Images of Aging in the 21st Century: Fighting Ageism

This is a great presentation by Prof. Joaquim Anguerra about the stereotypical images we are bombarded with in the media about aging. It's quite sad when you realize how prevalent ageism is in our society compared to the respect we used to have for elders in the past.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBk-58qCPzE

I'm currently working a project that displays the different forms of media images in society showing ageism. If anyone wants to suggest anything that may fit into this area, please leave a comment!

Baby-Boomers Are Our Future...In More Ways Than One!

Our society is steadily aging as life-spans are extended and less people die in their youth. The percentage of the population that is 50+ is increasing steadily and this trend is sure to impact our culture in positive and negative ways. Most of the media is currently focusing on the negative impact of societal aging, namely the economic impact it will have through Social Security and healthcare costs. This is definitely a given as older persons develop more chronic diseases which require long-term treatment and often have no cure. Additionally, as less young people enter the workforce to contribute income toward the Social Security program, the safety net for elderly dwindles down towards zero. Truly, this country faces a crisis when you think about how in the world we will care for the elderly who are not able to work and support themselves.

HOWEVER, there is a huge positive regarding the aging of our society which may influence our culture in numerous ways for the better. The 60-80 year-old of today is not as "decrepit" as he/she would have been in just 100 years ago. In fact, 60 is the new 40 for many people as they seek a new career, find new love and stay in amazing shape through various exercise and an active lifestyle. (Lately I have met more "older" persons that are in better shape than myself or my fellow age-group peers in our early 20's!)

Combine this new aging with the wisdom and compassion these older individuals have due to a long life of experiences and you have a formula for amazing social contributions in the future! Just imagine a person who is over the quest for one-night stands, six-figure salaries, huge houses and are done with raising their kids. If he or she has the energy, they now have the time and wisdom to start new ventures, many of which take the good of the community into consideration. Older people are less selfish and more compassionate, and they understand that they now have a chance to influence their community for the better, whether they do it for profit or not-for-profit. For example, in the beginning of their lives, baby-boomers saw education as a means to getting that high-paying job to provide for a family. Now, they are going back to school to give back to their community and try new careers they can be passionate about. Now they look at continuing education as a way to:

Create a new enterprise with a community purpose in mind

Use non-profit businesses and organizations as means to accomplish a collective purpose

Prepare them for public office running on a platform of community reform

Engage in think tanks which seek to resolve community issues

Write books, newspaper articles, and other writing venues to inspire reform

Run well researched websites and blogs which focus on resolution of world issues

Become activists in organizing others in to think about community and world issues

http://adulteducation.suite101.com/article.cfm/college_baby_boomers_going_back_to_school#ixzz0I33W4UXd&D

Doesn't that make you wonder about just how much impact these "old geezers" will have in our future? Maybe the key to a better future is not our children, but rather the older and wiser citizens that can combine their life experience with wisdom and new tools to create the solutions to our societal problems that we have always dreamed about. Thus, I think we need to empower our older sector and give them the tools (i.e. technology training) to go and forge new frontiers in our culture. Maybe the old, not the young, are the answers to our prayers...