Hello Cool Kids: A Test About Blues + A Conversation About A Paradox

/ Ally Bean

A TEST

Neato!

Immediately above you see my results from a simple little online test called Is My Blue Your Blue? What I learned is that I see more blue than most people and consider turquoise to be green.

There are, of course, no right or wrong answers to this test, but there is something to be gleaned from realizing how one person sees color is not necessarily how you see color.

Kind of trippy‽

A CONVERSATION

Groovy!

While reading something on Threads I saw the above quote that is attributed to Widdershins Smith.

Mentioned in passing it wasn’t the point of conversation, but the idea of a Geezer’s Paradox stuck with me. I turned the quote into the little gem you see here figuring that we, my little blue birds of happiness, could discuss it.

Upon reading the quote I nodded my head in agreement but also felt that, while possibly being old enough to be of geezer age, I might not be a geezer because of my gender. I asked Zen-Den, a confirmed male geezer, what he thought and he suggested that BIDDY might be the female equivalent to GEEZER.

Sure, sure, could be.

So I decided to ask ye olde Google how to define ‘geezer’ and stumbled over this interesting article in Psychology Today that discusses exactly what  Z-D and I were talking about: What’s the Feminine Form of “Geezer”?

Hint: The answer has to do with the use of non-gendered language in modern society and your own personal opinion about how word meanings should, or should not, change.

Regardless of whether you prefer GEEZER or BIDDY, the point I’m taking away from this quote and brief research project is that once you stop caring about cool, it finds you.

And how cool is that‽

QUESTIONS OF THE DAY

If you took the test about the color BLUE, what do think? Have you ever considered the idea that everyone sees color differently, sometimes very differently?

What’s your opinion about the word GEEZER versus the word BIDDY? Do you relate to either or neither? 

What do you think makes a person COOL? Is it an attitude or is it something more? Is being cool one of your goals?

229 thoughts on “Hello Cool Kids: A Test About Blues + A Conversation About A Paradox”

  2. I tried the test, but it seemed to freeze at the fourth frame. Perhaps it disagreed with my choice, and wasn’t willing to let me go on! At any rate, it’s something that photographers discuss regularly, especially when it concerns colors in online photos. The purple/lavender/pink range is especially interesting. I can post a photo I consider lavender, only to have readers call it pink or blue. Monitors make a difference, as well as the usual difficulties associated with labeling.

    I don’t like biddy as a term for a female geezer, because ‘biddy’ is a purely negative term for me, while I have great affection for some geezers I’ve known. Geezers are idiosyncratic, while biddies are pursed-lipped, judgemental types who seem determined never to be happy! IMHO, of course.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Linda, interesting about the purple/lavender/pink range of colors in photos. I don’t do enough photography to know that’s an issue nor to have what I publish be misidentified. Sorry the test shut down on you. I’m sure it wasn’t personal.

      Well now that you define biddy that way I see your point about not liking it. I know some woman like that, but also some men like that too! Maybe geezer AND biddy should not be gender specific, merely used to describe personality types.

      Liked by 1 person

  4. I’m 176 and also see turquoise as green. I’ve been aware that we don’t all see colours in the same way for a long time; there are genes for this, so we can’t change how we see them, either. Cameras see colours differently, too, also along the blue/green spectrum.

    I’m not a fan of either geezer or biddy and kind of see them as words that are intended to marginalise.

    Being cool is in the eye of the beholder, just like turquoise or some vocabulary words. I never aspired to it and may or may not be cool according to how others see me, but I really don’t care. This is definitely a great post, Ally. That’s how I see it, anyway. 😉

    Liked by 1 person

    • Lynette, oh you made me laugh out loud with your last sentence. Thanks.

      I knew people saw colors differently. Try deciding on a wall paint color with someone else and you’ll quickly learn that reality. I knew that cameras definitely see blue/green colors differently and that’s why [I’m theorizing] that people like all the filters on cameras, so you can make the photo look like what you were actually seeing.

      While I take your point about how geezer or biddy can be words used to marginalize, I’m happily in the margins so I feel they fit me. I aspire to be cool so maybe that’s why I accept them. 🤷‍♀️

      Liked by 1 person

  6. Mine was 171, to the left of yours. But honestly, at the end they all looked the same to me. So I thought, ‘yes, that’s blue, I JUST SAID THAT WAS BLUE’.

    I feel like cool is definitely an attitude. We’re definitely cool.

    Liked by 1 person

    • J, I know what you mean, the shades did get to a point where they seemed almost the same. Still, a fun little glimpse into color.

      YES, yes, we are definitely cool. When I was younger I’d never have wanted to be cool, preferring to be popular, but now: cool is as cool does.

      Like

  7. I sit at 171- a decided green leaner. Seems to fit my need-for-nature personality!
    I don’t care for either geezer or biddy. I am striving for Bad Ass…and yes the capitalization is a must.

    Liked by 2 people

  8. OK, apparently I see turquoise as blue, but I found the test a little too too limiting since the choices were green or blue and I would have said green to the blue side or blue to the green side or even turquoise. Maybe I missed a box.
    Both the terms geezer and biddy imply something negative, the geezer being perhaps stuck in his ways and crabby, the biddy being gossipy or nosey.
    My grandkids are always impressed that I know all the words to the songs they listen to, not realizing of course that mine were either the original, or a remake of something that came before even me.
    I came of age in a time of extreme coolness from my mini skirts to my go-go boots and the music I listened to. That stays with you, even though at this stage of life the only one who needs to think I’m cool is me, and I don’t care.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Dorothy, you raise a good point about the limits of the test. Plus who’s to say that your computer monitor or phone screen register these colors differently than anyone else’s.

      I understand your definitions of geezer and biddy, the way in which the words can be perceived as negative.

