Old Fart

A term found on the JargonFile.

Undeleted. Perhaps one day it will be deleted, but in the mean time, let's see where it goes.

An OldFart is someone who believes they have rights, freedoms, privileges or powers above and beyond those of ordinary citizens due to some entirely irrelevant consideration. Especially vicious is when they believe that they have the right to run roughshod over ordinary citizens' freedoms.

OldFart does not refer to people who demand respect for entirely legitimate reasons. For example, the foremost expert in the field has a legitimate claim to respect. But not in another field, and not over a new theory that seeks to overturn the field.

Social groups are usually run by OldFarts.

I have seen a couple of churches and a few computer related public meetings destruct just for that reason. Not so much actual age, but the people who have been around treat the group as their social club, rather than an organization that needs new members to survive. -- AnonymousCoward

[As an aside, there are those of us who call ourselves Old Farts in a jocular manner; we by no means expect to be venerated simply on the basis of age. Although wisdom cannot be had without age, it is not automatically conferred on aged people. Heh.]

Wisdom cannot be had without age only in the sense that nothing that takes any time can be had without age, my old chap; nothing in the aging process helps with wisdom IMHO except the passage of time itself... or did I mean to say forgetfulness... -- AndrewCates

[Exactly. Uh, I mean, I think we agree...]

Everybody here is very polite. Almost too polite. It's kind of scary. Like you all have the same personality. OldFart.

Why, thank you. Perhaps that is thanks to WikiGnomes who have been applying the principle of RefactorMercilessly -- AnotherOldFart

OldFart is a name mostly used out of frustration by young ignorant and inexperienced individuals that try to overcome those that know better, and stand their ground. Wisdom is used elsewhere on this page, and fits well with most of those that are referred to as OldFarts. The ignorance of youth is often surprised by the strength and power of those with wisdom, and the young and foolish degrade to the childish name calling as their is little else that they can do. The nice thing about it is, that the process soon comes full-circle and finds the name-callers later in life as becoming the new generation of OldFarts. These OldFarts is what protect us from many foolish and dangerous actions of the ignorance of youth, and thus prevent some of the problems associated with HistoryIsDoomedToRepeatItself?. -- Proud OldFart

CategoryIdiom