Strange occurrence in supermarket

[sprot]

First time posting here so please be gentle with me.
Last week I was in my local supermarket,I lean on my trolley as I am disabled,anyway minding my own business when I feel prodding on my backside thinking someone had knocked me I ignored it and it carried on I turn round to see a elderly lady and her friend poking me with her umbrella,when I looked she said “sorry couldn’t ignore the target”🤔.i said nothing but have thought to myself afterwards if she had been male or younger I would have given her a right mouthful,but instead was just speechless.
No she wasn’t ‘confused or had dementia just thought it was funny.
So would I have been unreasonable if I’d told her where to go

[Petalflowers]

How bizarre. I can’t see why she did it. Definitely should have said something.

[ATBhinchers]

What I would have done is cried out in pain and called for help then explain the lady assaulted you, they would also have proof on CCTV. Get staff to call the police the whole shebang because I'd love to see her explanation! "I wasn't assaulting her I was just poking her with my stick for fun" she would be done for both assault and discrimination as you're disabled. People like this shouldn't be allowed to just get away with this sort of disgusting behaviour, age and gender should be irrelevant. Sorry this happened to you, if it helps if I had seen that happen in a shop I would have phoned the police for you! Horrible vile disgusting people out there.

[GreyGardens88]

I would have given her a right mouthful. Being old is not excuse for rudeness

[Gronky]

Just checking but, you're not an Eastern European dissident, are you?

[CrispbuttyNo1]

"What I would have done is cried out in pain and called for help then explain the lady assaulted you"

I must have missed the bit where OP says it hurt her. And I think the police have better things to do than arrest old ladies for behaving oddly.

And yes oddly as no person with full capacity would do this. Dementia and other behaviour issues are not visible, so unless the OP knows this woman personally and from her post it would not appear so, then I can't see how she can confidently say the woman has not got some kind of difficulty which affects her behaviour.

[ladymariner]

ATBhinchers nothing like a bit of overreaction, is there? You sound really odd!
Op, why didn't you just tell her that you didn't find it funny and that she was being very rude?

[ATBhinchers]

I love how every elderly person thread instantly gleans a reply from someone saying they must clearly have underlying issues such a dementia honestly it's ridiculous. There are just generally nasty horrible people in this world regardless of age or gender etc and they don't all have mental health/physical health problems. If the OP had said a young man did this to her no way would your response be this blase! Also it was assault plain and simple. If not assault definitely discriminatory against a disabled person.

[Floralnomad]

Being old does not excuse rudeness , I’d have really told her off .

[ATBhinchers]

I'm not odd don't be so fucking rude. It's not an over reaction it's an intentional reaction to someone to make a point - it is unacceptable behaviour and should be made an example of.

[LordProfFekkoThePenguinPhD]

Well some woman gave me a hefty shove out of her way as I reached over my shopping trolley to get something from a high shelf. I was leaning on my trolley because I had a slipped disc. God it hurt and I wasn’t even blocking the aisle. I think she just felt like being an utter bastard.

[Jaxhog]

Why is it that we 'allow' elderly people to get away with behaviour we wouldn't tolerate in someone younger? And I speak as an 'older' person.

This was unacceptable, unpleasant and very definately, not funny. And yes, technically, an assault. I can imagine what would happen if a young bloke did this to one of them. They would be yelling 'assualt' and screaming blue murder. I like to think I would have wrenched the umbrella away from them and prodded her with it.

[Justmuddlingalong]

It appears you met my mother. That's something she would do. Bitch.

[sprot]

I know she hasn’t any underlying issues as I asked the lady on the till if she knew her (which she does) so I asked her (we live in a very small town).
If it had turned out to be a bloke I’d have lamped him one.
As it was she was with another lady of similar age and they both found it hilarious

[sprot]

I didn’t tell her I think as I was shocked by it.
Not a Eastern European dissident no (not sure of releavence

[allthegoodusernameshavegone]

I think I would have just laughed, it all sounds jokey

[Disfordarkchocolate]

I'd have told her to piss off unless she was a close friend.

[elephantoverthehill]

I think it's a case of older women behaving badly , but very odd never the less.

[Disfordarkchocolate]

I know an old woman who likes to have fun when she's out and about. You may find her setting off all of the noisy Christmas toys but you won't find her hitting people.

[Bloodybridget]

I'd be furious if someone did that to me, pity you were too taken aback to tell her where to get off.

[QuirkyQuark]

I lean in trollies when shopping too, I'm also usually very grumpy in a supermarket so I would probably have glared and requested they keep their brolly to themselves. Then if they told me it was a joke I'd have ranted about it not being funny and shows a total lack of respect and boundaries.

[MyWeaponofChoiceisWords]

The European dissendent was a reference to the London murder of Georgi Markov with a poisoned umbrella in 1978.

[BlueMerchant]

I'd likely have laughed along as I'm far too nice but behind my smile I'd have been thinking next time I'd shove the brolly up her backside.

[NChangeitup1]

My grandmother has unfortunately got to the stage in life where she has decided she's given up being polite and is going to just say what she thinks from now on (her words not mine).
I cringed reading this as my immediate thought was that I could imagine her doing that, I don't think she would have done it in the past and I think she would believe it was just a funny little joke.
I definitely think you would have been fine to tell her where to go!

[ALongHardWinter]

Why is anyone over the age of 60,who behaves in an odd/unpleasant manner,automatically assumed to be developing dementia?! Some old people are just downright nasty! Same as some young people are,or middle aged people are!

[Fatasfook]

Mean old lady