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‘Show us more love’

"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.

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SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR