Stereotypes Of Elderly Essay, Research Paper

The baby boomers cohort is soon approaching the last third of their lives while

they try to disentangle the many stereotypes the elderly encounters today. The

baby boomers are now beginning to attain a new vantage point about getting old.

This is the first approaching age cohort in American society that is trying to

make a difference with being able to accept the concept of growing old as the

true so-called "golden years." The baby boom generation grew up

primarily in the hippies decade which contributed to the vast majority of people

to first become in American society freewill, liberal, independent individuals.

Presently in society today the once "hippies" that rejected the advice

of anyone over 30 are now beginning to educate themselves about what their

future beholds as they begin to reach the last third of their lives. They want

to focus on the reality of getting old not just the negative stereotypes society

has created towards the elderly. In the American society we have created such

negativism towards the elderly. The article points out that by time the tender

age of only 6 years old we have created negative stereotypes about aging and we

also develop stereotypes about races and gender at this same time. We feel in

the American society almost as if it is a sin or even lack of a human being if

we show signs of aging. The article discusses from the 1960s to the 1980s, the

number of wrinkle removing face-lifts rose from 60,000 to an estimated 2 million

a year at an annual cost of $10 billion. Due to this drastic increase pertaining

to rejuvenation we should all become plastic surgeons. A diverse amount of

experts are trying to change the way society views and deals with growing old.

They have adopted the concept of "conscious aging." This new concept

basically means trying to accept what aging actually is, and trying to view it

as a new point of life- a "new window." Also, not concentrating on the

inevitable primary aging characteristics is an essential way to live and cope

with being old. If the elderly can learn to educate themselves about the process

of aging, and not pinpoint it to just a change that they individually encounter

alone, then they could possibly realize this happens to us all at one point in

life. Therefore, we may not have such negative feelings about becoming old or

even being old. If society can learn to obtain these attitudes towards being old

maybe it will even become a self fulfilling prophecy as viewing the elderly from

a new positive perspective.