Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Maine’s ‘Lobster Lady’ who fished for nearly a century dies aged 105

theguardian.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

51–60 of 69 posts

Re: Maine’s ‘Lobster Lady’ who fished for nearly a century dies aged 105

#51

Post by petcat »

> Some regard stories such as that of Oliver, who came to be known as her state’s “Lobster Lady”, as evidence of the growing number of Americans who extend their working days well past the typical retirement age as the cost of living in the US has soared, wages have stagnated and many therefore have been unable to save.

It's unfortunate that this publication decides to go hard on politics no matter what the feel-good story behind the article is. This Ginny lady clearly said that she loved banding lobsters and wanted to do it for as long as she could. It had nothing to do with working into her old age because she needed the money. Obviously that is a real issue, but has nothing to do with this story.

I like this news website better: https://www.positive.news/

At least it doesn't try to snipe me into feeling bad, or scared about everything.

Re: Maine’s ‘Lobster Lady’ who fished for nearly a century dies aged 105

#52

Post by kiliantics »

I took a boat ride in Maine on a lobster boat once that was owned and operated by a man in his 90s. Someone else in the town told me that he was being pressured to stop working by his family because he had recently fallen out of the boat while lobstering alone and broken a rib. He still managed to climb back into the boat with his injury and get home. It's a different America up there.

Re: Maine’s ‘Lobster Lady’ who fished for nearly a century dies aged 105

#53

Post by VWWHFSfQ »

petcat wrote: post #51

> Some regard stories such as that of Oliver, who came to be known as her state’s “Lobster Lady”, as evidence of the growing number of Americans who extend their working days well past the typical retirement age as the cost of living in the US has soared, wages have stagnated and many therefore have been unable to save. It's unfortunate that this publication decides to go hard on politics no matter what the feel-good…

> At least it doesn't try to snipe me into feeling bad, or scared about everything.

That's the guardian for you. They can't write an article without making sure the reader comes away feeling like a piece of shit. This piece should just be a celebration of Ginny's remarkable life, but they'll still make sure that you know that there are kids starving in Africa and elderly people working past retirement because they have no money.

I also love positive.news, and I subscribe to their newsletter. It's great.

Re: Maine’s ‘Lobster Lady’ who fished for nearly a century dies aged 105

#54

Post by sethhochberg »

parpfish wrote: post #41
bell-cot wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Being 100 and still capable of working is a blessing A much under-appreciated blessing. At any age. Over the past half-ish century, I've visited any number of elderly relatives and friends who were living in the US's long-term care facilities. However bright the decor, or kind the care staff - there is a very bleak "people whose ability to do anything useful has died, waiting for the rest of death" aura to them.

Over my life I have learned “you must be useful to be valued” and I’m desperately trying to unlearn it. Reason one is that I should learn to chill out and relax. Reason two is that I know old age will hit me very hard once I feel “useless” and I should prepare for that

I've personally had a decent amount of luck with trying to reframe this sort of sentiment from "being useful" to "having purpose".

Right now, yes, its true that a lot of my day to day purpose is driven by participating in the economy and setting myself up for the life I'd like to have in my later years, and I get genuine validation from solving problems and collaborating with people in my day job.

But sometimes, my purpose is to go snowboarding and forget about work. Or to help a friend fix their bicycle. Or to get lost in conversation with a new person I'm dating. As far as any of us know, we only get one turn to be alive on this rock, so we might as well purposefully enjoy it as much as we try to purposefully be useful.

If you look at Ginny Oliver from the article, it might be fair to question whether she was as useful on a lobster boat at 105 as she might have been in her youth. But I doubt she was concerned with usefulness since she had such sense of purpose.

Re: Maine’s ‘Lobster Lady’ who fished for nearly a century dies aged 105

#55

Post by wincy »

ulf-77723 wrote: post #13

The article states that a raising amount of people in the US still work, albeit their age and it feels a little strange to me. Ginny, probably got so old because she was working and had a purpose every day. Being 100 and still capable of working is a blessing

My grandfather retired and realized he had no hobbies to speak of, and no desire to travel. So he went back to doing what he enjoyed, he worked part time for the city doing sewer inspections. He’d use a bar and open a manhole, and do whatever it is he did then. He did this until into his 80s, until he passed a few years ago. I guess he just liked being useful.

My other grandpa is a retired design engineer, extremely handy, and while his body is failing from Parkinson’s, in his 80s he’s still smart as a whip. He was working around his farm until he hit 80 when his wife started displaying dementia signs.

I still call him up any time I need advice on fixing stuff round the house or my car.

Re: Maine’s ‘Lobster Lady’ who fished for nearly a century dies aged 105

#57

Post by cucumber3732842 »

dfxm12 wrote: post #44
ulf-77723 wrote: post #13

The article states that a raising amount of people in the US still work, albeit their age and it feels a little strange to me. Ginny, probably got so old because she was working and had a purpose every day. Being 100 and still capable of working is a blessing

growing number of Americans who extend their working days well past the typical retirement age as the cost of living in the US has soared, wages have stagnated and many therefore have been unable to save. Calling this a blessing in the larger context is unconscionable. The USA is the richest country in the world. If someone needs to work into their 100s, it is a sign of failure from our political leaders. Additionall…

What's unconscionable is that people feel entitled to cherry pick stuff like this and then use it as fodder for shameless moral posturing. The damn near next sentence says this was not the case with her, it clearly wasn't her job, it was what she wanted to spend her life doing.

I don't wonder why public discourse is the way that it is.

Re: Maine’s ‘Lobster Lady’ who fished for nearly a century dies aged 105

#58

Post by [deleted] »

VWWHFSfQ wrote: post #53
petcat wrote: post #51

> Some regard stories such as that of Oliver, who came to be known as her state’s “Lobster Lady”, as evidence of the growing number of Americans who extend their working days well past the typical retirement age as the cost of living in the US has soared, wages have stagnated and many therefore have been unable to save. It's unfortunate that this publication decides to go hard on politics no matter what the feel-good…

> At least it doesn't try to snipe me into feeling bad, or scared about everything. That's the guardian for you. They can't write an article without making sure the reader comes away feeling like a piece of shit. This piece should just be a celebration of Ginny's remarkable life, but they'll still make sure that you know that there are kids starving in Africa and elderly people working past retirement because they ha…

[deleted]

Re: Maine’s ‘Lobster Lady’ who fished for nearly a century dies aged 105

#59

Post by cucumber3732842 »

nephihaha wrote: post #26
defrost wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

* Fishing's not catching, * I just pulled up a family video of several kids, mine, my siblings, friends, making commercial marbles for sale pulling glass from a furnace and rolling them on a bench, using optic moulds, canes for decoration, etc .. at the age of five. Sure, we weren't running them like chimney sweeps or coal mine donkeys 24/7 - that's what they wanted to do for pocket money - make their own, how ever m…

I doubt she was doing much in this direction until at least the age of eleven and even then...

In the days before OSHA there was a lot of stuff on a lobster boat an 8yo can be tasked with.

Re: Maine’s ‘Lobster Lady’ who fished for nearly a century dies aged 105

#60

Post by nephihaha »

tokai wrote: post #30
nephihaha wrote: post #23

It says she died at 105 and spent almost a century fishing for lobsters. I doubt she was catching many at the age of five.

She started working at the age of 8. Which we both know from reading the article.

I doubt she could do much at eight either. Maybe tie some knots.
Post reply on HN