      I love that your grandkids are impressed with your knowledge of lyrics. They’ll figure it out eventually but in the meantime, who’s the cool grandma? As long as you’re living your coolness in a way that pleases you, then go for it.

      Liked by 1 person

  9. Everything my neighbor calls pink, I call lavender. We’ve agreed to kindly disagree.

    I like geezers, but I don’t want to be a biddy. I think of the word as a short form of busybody.

    I love many people without regard to their temperature — whether they are cool or hot.

    Fun post!

    Liked by 1 person

  10. My hue was 171. But I see turquoise as blue. I use a lot of blues and greens in my paintings. Especially turquoise blue ocean water.
    I love the new word Geezette that circadianrythms proposed! So much better than Biddy, which is a negative name to me. Like people saying that old Biddy!
    To me, someone that is cool, is a person that is kind, knowledgeable, and creative. I’ve never been cool and probably never will be, but I’m OK with that.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Beth, your reasoning about why turquoise is blue makes sense, considering where you live and what you paint. Color is fascinating.

      I adore Geezeette too. Crosses the divide between wanting a word to have a positive meaning, unlike biddy, while still demonstrating a gender for those who want to do that.

      You aren’t cool? Well I dunno, you hit all those variables in your own life. But define yourself as you will. 😉

      Like

  11. 172 for me. The test is thought-provoking because I can’t decide whether it’s better to be closer to the average or more “outstanding” like you. Regardless – and I won’t be the last person to say this – I now have the tune “Bluer Than Blue” running around in my brain, thank you very much. Michael Johnson? Must’ve been a one-hit wonder.

    Like

    • Dave, it may not matter if you’re average or otherwise because it’s not like you can change how you see color. Lynette mentioned genes, the ones you’re stuck with.

      Thanks for today’s ear worm. I’d forgotten about that song which now I shall *enjoy* all day. I’m sure there’s a long list of blue songs, now that I think about it.

      Like

  12. I am a “True neutral” when it comes to blue and green. Which is hilarious because I have very definite opinions on pretty much everything in my life. Neutral, I am not! I live in Los Angeles, and I have always been way too punctual, too conservative (clothing-wise ONLY), and too nerdy to even be remotely hip. I gave up caring long ago.

    Liked by 1 person

  14. Though there were two instances during that test when I could have gone either way (and I wish they had that choice listed), I went green, because the color seemed closer to green. So my score varied from 174 to 177 because I took the test more than once. 🤷
    As for biddy versus geezer, I will answer to either, and will gladly tell the young whippersnappers to stay off my lawn. 😄😄😄
    When I turned 40, I felt cool for the first time ever!

    Liked by 1 person

    • L. Marie, you’ve been thorough to take the test multiple times. I didn’t think to do that, but you’re right. I know what you mean about being indifferent to some of those shades that are so close.

      I love your way of explaining the geezer versus biddy situation. It is all about not being a whippersnapper and that’s what counts. Good for you being cool because, of course, you are.

      Liked by 1 person

  15. My husband and I are on opposite spectrums on this. Turquoise is blue, I say. He says turquoise is green, but the color sample they showed is not turquoise. I even wonder if we live on the same planet.

    Don’t get either of us started on the debate about what color a tennis ball is.

    Liked by 1 person

    • NGS, I can imagine how weird it’d be to live with someone who views colors so differently than you do, yet you make it work. Z-D & I pretty much see colors about the same. So what color is a tennis ball? Yellow or green?

      Like

  17. About your test about blue/green, I immediately thought of synesthesia, in which hearing of a certain sound induces the visualization of a certain color. Okay, I didn’t answer your question, Ally!

    I relate to neither biddy nor geezer. Call me “madre” please unless you’re my age. 😀

    Liked by 1 person

  19. Real turquoise is both – have you ever seen different pieces of Native American jewelry side by side and noticed one seems bluer and the other greener? Yes, factors such as where it was mined, quality of the stones and AGE contribute to the color cast. When I was a young girl, my Ma passed down some jewelry: a girl’s sized silver/turquoise wrist band and a child sized squash blossom choker (also silver/turquoise). She told me that they were greener than what was commonly called ‘turquoise blue’ due to age and quality. (she acquired them in the 40s at the Pueblo where the potter Maria lived and worked). Just my cool 2cents! Soooo while I didn’t take the color test I can say I consider teal and turquoise to be more on the green side than blue.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Laura, yes I have seen Native American jewelry for sale side by side and you are right in that the different pieces of turquoise can look like different colors. Your jewelry sounds lovely and your mother’s explanation of the shades make sense. Definitely a cool 2¢ comment. Another turquoise is green person. I’ll have to do a final tally on this question.

      Liked by 1 person

  20. I’m Irish and currently a geezer is considered a very old guy who is crusty and doesn’t give much thought about anything or anyone, and a biddy is simply the female version of a geezer. Now the question of cool would require a full debate panel, while sitting in either a pub setting with a group of friends or in a kitchen with a much drink on hand. However, I agree with you, a Cool person is someone who simply lives and does not spend their time wondering about their own coolness state.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Maria, your definition of geezer and biddy are fascinating. I know some commenters have defined the two words as being different beyond the gender angle, geezer like you define it, biddy as being a gossip.

      You are so right about trying to decide what specifically it means to be cool. It is a fun, yet complicated, conversation. I suppose that’s why I like the Geezer’s Paradox, it gets to the gist of cool: detachment.

      Thanks for hopping into the comments.

      Like

    • I agree, it’s a delightfully thought-provoking post deserving of much discussion, yes, ideally over (much) food 🤓

      This excellent post subtly makes 2 exquisite points: that things that we see from “here” may not be what others see from “there”, and the many paradoxes of life that we struggle to deal with. I have not heard the “cool” one before, it’s wonderful. One of my favorites is Shaw’s “Hegel was right when he said that we learn from history that man can never learn anything from history.” Are you an optimist?

