The Problem Of Ageism In The Modern World
As a millenial, being adept at technology and cultural trends are second nature to most, however the society we live in today demands that all age groups have the ability to interact with a wide array of unique health, work and technology platforms all around our communities. So where does that leave older people? It unfortunately leaves them with two options, being forced to learn about something foreign that might not fit into their daily lives and or be exiled from certain areas of social life or culture because of their age. However, those that choose to engage in the society’s normal habits are met with a severe form of backlash. There’s one social problem that our communities ultimate neglect every day, not racism or sexism, but instead ageism has continuously proven to be a normalized aspect of our everyday lives, relationships and community interactions. Ageism can be seen everywhere from the workplace to the consumer product we purchase, all the way to the way people communicate with another. It is a problem that we will all face at one point in our lives and that means we must start a powerful conversion that references more equality and education for all.
Through our lectures we can define ageism as, “the disconnect between age groups within a society that leads to acts of discrimination and or issues that isolate older individuals. ” However, as we gained from lecture, the effect of ageism is not only seen through the alienation of older individuals, but also the long term effects on their health. Physical and mental effects take place due to ageism and that only increases the aging process. This innately means that ageism has been absorbed into our society, culture and everyday life making it a “normalized” concept. As we gained from our lectures, there is increasing diversity among older generations and with that comes an unequal geographic distribution. Our communities may naturally be diverse, however individuals end up grouping with one another and their ability to share their culture with others is restricted. I believe that this leads to increased levels of discimination between racial groups due to the lack of knowledge they have about one other. The fact that older individuals are more sedentary leads to a higher risk of them being targeted for ageism because they are less less likely to be out in the community engaging with others. This lack of engagement with the community can be seen through our society's dependence on technology. One of the most important areas where one can analyze ageism is within our society’s technological advancements. Technology has quickly become the backbone of our society and it is only growing exponentially as the days go by. I argue that more and more older individuals are forced to embrace new forms of technology to go about their day-to-day lives. With our dependency on technology, we begin to see an increase in ageism. Furthermore, with increased urbanization and a reliance on innovative software instead of traditional labor we can see a rise in the disparity between generations when it comes to day-to-day habits.
In the video titled, “Amazon Echo – SNL”, we see a perfect example of ageism being taken in a funny way instead of a serious matter that affects people. The central theme of this “spoof” video is in regards to technology and how the majority of older people struggle to use today’s tech tools, so they made a piece of hardware that is designed to help older people seem part of the overall trend. At the core of this video however, we can see the cast target three main areas of aging: physical effects, mental effects and cultural effects. The physical effects that they hone in are hearing and mobility. The “Echo Silver” is louder in order to help those older individuals who are stereotyped to have horrible hearing as well as having the actors wear hearing aids. The next physical trait the video targets is mobility and this can be seen through the majority of the cast lounging around with other older friends or family members inside or outside the home. The product is ultimately a household item, however they reference the lack of mobility of older individuals and how they would need a device to help them manage their daily tasks. Additionally, the element of mental discrimination is the main underlying theme of this ad due to the fact that the device is there to help older indivduals get aquanited with the new cultural trends and or the technology itself. We can see this with the example of them calling “Alexa” by different names. Furthermore, this ad assumes that the majority of older individuals are not able to comprehend the latests trends or cultural norms due to their age. You can see this when one of the cast members looks out the window and asks “Alexa” what the kids are doing. Overall, the video focuses on the disparities between older and younger generations when it comes to the way they interact with technology.
The video titled, “Millenial Job Interview”, targets both millennials and older generations through the lens of a job interview. The ad reflects upon the traditional style of interview questions that the older man seems to be accustomed to, as well as the contemporary responses that the millennial woman is responding with. On top of that, we are able to witness the traditional methods of attaining a job that older generations have grown accustomed to. For example, having a resume, wearing appropriate clothing and being punctual. Ageism is present in this ad for both sides because both individuals are judging and having a hard time understanding the others point of view. The man interviewing the woman is asking questions that would be considered as classic and the woman is responding to him in a way of confusion that hints that the man is unaware of the latest trends. I believe that this ad targets ageism primarily against the older style of the workforce. More and more companies are straying away from the classic corporate work environments and allowing individuals to work from home, providing creative opportunity, etc. However, there is an underlying theme here and that is in regards to older individuals not being able to “keep up”. They are focusing on the fact that the traditional way is getting swept with the current and older individuals don’t know how to assimilate to the new style of the workforce. More and more of the younger individuals are focusing on mastering their creative “soft skills” instead of their “hard skills”, which is the opposite for older individuals. I believe that ageism occurs constantly in the workforce, however not just against older individuals but for younger individuals as well. The classic millennial stereotypes exist within our culture and society, but they carry into the workforce as well. Although there may be certain laws in states that prohibit age discrimnation when hiring an individual, millennials are seen to be lacking experience and drive. However, more and more startups and tech companies are being created by young individuals who go against the gain of ageism. At the end of the day, ageism is naturally predisposed to happen from the bottom up and older individuals experience it the most.
