A Rhetorical Analysis Of Barbara Ehrenreich's Longevity Crisis

Aaron Jeu Instructor Acevedo English 100 23 June 2015 Drafting the Elderly into Service, Just Kidding From time to time, this question may run through a younger individual’s mind: “What good are old people for?” American society stereotypes the elderly as unwell, feeble, unproductive and even a financial burden to the government and families. In the layered excerpt, A Proposal to Draft America’s Elderly, author David Rothkopf utilizes literary devices such as syntax, sarcastic tone, and style to stimulate discussion over how the nation is unsure of what to do with the elderly. However, Rothkopf fails to realize that America’s infrastructure and labor force is already designed to continue to support these individuals in retirement.

In this video, we learn that the aging baby-boomer population is over 5 million people age 80 years and older living in the United States. By the year 2050, there will be an estimated 19.5 million seniors in the United States. We also learn that a nursing home’s average cost is $219 per day. Today’s life expectancy is 78 years compared to the year 1900 when the life expectancy was just 45 years. I believe life expectancy increased today compared to a hundred years ago because of scientist being able to improve medicines and find cures for diseases, and the fact that medical technology has

After reading The Age of Dignity by Ai-Jen Poo, I realize that she brings out many good concerns and information about where our country is heading in the upcoming years. Throughout her book we discuss our golden years and the care that we should be able to receive and how crucial it is for our personal wellbeing, independence, and securing our own futures. The 85 plus age group is one of the fastest growing demographics in the US and Poo talks about the possible solutions that need to be created in our infrastructure before we have an even bigger crisis on our hands. It’s a fact that the elderly baby boomers cohort is growing faster than we can care for them, this shows that we need to implement a new system that will be able to care and support our many elders in their life, and how we can do it with financial competency and dignity.

In this world there are many obstacles that people have to deal with and money related situations could be one of those. An abundance of people struggle to get to the top with the middle or high class, but why is that? The answer to this lies within our society because society it the root of all the problems.

Wolff said is beautifully in his essay “My bet is that, even in America, even as screwed up as our health care is, we baby-boomers watching our parents’ long and agonized deaths won’t do this to ourselves. We will surely, we must surely, find a better, cheaper, quicker, kinder way to get out.” That briefly lets the reader understand that we need to find a better solution for health care for the elderly because it affects the family involves around them a better way to solve this. I would say by accepting death and understanding with aging comes with certain defaults that can’t be prevented.

1.) What difficulties—from retiring baby boomers in the United States to a graying China, to the massive overhang of Europe’s elderly—can private corporations, governments, and other sectors expect as the aging revolution unfolds across the globe? How will changing demographics affect workforce composition? Retirement age? Pension outlays? Taxation? Immigration? Economic growth? How can governments, corporations, and nongovernmental organizations work together to address these issues?

The human species of the world are growing older, and existing longer. Research shows that the average life expectancy of humans living past the age of 80, since the 1800s to that of 2011, has increased by almost 10% per year, with women leading the way with a growth expectancy growing from that of 6.4% to that of 9.6%, surpassing their male counterpart whose life expectancy show an increase from 5.9% to that of 8.2%. As the human life expectancy increases, there also comes an increase concerns by individuals and government official alike in regards to elder care. This literature looks at what is being carried out by individuals as well as government officials to deal with the cost of living longer. We will examination approaches identified

Mrs Ann Smith is a seventy nine year old woman and she has several problems regarding her health and well-being in her elderly age. Many policies and legislation ensure the safety and well-being of the elderly such as Mrs Smith. Legislation and policies safeguard the elderly including Mrs Smith to receive the fair treatment of care and to stop discrimination and exclusion. Discrimination and exclusion is still prevalent today and within contemporary society the ageing population is rising, discrimination and exclusion could increase if it is not appropriately tackled by contemporary society today. There are numerous theories of ageing, some theories are disengagement theory, and the activity theory and these theories have developed key concepts and the effects of ageing on individuals and contemporary society today.

Allen, S. G., Clark, R. L., & Ghent, L. S. (2004). Phasing into retirement. The Industrial & Labor Relations Review, 58(1), 112-127. Gelfand, D.E., & Bechill, W. (1991, Summer-Fall). The evolution of the older Americans act: a 25-year review of the legislative changes. Generations, 15(3), 19-22. Zastrow, C. H., & Kirst-Ashman, K. K. (2010). Understanding Human Behavior and the Social Environment (8th ed.). Mason , Ohio: Brooks Cole/Cengage.

While the “Greatest Generation” is a title often given to those Americans who lived and died during the era of the Great Depression and World War II, their offspring, the “Baby Boom” generation, significantly shaped and improved the American landscape as well if for no greater reason than the sheer number of people who make up this population (Steinhorn, 2006). Today, based predominantly on that very same reason, the baby boomer population is now making a very different, yet equally as profound impact on American society. More

In America, people are changing their views on aging and the elderly. Some of the reasons that the attitudes are changing could be due to more elderly people are remaining in the work place longer, as opposed to retiring early. Riffkin (2014). And there is the fact that we baby boomers are living longer. Even though the U.S. only ranks 53rd with a life expectancy of 79. That’s an increase of one year since 2010. (“The World: Life Expectancy” 2016)

After reading this essay I learned a lot about the reader and the message she's trying to portray. Barbara Ehrenreich's essay is showing that she was brought up with the belief that her culture was “nothing”. Although her mother always told her to “try new things,” she ended up completely going against her ancestors traditions and beliefs. She was very proud to hear her children say they didn't feel any ethic and religious identity. Barbara was happy that her children had also picked up on a tradition to think for themselves. She hoped her kids would carry

It is said that with the legalization of voluntary euthanasia it will “undermine individual and corporate incentives for creative caring” (Anonymous Why 2). People who argue against voluntary euthanasia ask why not make appropriate and effective care and training more widely available, not to give doctors the easy option of euthanasia.

Malcolm Cowley, upon achieving eight decades of life, decided to write an essay, “The View from 80,” in order to educate people. People who think they know a lot about being geriatric but have not actually experienced what it is like to be a senior citizen. Anyone can make observations or make educated guesses about what being old should mean, but Cowley objects that his view is more legitimate and the rest of the age groups should adjust their attitudes based on his assertions. Cowley does all of this in a light hearted and entertaining way. Using a casual structure, humorous anecdotes, stimulating imagery and witty language, Cowley shows that, even though the rest of the generations think that the aging should gradually fade away from society, relax after a long life and wait for fate to take its course, elderly people should not subscribe to this lifestyle. Rather, his aging compatriots should carpe diem and

The increase in life expectancy is partially to blame for the increase in elderly citizens, as there are now better medicines and medical procedures to cure ailments which could have easily killed a person 10 or 20 years ago. As Levine said, "There are more elderly and a larger proportion of elderly in the population now than ever before in the history of the world, and individuals live longer and have a longer span of healthy, vigorous life than ever before" . We have to prepare, not only to have more aged people in the work force, but also to have adequate pensions and supplements to aid these people when they do retire.