      Liked by 1 person

  21. I took that blue/green test last week and my results looked similar to yours. I did notice two traffic lights side by side yesterday where one looked bluer compared to the green light next to it.

    I don’t want to be a geezer or a biddy, but I feel as though the geezer paradox is spot on. We just don’t care anymore! I used to think ‘cool people’ were those who everyone else aspired to be. Now, I’m not so sure.

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  23. Bijoux, interesting about the side-by-side traffic lights. I’m going to look at ours around here to see if I notice the same thing.

    I do understand about not appreciating either term, geezer or biddy, yet here we are stuck with the language we have. I agree with you about what it means to be cool. At one time I’d have mistaken the term for ‘popular’ but now I know it’s more about an attitude of not caring + being pre-amused.

    Like

  25. One of the kids in my honors chemistry class did a science fair project about just this subject. Instead of blue/green, he studied red/orange. It was a cool project. I don’t remember the science anymore, but he did win some awards.

    I see more green than blue, by the way. I did take the test.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Laurie, any study of colors and how a person perceives them would be fascinating. I can understand how red/orange could be seen differently, although I make a definite distinction about the undertones in those shades.

      Happy green to you!

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  26. I always think of geezer as being masculine and biddy as female so I agree with your husband. From the test: Your boundary is at hue 177, bluer than 75% of the population. For you, turquoise is green. And I don’t think turquoise is green, it’s turquoise but I only had the two choices. I actually think that turquoise is more blue whereas teal is more green. 🙂

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    • Margaret, your definition of those terms is fairly standard, but I thought the article did a good job of reframing the term geezer to include women as well as men. Language evolves and this might be an example of it. I’m smiling about your take on the what you think you see and what the test tells you you’re seeing. I hadn’t thought of the difference between turquoise and teal, but there is one.

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  27. I took the test. Here are my results: “Your boundary is at hue 171, greener than 75% of the population. For you, turquoise is blue.” I’m not sure what this means. I see more green or more blue? In any case, I’m not surprised that people might see color differently. Lots of things can affect how we see color, light for example, or the juxtaposition of one color to another.

    I never thought about geezer vs biddy until now, just assumed geezer was an old guy and nothing more. Biddy is a word I’ve heard only on TV. So is “old geezer” and “old biddy” redundant? I don’t relate to either word as they both seem pejorative. I am neither a geezer nor a biddy. I am just me.

    Being cool is not one of my goals. I see being cool as an affectation for the most part. There may well be people who attitudes would be considered cool, but I’d probably use a different word. Not to say that your followers are not cool kids or that you are not cool. But I take those words with a sense of humor. Maybe that’s because I used the word cool too broadly when I was of a certain age 😉

    Liked by 1 person

    • Marie, I’m laughing at your line about your color tendency: I’m not sure what this means. Me neither truth be told, but I enjoyed taking the test so I shared it here.

      According to the analysis in the article the word geezer can be thought of as non-gendered thereby making biddy redundant. Other commenters have said that they find geezer and biddy pejorative, but if nothing else talking about their meanings opens up the topic of what is cool.

      I hadn’t thought about the connection of being a teenager and using the word cool when cool might have meant being ‘popular.’ As an adult I think of cool differently, more of an attitude than a clique of friends.

      Liked by 1 person

      • Good point about the different meanings of the word cool. When I was a teenager, cool also signified approval, like “That’s cool” to mean “That’s okay.” Or “Cool!” as in “Great idea!” I used the word to the point of meaninglessness (and also overused the word gross which got on my mother’s nerves for some reason). But then cool was also applied, as you note, to the popular kids because they were, well, cool. When I think of who might embody cool, I think of Jeff Bridges, and not just because he seemed to be playing himself in The Big Lebowski. We saw him on Stephen Colbert recently and he reminded me of how he just seems to enjoy life as it is, making the most of it because what else do we have? And that is a pretty cool attitude. Did you know he almost died a couple of years ago? Somehow I missed that. Anyway, to me, Bridges is coolness personified. And I bet he would love your blog because you too are cool 🙂

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        • Thanks for the compliment. I agree that Bridges as the Dude is the epitome of cool, as is John Corbett as Chris in the Morning on Northern Exposure. I didn’t know about Stephen Colbert’s brush with death. He’s a treasure, so funny, so sane, so cool.

          Liked by 1 person

          • Oh, no, it was Jeff Bridges who had the brush with death. A few years ago on a break from his series, he was found to have a 9×12-inch cancerous tumor in his abdomen. He said it never hurt and (I guess) he has enough padding there that it wasn’t immediately noticeable. While he was recovering from surgery and on chemo, he got COVID and was in hospital for several weeks. It was the early days of COVID I believe so … scary, very scary. You know he’s been married for 47 years to his wife Susan? That’s one stable cool dude 🙂 But, you know, Colbert did have a near-death experience. Sometime last year? A ruptured appendix, I believe it was. Thank goodness he got to the hospital in time because he was trying to work through, not really understanding what was happening to him. We love his monologues. And (finally) I loved Chris in the Morning. He was cool and CUTE!

            Like

            • Okay, got it. I didn’t know about either of those medical situations and both are scary. I’m glad both survived as I like them both. Love that Bridges has been married to the same woman for 47 years. Colbert has been married a long time, too. Yes Chris in the Morning was cute, still isn’t bad looking for that matter.

              Liked by 1 person

  28. That was an interesting color test! My boundary hue is 172, greener than 63% of the population. I see turquoise as blue.
    I love the word biddy! I am most definitely on my way to being a biddy and quite happy about it. I have always loved and admired older people who embraced their age. As for being cool, I have no idea, but I like that quote.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Michelle G., another turquoise is blue person. I’ve enjoyed learning about who sees what when they look at turquoise.

