"True Talk" puts people in front of the camera who are fighting prejudice or discrimination. They answer questions that nobody would normally dare to ask directly.
This week, Mrs Hof-Meier, born in Basel in 1924, talks about common prejudices against the elderly, and she doesn’t mince her words. “Old people don’t stink”, she says. On sex she comments, “I don’t have any desire for sex. Otherwise I’d be quite demanding.” She reflects on why younger people are not interested in the elderly, “It means work for them. They can’t do what they want or go out. That’s why so many old people are lonely.” Finally, Mrs Hof-Meier makes a heartfelt appeal for “more love” between the different generations.
After this interview was run by Swiss Public Television, SRF,External link people in the streets of Basel congratulated her. The famous Basel Läckerli-Huus, which makes chocolates and speciality biscuits, sent her a sack of goodies. The story of her interview appeared in the local paper and the video of the interview on YouTube had 10,000 views within a few days. She was dubbed “the oldest internet star in Switzerland”, even though she does not use the internet herself.
Popular Stories
More
Culture
Wealth is not all: how gentrification in Zurich has led to housing shortage
This content was published on
In Switzerland a young person commits suicide about every three days. An innovative prevention campaign wants to encourage young people to seek help.
This content was published on
There are a lot of clichés when it comes to the police: they smoke confiscated marijuana, never get fines, are all right-wing and enjoy violence. Bap, a 27-year-old policeman, fills us in first hand on what’s true and what’s just a myth. (SRF/swissinfo.ch)
The lighter and darker sides of being nearly blind
This content was published on
Yves is visually impaired, but he doesn't feel that he's at a disadvantage. He avoids other visually impaired people who moan about it.
Drug addiction: ‘I pretended I had it under control’
This content was published on
Reda explains what it was like being a junkie, about the culture of lying, and how the highs are not as great as people might think.
This content was published on
"True Talk" puts people in front of the camera who are fighting prejudice. We speak to Hitzi, who says Switzerland is not at all wheelchair friendly.
Fynn: ‘I don’t have to choose between being a man or a woman’
This content was published on
“True Talk” puts people in front of the camera who are fighting prejudice. They answer questions that nobody would normally dare to ask directly. This week, we speak to Fynn who defines himself as non-binary. He says the climate is much safer now for people to declare themselves as trans. (SRF/swissinfo.ch)
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.