As an increasingly visual-based
society, we tend to take social cues from mass media. How we should act, speak, dress in certain
situations, to treating certain groups of people in a particular way.
Unfortunately, the media’s portrayals of elderly of our society are mostly
negative. When we see an old woman or man on television, they are usually fulfilling
a stereotype of a grumpy, scheming, or incompetent “old” person. In United
States, we glorify and sexualize youthfulness and thus perpetuating the media’s
portrayal of the elderly occurs on many levels of social behavioral and
cultural aspects. With the modernization of the economy, we have monetized
human labor, disregarding human wisdom or mutual compassion between age groups.
This has led to an increase of the general attitude that the elderly and
caretaking for them is a burden, a choice, and I believe this is because there
is no tangible benefit in caretaking or respecting the elderly. There is the
benefit of increasing human compassion/awareness, and cultural identity; but
again, if it cannot be monetized, it is not beneficial in our capitalist
society.
The common myths and
misconceptions about the elderly ranges from all old people are senile, are all
the same, incompetent, hard or hearing, and unproductive. Notice how most of
these qualities can be affixed to systems that do not produce quality products?
Applying economic attitudes to the cultural and social aspects of a country can
create a sense of distance between groups, a gap that is prone to building
discrimination, prejudice, and even abuse between both groups.
Therefore, understanding that one
can capitalize of the image of youth, some elderly of our society have turned
to the Goffmanian theory of perception of oneself. They use makeup, botox, exercise,
and other activities to make others perceive them as younger than they truly
are. They place their self-worth in how well they can maintain this perception,
and feel respected if they are treated as part of an age group below their real
one. They are also retiring at a later age than the conventional 65 years; for
they again, place self-worth in working the same or similar job they’ve worked
when they were younger. (Rice University,2014)
The pressure to conform to the
youthful standard to be respected isn’t universal; even though growing evidence
is showing an increase in some parts of the world of elderly needing institutionalized
caretaking because of the dearth or decrease of filial piety in caretaking the
elderly. For example, in Asian countries; such as India; extended family is
still a very conventional family structure, especially in the rural areas of
the country. The elderly are majorly supported and sheltered by their sons and
in return, teach the children about cultural values, norms, and other skills
they have. Some of the challenges they are beginning to face is the forward
movement in India towards industrialization. I predict the same system of
institutionalized care of the Western countries will began to become a norm
there as well.
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