      I think biddy is a fine word, too. Some commenters have said that they feel it is dismissive, but I’m with you about embracing your age, call me what you will.

      Liked by 1 person

  29. As a former graphic designer who studied colour and colour theory, I have always seen very subtle differences in colours. I can be the paint store’s worse nightmare.

    Re biddy, and cool, I think I will stick with independent bitch. One who has never been or has never considered herself cool. Does that make me cool? I certainly don’t know.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Jenn, I adore people who can see all the nuances in colors. I am fussy about which colors we put on our walls so end up testing about 17 gazillion shades before picking one.

      I can understand your desire to be an independent bitch. After all bitches get things done! If we follow the logic presented in the quote then by not caring about being cool you are in fact cool. Gotta love a paradox.

      Liked by 1 person

    • Nicole, interesting choice of word to replace biddy. I know that I’ve heard a few woman say they can embrace being a crone. In which case this sentiment would be a Crone’s Paradox.

      Like

  31. Oh, I need to do this test! Hubby keeps on calling ultramarine blue purple, when they are nothing alike! He just can’t see the difference. And ultramarine blue happens to be my favourite colour, so we have this dispute more often than you’d think. 🙄

    Liked by 1 person

    • The Snow Melts Somewhere, I can imagine how you and your husband have a discussion about the difference between blue/purple. I know that sometimes the undertones of colors don’t read for some people while others, like you, see them clearly. Z-D doesn’t see the undertones of neutrals as well as I do.

      Liked by 1 person

  33. I’m sitting at 77% blue, which is what year I graduated from high school. Random, I know. I don’t like biddy as it implies, to me, someone who is bossy and nosy. An old geezer, though, is definitely a guy and not likely cool enough to be cool. IMO. But hey, I’m not cool, so what do I know??🤣

    Liked by 1 person

    • Bernie, I like random connections, so your high school year information is wonderful. Many commenters don’t like the word biddy but can sort of accept geezer. We are a complicated group here. 😉

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  35. I have often considered that my blue might be someone else’s neon orange, if I were using their eyes.

    My boundry was 166… but I consider teal its own color and had a hard time choosing green or blue for a bunch of the samples (they were both/neither).

    Thank you for linking the test… I kept seeing people’s results but no test link!

    Liked by 1 person

    • leendadll, what a trippy way of envisioning colors. If someone is seeing an entirely different color than what you are, what would that mean.

      I like teal and know what you mean about how the test presents it. I guess when you’re determined to talk about only two colors, you leave off some of the nuance.

      Liked by 1 person

      • Yeah… it reminds me of being a teen and having a discussion with a guy who was born blind, about knowing he still had concepts of colors and shapes… but they prob look nothing like my reality. That’s since been partially backed up by tech that gives vision to some blind people.

        Along the same lines, I’ve seen interviews with people born deaf, who get cochlear implants. They’re surprised when tree leaves rustle in the wind and often upset by the many sounds they hear, cause they have no frame of reference for the constant audio assault. There’s a meme about a deaf kid not realizing his farts made sound and that everyone could hear them!

        Liked by 1 person

        • Fascinating about your discussion with a blind person who thought of colors as concepts. I’ve wondered what it’d be like to suddenly see what was in front of you. I’d guess that, like the people who get cochlear implants, it’d be a constant assault on your senses. I know that a mother of a boy who was deaf told me he was so noisy, not realizing things he did made sounds.

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  36. My favorite color is turquoise, so I found it annoying to have to call turquoise “green” or “blue.” I have considered our different definitions of blue and green. I’m amazed at the way some people define them.

    “Biddy” seems to be more out-of-style than “geezer.”

    “Cool” implies to me that the person is fun-loving, imaginative, and either does her own thing or is up-to-date with what is currently popular. It’s hard to have the goal of being cool. It should come naturally and not be defined by the person who is cool.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Nicki, years ago I read The Anthropology of Turquoise by Ellen Moloy. It was a reflection on the color as she traveled/camped around the US. She’d agree with you that it was impossible to see turquoise as anything other the color itself.

      Your definition of cool is delightful. I think of cool as doing your own thing. It dovetails into the quote’s idea that if you don’t know you’re cool you are cool.

      Like

  37. I’m at hue 169, where I see turquoise as blue.

    I prefer the gender-neutral “old fart.”

    What makes a person cool: Ice. An industrial freezer. Minneapolis in January. Of course, these will not only make you cool, they make you colder than a penguin’s rear end.

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  38. My boundary hue was 176, turquoise is blue. That was a lot of fun! I’d love for my husband and youngest daughter to try the test, too, since they’re colorblind. I’m curious to see their results.

    That geezer quote is so good! I agree 100 percent. ❤️

    Liked by 1 person

    • Kari, so far more commenters have said that turquoise is blue than vice versa. Not sure that means nothing significant but interesting. Show the test to your husband and daughter, their results will be fascinating.

      The Geezer’s Paradox seems spot on to me, regardless of how you want to define geezer.

      Liked by 1 person

  39. Interesting how we can see colors differently. I am not a fan of either “geezer” or “biddy”. It puts an image in my mind of very old and very crabby people. As far as “cool”, it’s something I’ve spent probably too much of my mental energy trying to be (especially when I was younger). People who I see as “cool” are ones I can have easy, yet meaningful conversations with. The “cool” ones are kind to everyone and move among us with ease.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Rhonda, many commenters have mentioned how geezer and biddy seem negative to them and I can understand that. They aren’t words that drift into my mind often. I love your definition of cool, especially the kindness and ease part of it. Cool people aren’t mean and uptight, they just aren’t.

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  40. I’m at 177. Interesting. I’ve never really thought about how people see colors, but that would explain how various folks puts outfits and interior designs together. I really don’t like Biddy, and Geezer seems to be more male oriented. I could go with Debra’s suggestion. 🙂 The cool ‘kids’ did have an attitude that was somewhat snooty, and they usually had the clothes to go with it. I was never cool. At this age, the idea of being cool would never even enter my mind. I did thoroughly enjoy the quote and the conversation. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    • Judy, once you get thinking about the fact that people see colors differently many things begin to make more sense, like the odd interior design choices. I like Bad Ass and think the Bad Ass’s Paradox has a certain ring to it.

      In my experience it was the popular kids, the homecoming queens and jocks, who had the snooty attitude while the cool kids looked on entertained by the popular kids’ self-importance. I’ve no interest in popularity but admit to wanting to be cool, as in free-spirited, detached, and pre-amused. That’s my idea of cool.

      Like

  41. Your boundary is at hue 179, bluer than 85% of the population. For you, turquoise is green. No wonder I have so much trouble categorizing my blue and green scrapbook papers! When I am looking to match something I inevitably pull down both containers.
    Not sure I like biddy. Seems like a crabby person.

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  42. Like Autumn, I am a true neutral: “Your boundary is at hue 174, just like the population median. You’re a true neutral.” Which seems funny to me, as well, because neutral is rarely where I land on anything. I think what we think a color is so often depends upon its context. I’m sure the previous owners of our house thought they’d turned all the bedrooms a nice shade of white, but it always looked purple to us–never more so than last weekend, when we painted one room a different shade of white. Browns are notorious for changing depending upon what other color is near them; they can look green, purple, or grey.

    No opinions on biddy/geezer. Maybe I’ll have one once I become one. 😉 (My kids tell me I’m old as if it is so unremarkable and undisputed a fact they can’t believe they have to tell me.)

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  43. Cool. I also see turquoise as green and see more blue than 78% of people. I’ll also say I love blue and I like it with just a smidge of green before I strongly dislike many many blue greens until we get to green full-on. This has to do with clothes, but it’s something I noticed in high school, when teal was trending and I looked jaundiced. Was looking jaundiced cool? No. Nor was I. Never been cool. Thank you for allowing me to comment anyway.
    Reportedly, some of our children’s friends believe The Mister and I are cool parents which seems antithetical.
    I don’t think we’re at geezer and biddy levels yet, but that may be because I don’t use those words. Old is fine. Crone is very appealing. I endeavor to crone out, hardcore.

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    • joey, another turquoise is green person. We seem to be the exception rather the rule. So far. I adore teal but then I look good in it. Put me into anything yellow/gold and I look dreadful. We all drift toward what works.

      I bet you and The Mister are cool parents, don’t sell yourselves short. You have the right vibe of not caring, but caring, to make you embody the Geezer’s Paradox.

      I lean into the word old with no trouble. Excellent idea to crone out. Well said. Somehow crone sounds more dynamic than biddy.

      Liked by 1 person

  44. My blue boundary is 170, which is more than 77% of people. Yes, I’m aware that people see color differently. My husband doesn’t distinguish browns and some greens. Is that being color blind? Our daughter has a talent of finding sea glass when nobody else could see it. She has very light sensitive eyes.

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  45. I’m at 168… pretty cool, huh?

    Geezer seems male to my ears, but I don’t like biddy. It sounds very cantankerous and negative. What I REALLY dislike (speaking of being cantankerous) is “elderly.” I’ve been seeing that more and more (often in articles written by much younger people and used to describe someone from their early 60s to nearly dead) and I find it extremely offensive and unnecessary.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Janis, 168 is definitely cool.

      I agree about the word elderly being misused. I see it too. To me elderly means someone nearing 90 and no longer living on their own. To use it for someone 60-something or 70-something or 80-something is inaccurate and perhaps a bit disparaging.

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  46. I am well aware that people see colors differently. I’ve noticed it so much with bluish-green. Turquoise. There have been spats between my family members about what color something is. People can be so invested. Of course, I know what color something is if it is in my house (I’m thinking specifically of a pillow that’s caused disputes) and I bought it – all they have to do is ask me. I will enlighten them. (the pillow in question is definitely blue and not at all green, in case you are wondering).

    I’m definitely not cool. Have never been cool. I probably wanted to be cool in high school. I didn’t have the hair or the wardrobe for it. What does not kill you, – or in this case, what does not make you cool, builds character. I’ve got that.

    I don’t like the word biddy. I always thought it was the same as saying b*tch. I’m not partial to geezer either, but that word at least makes me laugh. I’d prefer if people stop asking me if the tots/infants I sit for are my grandchildren. I’m no where near grandparent age and I insist that I don’t look like one. If they could lay off that lingo, all would be right in the world.

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    • Ernie, your blue pillow sounds like it has gotten attention but for the wrong reasons. Yet it is a perfect example of how people see colors differently.

      The thing about cool is that it’s not wanting to be popular it is being outside of that dynamic. In high school we had the popular kids, like the homecoming queens and the jocks, who were popular but they weren’t cool. The cool kids were above that nonsense which made them cool.

      I know many commenters have said they don’t like biddy but can go with geezer. Words are defined differently, I have no problem with either word, but also don’t tend to use them in my daily conversations. I remember the first time someone called me *grandma* and I was shocked! Firstly I’m childfree, but secondly I don’t look old… yet I do.

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  48. I used to play some online poker in my younger days. I went by the screen name Old Geezer and people understandably thought that I was older when I was merely creating an image of a conservative older player. For some reason being called a geezer seems less offensive to me that a biddy, which has a more negative connotation to me.