Finally, the author of “A World Without Ageism” Ashton Applewhite, focuses on the concept of age equality. Her main argument is that our culture has instilled in many of us an innate fear of getting older and that fear stems from all the negative stereotypes that come with old age. Applewhite references health conditions and the lack of being capable of executing what is accepted as the “norm” within our society. The point of Applewhite’s argument is that ageing should be seen as a natural part of all our lives that should be appreciated. Instead of seeing it as negative, we should understand the process as a whole. She believes that there is increased negativity in our society regarding the ageing process and with that we see excessive examples of ageism within our communities. Applewhite continues to argue that the opposite happens in that the older we get the less afraid of dying we become. At the core of this video, we can see that the myths and stereotypes imposed in our culture end up drastically affecting our physical and mental ways our body performs.
My perception of ageing was pretty minimal up until taking this class, let alone watching these videos. I have always been the classic “I’ll worry about it when I get there” type of individual. For me, I worry more about the pains that come with ageing and getting to a point that I won’t be able to do the things that I enjoy down the line. I personally accept the ageing process and I think it's important to understand the process as a whole, however the thing I struggle with the most is the cultural stigmas with ageing. As we can see in the videos titled “Amazon Echo” and “Millennial Interview”, our society is predisposed to isolating certain attributes of older individuals and making them a negative crutch instead of something that can be worked on. I believe that American culture ultimately isolates older individuals into pods instead of providing an inclusive environment for them to share and learn about new ideas. In reference to these videos, I was naturally anticipating a comical interpretation of trendy topics within pop culture, however the had underlying themes about real social problems within our society. One can analyze the “Amazon Echo” video and see that older individuals are not expected to understand technology and they must have simplified versions of pre existing items in order to properly interact with them. Furthermore, we can see ageism extend into the stereotypes of older people like hearing, lack of cultural and social knowledge. Additionally, one can analyze the disconnect that occurs between older generation and millenials in their everyday actions, lifestyles and habits. In the “Millennial Interview” video, we can see the difference in work style from a traditional and constrained nine to five, to a creative environment that does not represent a hierarchy.
Moving forward I have a new perspective on the ageing process as a whole for three main reasons and those include the ability for intellectual growth, the body’s natural physical and mental progression and finally the societal acceptance of ageing. I believe that nobody will truly know everything there is about an “ideal” life, however I think that we all learn by doing and living. The older you are, the more lived experiences you have and thus the more intellectual growth you experience. Looking at my own growth, I have learned so much about myself in the last four years of school at USC. I witnessed my changes in personal taste, physical appearance and mental development. Ageing is not only natural but I believe it is a natural process of our intellectual development. As one continues to progress through the stages of life, they are ultimately gaining more and more wisdom from their experiences that ideally they use to educate others with.
Our society has continuously been able to make developments in healthcare and medicine. As a whole, health advancements have continued to increase our lifespan and with that I believe that it is important to remain conscious of the body’s natural aging process. There is only so much medicine and antibiotics that can be pumped into the body and no matter what, we can only accept the body’s natural progression through its physical stages. I have personally been able to see my body's natural ageing process, especially when it comes to energy levels. The busier I get, the more conscious I am of the lack of sleep and quality of food that I am getting which affect my energy levels. Overall, the process of ageing is not always accepted across our society, however I believe that we are all connected to it in our own unique ways. No matter what, it can’t be escaped and we should embrace the beauty of getting old within our society. Looking towards the future, I believe that our society will only continue to have large disparities between generations and it will only increase with the rapid exposure to new technologies. Ageism is present in numerous aspects of our lives and I believe that we need to normalize the appeal of the aging process instead of the side effects.
