a difficult situation because you don’t want to tell the family that their loved ones “should” die, but you also know force feeding or feeding tubes hurts the patients and just makes their last days more miserable.
It’s common for both animals and people to stop eating to quietly sleep in. It’s a natural instinct.
Death is uncomfortable, but it is inevitable. Let people die naturally when their body and brain gives in. Don’t fight it. Let people die peacefully and comfortably instead of painfully keeping them alive for a week more.
Comment by [deleted] at 04/06/2023 at 13:28 UTC
87 upvotes, 2 direct replies
[deleted]
Comment by gretchentheviking at 04/06/2023 at 15:05 UTC
19 upvotes, 1 direct replies
What was your grandfather’s response when you told him you don’t care about him dying?
Just wondering who gets to decide when someone has ‘had a good run’, and how are you proposing they be dispatched?
Comment by Anne7216 at 04/06/2023 at 13:47 UTC
33 upvotes, 2 direct replies
The younger generations appear to be becoming increasingly less tolerant of the aging process.
In about 30 years time compulsory euthanasia at 60 will probably be brought in.
Comment by LZBANE at 04/06/2023 at 16:46 UTC
11 upvotes, 0 direct replies
I know elderly people in their 90s that are still going well and still want everything they can get from life.
I think you just worded this wrong. You don't want to see the sick suffering, that's all and especially against their wishes. Most people would agree with that.
Comment by Duckbilledplatypi at 04/06/2023 at 16:03 UTC
5 upvotes, 0 direct replies
You cleary don't want your grandfather to suffer.
Which means you DO care.
Comment by CIWA_blues at 04/06/2023 at 17:54 UTC
5 upvotes, 0 direct replies
What is “old” to you? Sorry you don’t care about your grandpa dying but my abuela is 82 and she does not want to die yet. We all love her dearly in the family and would be extremely sad if she died. So this just comes off as calloused and spoken like someone who doesn’t know how to put themselves in others’ shoes.
Comment by HallowedBeyond at 04/06/2023 at 14:25 UTC
18 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Many young people on Reddit hate anyone older than they are, largely because they were able to purchase a home. Even if the older person is homeless, younger people strongly imagine that they have a couple houses in San Francisco. Typical for their generation.
Comment by runawaycity2000 at 04/06/2023 at 15:43 UTC
4 upvotes, 0 direct replies
I think “old” people who try new technology like touch screen phones, vs “old” people who just stay in their comfort zone have very different perspectives on death…
Comment by buzzwallard at 04/06/2023 at 18:43 UTC
4 upvotes, 1 direct replies
We want a society in which we can make that decision for ourselves.
We do not want a society where others make that decision for us.
Comment by Diacetyl-Morphin at 04/06/2023 at 15:43 UTC
12 upvotes, 0 direct replies
I think OP is rather young and didn't had an encounter with death by himself yet. It doesn't matter what happens, it's always the same with the survival instincts; once death knocks at your door, you'll do everything you can to survive. I almost died by an overdose once and in another time, i made it barely through a suicide attempt because of my bipolar disorder.
I can just tell you, it's always easy to say this like "when i'm old, i don't care if i'm going to die", but in reality, it will be different when you are really in this situation. Even when grandpa can not do many things anymore, he doesn't want to die. If he could, he'd rather be young again.
Also, many people say such things, like "When i'd get life in prison without possibility of parole, i'd commit suicide", but the stats show, that only a very few prisoners go through with this. Even those on death row almost always try to appeal and to get one more day, even when it is just in a small prison cell.
About euthanasia aka assisted suicide, we have this where i live in Switzerland. Still, the majority of the people don't go this way. I had a friend that did this because he had leukemia in terminal stage, he decided to skip the suffering and just go in peace and without pain and struggle. But not many people do this, most still try to fight on even when the battle is already lost.
Comment by WakkaBomb at 04/06/2023 at 13:04 UTC
43 upvotes, 5 direct replies
I wonder what would happen if you flat out told your grandpa to die to his face.
I bet you he'd pick his 95 year old ass out of his rocker and smack you into 1942.
Get used to it kid. The avererage life expectancy is only going to increase from here.
Comment by Abstrectricht at 04/06/2023 at 16:28 UTC
7 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Not caring about things is a super great habit to get into that will really pay off long term.
Comment by thenotredditor at 04/06/2023 at 14:50 UTC
3 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Word your title better please
Comment by [deleted] at 04/06/2023 at 15:04 UTC
3 upvotes, 0 direct replies
The possibility of assisted suicide for people suffering from severe conditions/injuries or low quality of life due to old age etc isnt that unpopular of an opinion
Given theres a proper reasoning that isnt just an on the fly bad decision due to depression, then it should be an option
Comment by Different_Ad7655 at 04/06/2023 at 15:36 UTC
3 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Of course that's easy to say when you're young and healthy. But when you're sitting there and it's your turn, it becomes a very uniquely personal decision.. I think we all just want to go with a quick heart attack or something like that nobody wants to wither away.. But the brain is an amazing thing. Some people with full physical body handicaps, still persevere, breathe, and their brains and emotions, and will to live, thrive. It's not simply not being old it's about the attitude I guess. We'll all get there and find out
Comment by Bo_Jim at 04/06/2023 at 15:39 UTC
3 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Ultimately, it doesn't matter what you think. It matters what they think since it's their lives that are affected. I imagine some have religious reasons for wanting to hang on. "God will take me when he's ready" sort of thing. For others who are less/not religious, I imagine it's a matter of balance. Do the advantages of living outweigh the disadvantages? The finger on the scale is the realization that there might be/definitely is nothing waiting for them after death, so being able to enjoy any part of what life has to offer, no matter how small, might be better than kicking the proverbial bucket. It really is a very individual thing.
I'm in my mid 60's, and I've got my share of health problems, though I'm not yet facing anything that is likely to kill me. At this particular moment in time, living is much more appealing to me than not living. But I can easily imagine a time could come where the pain of living outweighs any enjoyment I'm getting out of life. At that point I'll instruct my doctors to stop trying to cure, and stop trying to treat, and just focus on relieving pain. But I want that to be my decision.