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    • Pete, I can understand your reasoning. Geezer does seem more acceptable, less defamatory, than biddy. Seems to me that geezer could become gender neutral while biddy seems to be meant only for woman.

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    • Donna, I enjoy contemplating how language changes. I don’t hear geezer or biddy used often either, but when they are the word geezer seems to refer to a man… yet does it? And who’s to say? I love that idea that coolness finds you rather than you pursue it.

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  50. Our lakehouse is the subject of this debate. I say it’s blue; others say it’s green. I tested out at 172, and for me turquoise is blue, so it makes sense.

    I hope no one ever refers to me as a Biddy. To me, that’s a word that describes an old hen. I’m nothing like that. My Cool was already signed off on by thousands of high school students and millennials. I think Cool has everything to do with confidence tempered with kindness. And that great quote from Shakespeare: “This above all: to thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man”.

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    • nance, your real life experience with this issue is interesting. Your blue house on the lake isn’t always a blue house to other people. I have to admit that’s kind of trippy to think about.

      LOVE the Shakespeare quote. It sums up being cool which, like you, I define as being confident and kind. As a free spirit at heart I’d add in that arriving pre-amused helps one be cool. Can’t take any of this too seriously.

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  51. Interesting test – my result: “Your boundary is at hue 175, bluer than 59% of the population. For you, turquoise is green.”
    Oh yes, I definitely know that everyone sees color differently. When my son was a teenager he came home to find me on a stepladder painting a yellowy beige wall to a crisp white. He asked why I was bothering to paint the wall the same color. I asserted that it was definitely a different color but he just couldn’t see it. A rather epic “discussion” began. And ended when one of my gestures made contact with a rotating ceiling fan, knocking the paint brush out of my hand and landing it on my son’s nice shirt. I never argue with people about color perception any more.

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    • Barbara, what a funny story! Thanks for sharing it here. I have no doubt that you were painting that wall a different color, crisp white is vastly different than yellow beige. But leave it to a teenage boy to bicker about such. What you learned from the experience is a hoot. And good advice.

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  52. “Your boundary is at hue 175, bluer than 66% of the population. For you, turquoise is green.” But I have to wonder, why is my hue 175 bluer than 66% of the population, when Barbara above is the same hue but only bluer than 59% of the population.

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  53. To move on to the geezer/biddy discussion. I don’t care for biddy for the reasons stated my many others, but my view on geezer is coloured by the cockney term “diamond geezer” which is complimentary – reliable, trustworthy, solid, all round good guy type of thing – something which the manager of my rugby team’s choose to call their (both male & female) fans. So, I’m already a Geezer (if of the Diamond variety), but I also like the suggestion of Geezette.

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    • Deb, I’ve not heard of the term diamond geezer so very interesting. I like how you define it and that it is a non-gendered term. Geezette is a delightful take on how to make the term seem less masculine, more feminine. I could lean into using it: the Geezette’s Paradox has a nice ring to it.

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  54. I have an unpleasant reaction to both “geezer” and “biddy.” The former may be from my general repulsion of the book The House of God, which used “geezer” all the time.

    My kid and husband and I experience color VERY differently, and they are always arguing with me when I ask them to grab the pink towel or the turquoise blanket or whatever. A) I called it pink because it appears pink to me and b) just because you experience it as purple doesn’t mean you have no idea what I’m talking about just get me the towel. Well. That got a little heated. I am off to cool myself down with your blue/my blue quiz.

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    • Suzanne, I don’t know the book you mention but I get how reading a book you don’t like can influence your take on words.

      I’m laughing here. They know what you mean but are just yanking your pink [not purple] chain. Hope your results from the test will give you comfort.

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  55. The blue boundary must be off since I note that colors appear different on different devices. I have no real interest in being “cool.” Geezer v. Biddy: no thanks on the latter. Autocorrect doesn’t like it either!

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    • Eilene, I’m not surprised that the colors are different on different devices, but what that means I cannot say other than so it goes. Not a fan of biddy, eh? Duly noted, you’re not alone. I’m thinking that the article is spot on: geezer will soon be considered non-gendered which will make biddy obsolete.

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  56. My blue boundary is 176 so I guess I see more blue than 68% of the population. Cool! Yes, I realized people see colors differently — my husband is one of them! Funny sometimes and frustrating sometimes like when he tells me it’s the gray one and I’m like, “What gray? I don’t see gray.” I’ve had to ask other people what color a certain thing is when we got into those discussions and realized it’s him and not me who sees colors differently.

    In my house, we use the word “geezer” to affectionately refer to an older person who has lost his/her filter. LOL We have not ever used biddy — and I actually forgot what it means until reading further on your post! I am not relating to being a geezer or biddy yet but I can see fringes of it showing up in my near future!

    I wish being cool were one of my goals — but alas, I am too stubborn to want to be cool. But maybe that’s one of the things people see as cool. I do think being cool starts with an attitude and walks the fine line of not caring about others’ opinions and sticking with one’s set of values that is admirable no matter what the popular opinion might be.

    Fun discussion as usual, Ally Bean!

    ~M~

    Liked by 1 person

    • M, I’m happy to know there’s another person who sees more blue than green. Somehow this makes me feel like I’m part of a special club of cool kids.

      I like your definition of geezer. It’s one I lean into, too. I don’t see the term as pejorative but I realize some people do. I couldn’t tell you the last time I used biddy, but after reading the article I understand how it applies.

      Not being worried about being cool is cool. It may be that cool is all about the attitude you describe, it’s not about being popular, just true to yourself.

      Thanks for stopping by to comment. Definitely a cool thing to do.

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  59. To me, an old geezer is someone who is off beat, set in their ways but often funny, doesn’t care what the world things of him or her where an old biddy is set in their ways but mean and nasty about it.

