I’m with you. I’ve always been taught to be polite and at least acknowledge that you see someone, especially someone you are passing on the same side of the street or in a hall way or in an elevator. Even if it’s just a nod or a smile. But I tend to say “hello” to all kinds of people. In the case of this fellow, I would try to look him in the eye and ask, “Hi, how are you today, nice weather we’re having, huh?” By asking him an actual question, you will find out if he is really ignoring you (or may be hard of hearing).
I know that a lot of older people have a really difficult time hearing, even if they don’t wear hearing aids. I’ve learned that it is easier to converse with people who have lost some of their hearing if you speak directly to their face (rather than coming from the side or the back where they can’t see you) Then speak a little more clearly, and enunciate a little better. But don’t shout! You will probably be able to tell right away if that is the problem. Most people who have a difficult time hearing will at least acknowledge you with a smile or a nod, even if they didn’t hear what you said.
On the other hand, I used to work with one of the meanest, rudest women in the whole world. I would say good morning to her every day and she never ever said hello or good morning or anything else to me. If she was walking ahead of me and she opened the door, she would let it slam in my face. She was like that with everyone. It hurt my feelings and it hurt my sense of politeness and decorum. It is that kind of people who drag the world down a few pegs on the civility meter.
When you get a bunch of people starting to be lazy by not following (or learning) common courtesy, that’s when society starts to deteriorate. That is why I am always trying to get younger people (on Fluther and real life) to be aware of common courtesy and to realize that older people have been taught a certain set of rules about what it means to be polite (like the way you dress and the way you address people and by the way you speak to people, or if you ignore them while you talk on a cell phone or if you flip off drivers who may have accidentally done something stupid) and if you just decide to do away with all of those courtesies, then you are actively creating a generation gap.