The Role Of Ageism In Everyday Life
Ageism is a social perspective and attitude which I believe has and is continuously slowly and unknowingly creeping into every aspect of life. In my opinion, the society we live in, passively and naturally inculcates some ‘beliefs’ and ‘opinions’ about aging and age expectations into the lives of individuals. For the most part, ageism is always mostly attributed to the profiling of certain characteristics to the elderly or ‘old’, but this concept is so broad, that it not only is attributed to the ill-mannered profiling of the elderly but stretches among diverse age groups. These views create a system where the society is only perceived to function properly when certain age groups are dominant. Ageism is present in everyday life activities.
Examples of the dominance of ageism in society today is the allocation of certain jobs which are to the elderly population with an instance I observed being the transit bus driving positions being reserved for the older population, nanny and baby-sitting jobs being reserved and considered particularly ‘suitable’ for the elderly populations. Another instance is the belief that it is acceptable for elderly individuals to have cleaning and sanitation jobs, while it is seen as a taboo for younger individuals to also have these jobs. The reason most of the time being that the elderly are considered more suitable for jobs which do not require the use of mental abilities or critical thinking. This is a result of the short-cited conclusions stemmed from the belief that aging comes with a decreased ability to be as mentally sharp and capacitated as in their young and ‘vibrant’ age. Therefore, I believe the only way to get rid of this perspectives and opinions which constitute ageism is to address the root and causal areas that bring about this perspective.
I strongly agree with the author who adequately groups these root areas (Biology, Economy, Politics and Society), thereby making it easier to then tackle these areas which form the basis for ageism.
I believe that the first thing to address is the believe that with aging comes the inability to mentally and physically function properly. The second area to address would be the economical aspect which I believe constitute majorly to ageism. Finding ways to eradicate economic ‘norms’ and traditions which pertain to the elderly would aid in curtailing these perspectives.
In conclusion, ageism of any kind is a menace to the society and I strongly agree with the author’s perspective on addressing this beliefs and opinions of the elderly.
Examples of the dominance of ageism in society today is the allocation of certain jobs which are to the elderly population with an instance I observed being the transit bus driving positions being reserved for the older population, nanny and baby-sitting jobs being reserved and considered particularly ‘suitable’ for the elderly populations. Another instance is the belief that it is acceptable for elderly individuals to have cleaning and sanitation jobs, while it is seen as a taboo for younger individuals to also have these jobs. The reason most of the time being that the elderly are considered more suitable for jobs which do not require the use of mental abilities or critical thinking. This is a result of the short-cited conclusions stemmed from the belief that aging comes with a decreased ability to be as mentally sharp and capacitated as in their young and ‘vibrant’ age. Therefore, I believe the only way to get rid of this perspectives and opinions which constitute ageism is to address the root and causal areas that bring about this perspective.
I strongly agree with the author who adequately groups these root areas (Biology, Economy, Politics and Society), thereby making it easier to then tackle these areas which form the basis for ageism.
I believe that the first thing to address is the believe that with aging comes the inability to mentally and physically function properly. The second area to address would be the economical aspect which I believe constitute majorly to ageism. Finding ways to eradicate economic ‘norms’ and traditions which pertain to the elderly would aid in curtailing these perspectives.
In conclusion, ageism of any kind is a menace to the society and I strongly agree with the author’s perspective on addressing this beliefs and opinions of the elderly.