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    • Jean, I like your definitions of the two words. Thank you. In this way a woman could easily be a geezer and a man could be a biddy making both terms non-gendered. Smart thinking, my friend.

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  60. Blue is my favorite color, so I would love if I saw it everywhere. (Didn’t you once do a thing about spotting red objects?) Anyhow, have totally noticed that others see colors differently than I do, even in my own family! It’s so weird.

    Geezer and bitty are both sad words to me. They seem mean. I haven’t a clue what the alternative word for bitty are. Am now curious.

    I agree with that cool statement. As to whether or not one is cool, I believe the correct answer is, Who cares?

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  61. I love the Geezer’s Paradox. That’s me. And that answers what does it take to be cool—mindset and my mind is set on cool.
    I have always considered turquoise a green but perhaps I am persuaded by others because when I’m painting I invariably use it as a blue tone. And naturally the first I thought when I read your post was the what color is this dress controversy

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    • Micheal, best answer yet: what does it take to be cool—mindset and my mind is set on cool. Agreed, that’s what it takes to be cool. The issue of what color is turquoise is one that has no definite answer, rather like that dress controversy. In some ways colors are the shade you want them to be, regardless of anything else.

      Liked by 1 person

    • Elisabeth, your perception of turquoise is the one that has been mentioned the most. I find color endlessly fascinating, a great talking point with absolutely no rights or wrongs.

      Like

  63. My inspiration for being cool has always been Joe Cool, Snoopy’s alternate personality. Thus, I will always strive to give off a beatnik college-age vibe, which, I think, is timeless cool. I’m cool to me, and that’s what matters, lol. I was annoyed at the blue/green test. I felt that the turquoise, teal, etc colors were colors in their own right, so I didn’t want to choose blue or green. It would be like seeing gray and having to call it black or white. Blue, is a primary color, so green could be considered a shade of blue, if you want to get technical about it.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Gwen, YES! Snoopy is my sprit animal. I have him sitting on a chair in my home office so that he’s with me while I blog. I know there were some limits to the color test and you nailed them. I didn’t create the test but I agree that in essence green is a shade of blue. HOWEVER if nothing else it is a fun little way to start discussions about colors.

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  64. Here are my results Ally: “Your boundary is at hue 173, greener than 63% of the population. For you, turquoise is blue.” I never really thought about each of us perceiving color differently. I should be perceiving color wonderfully as I just picked up my new spectacles last week.

    Having reached the ripe old age of 68 I “get” the Geezer’s Paradox. It’s fun to say how you feel and not worry about being labeled “weird” because now you are merely “eccentric” in your ways. But, as to the female version of “geezer” I like “biddy” best of the choices. I think “battleaxe” has some bad connotations. As a child I remember the nosy neighbor who listened in on the telephone party line and my mother would often remark about “the old battleaxe Margaret Wilson that no doubt took notes on the gossip she heard to relay it at the hairdressers when she got her hair done every Friday.”

    I think if you’re cool, you are comfortable in your own skin and not out to impress others.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Linda, I’d never given much thought to how people see colors differently. I knew that sometimes Z-D and I saw a wall color as having different undertones, but that was about as far as I’d thought about it. Yet the results of this little test have got me thinking about how variable color is.

      My mother used to refer to domineering bossy old woman as battleaxes, too. I don’t remember her saying biddy. I agree with you about how geezer does imply eccentric which dovetails into the Geezer’s Paradox.

      Thanks for the compliment. I feel I’m cool too, for the reasons you mention. You, of course, are also cool because you’re the same way. We is who we is.

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  65. I once had someone actually berate me pretty hard for not liking raisins. I believe we all taste things differently, and this thing about seeing colors differently just gives credence to my argument.
    I sometimes tease the husband with “old geezer” when he’s acting like his dad.

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    • The Travel Architect, of course we taste things differently! I cannot imagine how that person who wanted you to like raisins could think otherwise. [For the record not a big fan of raisins also.] Yes, that’s how I use geezer with Z-D. Once he goes into old man mode I call him out on it. He has yet to call me a biddy, though. Must be my charmingly youthful personality.

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  66. 1. If you took the test about the color BLUE, what do think? Have you ever considered the idea that everyone sees color differently, sometimes very differently?

    Your boundary is at hue 176, bluer than 69% of the population. For you, turquoise is green. Having said that, I’ve often wondered if my blue is everyone else’s red. How would I ever know?

    2. What’s your opinion about the word GEEZER versus the word BIDDY? Do you relate to either or neither?

    I think they both sound like they describe octogenarians. I relate to neither.

    3. What do you think makes a person COOL? Is it an attitude or is it something more? Is being cool one of your goals?

    I think if people like you to the point where they want to at least befriend you, if not downright emulate you, you’re pretty dang cool! It’s not a goal because I already am. (Ha, I kid.)

    Liked by 1 person

    • Mark, another turquoise is green person. We seem to be the exception rather than the norm. This, of course, plays into how to be cool.

      I wish that I didn’t relate to either geezer or biddy, but I am headed that way as I gracefully [?] age. Someday I will have to accept some age-related descriptor.

      I’m laughing at your pragmatic definition of what it means to be cool. Considering how many friends you have, you are cool.

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  67. I took the blue test and my boundary is at hue 179, bluer than 82% of the population. However, that said, the real test for me was my indecisiveness is choosing blue or green. Each question took me way too long to answer.

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    • Christie, that’s an interesting take on this test. I just responded, didn’t think it through. I wonder what score I’d have gotten if I had applied myself to the task. Maybe my approach is indicative of a geezer who doesn’t care!

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  68. Oh, this is interesting… I didn’t realize there was test to test how you see color. I have in fact just recently wondered (with a friend) if we colors the same way… I mean generally yeah, we all do, but I also see more blue than other people and turquoise is more green.

    Cool is an attitude (and a feeling that I have with a person). I don’t know how I feel about geezzer or biddy, but I do know that you’re pretty cool in my book 🙂

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    • San, I stumbled over the color test and thought why not share it here. I’d be fascinated to see one for other color combos like pink/purple or red/orange. The topic of how anyone sees color fascinates me.

      I agree with your definition of cool. It’s a person’s attitude and how it makes other sane people feel. Thanks for the compliment. Right back at ‘ya! 😎

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  69. Cool is elusive and it never attaches to someone who wants to be cool – unless, of course, they comment here.

    I don’t like geezer or biddy – they’re ok words, but both have negative connotations in my experience. And, I’m of an age where I’m not interested in revising my experience.

    I didn’t take the color test. I accept the fact that I don’t see the color most people see. That’s why I take my wife along when buying paint.

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    • Dan, well said, Cool Kid!

      Interesting how some people don’t like geezer or biddy while others have no problem with them. I don’t know that I can draw any profound conclusions about this other than to say we all do our own thing. And that I promise to not call you a geezer. 😉

      I knew you had some difficulties seeing colors so this test would be a frustration for you rather than insightful. I’m glad your wife keeps track of the colors in your life.

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  71. That was a pretty neat test! I see turquoise as green so we differ in that regard. I think it’s always interesting how differently people see color – it reminds me of the whole gold dress/blue dress viral sensation.

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  72. Interesting. While I agree with the woman’s point in the article that “geezer” should be gender neutral, somehow I also think it might be too late for that. Sure, language changes and all; but I just think “geezer” has to be more in the male domain. “Biddy” is probably the closest approximate word, and I’m glad I’ve rarely used it in my life! I was never cool and it’s thankfully never been a goal of mine. But my goal is still to get a cool stereo. Does that work? 😉 – Marty

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  73. Quite intriguing. I’ve alway considered everyone see color differently – just as they interpret/see words and ideas differently. I think it’s something miraculous that humans are able to get along/ understand what another individual is seeing, hearing, feeling or trying to communicate at all. So many just assume everyone else is deciphering input to the brain just like they are. Pretty amusing….people should relax, be less rigid and laugh more at themselves and other.
    Oh, way off track, but hey it’s all cool, right? 🙂

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    • philmouse, you are right. I knew that people decoded words and ideas differently, but the color issue seemed kind of new to me in the sense of what is blue, what is green. I agree with you that our ability to communicate at all is amazing, considering how differently we all think and feel. Relax? Yes please. Less rigid? Oh please, please. And as for laughing at yourself, what could be cooler?

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  74. Pingback: Blue geezers are cool? | Question of the day – A weirdo with…

    • Yes, thanks Ann. I ended up deleting the post entirely because it wasn’t showing up for everyone yet I was getting lots of spam. I had nothing but problems with that post [which sometimes happens I know] so it is gone. Sorry for any inconvenience.

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  76. I am greener than 55% of the population and turquoise is blue to me. I gravitate toward blue hues when it comes to clothing and have very little green, so not sure why I’m so green. Maybe because I love Kermit?
    I have always been and always will be nerdy and weirdly humorous. There is no geezer and biddy in me at the present because even though a birthday arrives this week, my mind is still on 49.

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    • Mary, interesting about how you see turquoise. In fact the entire conversation about turquoise has been [excuse the pun] eye-opening. I like Kermit, too. At one time I said keeping a blog was like being Kermit in The Muppet Show, you just never knew what’d happen next and had little control over it.

      I like nerdy and weird, of course. Can relate to that. So you’re turning 49… again? Happy Birthday. 🥳

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  77. You might say there are not wrong answers, but I’m gonna say there are. 🤣
    “Your boundary is at hue 178, bluer than 80% of the population. For you, turquoise is green.”
    How could we both be wrong? Impossible….
    Kidding.
    I think being cool is not caring about what other people think, moving through life with ease and little strife. No?
    I’m neither a Biddy nor a Geezer and even when my age is in that range, I still hope to be a fun person in an older persons body. (Geezer & Biddy sounds crabby, no?)

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    • Suz, while I enjoyed this little color test I’m the first to say that the results could be wrong. No doubt we are right and the test is trying to catch up with us.

      I agree with your definition of cool, especially the moving through life with ease. Geezer and biddy might not be the best choices of words but I agree with the Geezer’s Paradox in principle— and hope to embody it as I age gracefully.

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  78. Don’t care about labels. I see people as more than “cool” or a “biddy” or a “geezer.” It’s fun to think about on your blog, but I don’t really look at people that way. I see people as complex with an infinite amount of sides/shades to them. And that constantly changes. I did take the test, though. I see more green (I think) and I consider turquoise blue. Also, I’ve known for a very long time that people probably see things just a little different from one another, including color. But isn’t that true about life in general? One person sees something one way and someone else might see the same thing very differently; hence, is the glass half full, half empty?

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    • Mona, even though the Geezer’s Paradox is meant to be light-hearted, there’s much truth to what you’re saying. I agree that people are complex, complicated, messy, defying stereotypes. I rather enjoy learning about people because of it, I’d be bored otherwise. Nuance is interesting.

      Having picked paint colors for many walls I knew that sometimes Z-D and I see the undertones of colors differently but I’d not thought about color perception in a larger context. The test called to me and has lead to some interesting insights, both about color and people.

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  79. My boundary is at 172; I see turquoise as blue. I hadn’t really considered that people might see colors differently. It could explain why there are times I’m not sure if my husband and I are even looking at the same thing. Or, maybe he’s colorblind, LOL.

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    • Linda, it’s an interesting test and the results got me wondering the same thing. I know my husband and I sometimes don’t see the undertones of colors the same way, but on turquoise we agree. 🤷‍♀️

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