Examination and Problematization of the Representation of Old Age and Aging in Up

The movie “Grumpy Old Men” starring Jack Lemon and Walter Matthau, portrays aging in its highs and lows through humor to soften the ageism put on the last stages of life. It exposes the disengagements, actions and social emotions of the second half of life from a development process.

When we hear or see "older" people, nearly most of us think of them in a negative way. We see these people as if they were sick, barely living, mentally unstable and can 't function or do a job correctly, we even pity them and get sad of how they look like. These emotions that most people feel is no different than how some men feel about women (sexism), or how the dominant race, let 's say the white, feels toward an ethnic minority (racism). These emotions toward older people are an indicator of ageism in the society. Ageism can be defined as the discrimination, bias, and the enmity against older people. A great example of ageism is rejecting an older job applicants in favor of a younger one.

The movie, The Intern, impacts society’s view of aging and older adults in a positive way by portraying that they are wise. Even though the main character, an elderly adult, was teased for being clueless and ignorant in the beginning, he ended up being the role model for everyone in the office. Older adults are often belittled for their act, that they see nothing is new and fun anymore since they have gone through so much already. However, a lot of people do not fathom the fact that an older adult’s past experiences are helpful for young people, since we can learn from them and their past mistakes. Their wisdom and past exposure are the reason that each of us are moving forward, instead of regressing and repeating the problem.

Ageism can be found in something the average human encounters everyday, the media. Movies, social networking, and television shows can help put labels on ages through characters and news stories. In today's Hollywood world, movies and television tend to gravitate toward the “young and pretty” face, not giving those who are older a chance. A large majority of the population is currently aging. Being deprived of representation in the media is taking away the “voice and face”of the wrinkled faces. Often times when someone who is older is

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

Living Old – Older Adulthood 1. Identify four macro issue discussed or illustrated in the film. 2. Describe how each of the macro issues intersect with the individual. Describe how the issues might affect the individuals’ health care, their physical needs, and their emotional/psychological states.

Ninety six percent of people sixty-five and older are nonmovers (Quadagno, 2014, p.203) yet the film The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011) follows seven individuals who are seeking a place that can accommodate their elderly needs. Despite this being a fictional film, the text Aging and the Life Course: An Introduction to Social Gerontology (Quadagno, 201) can support the ways in which the film accurately depicts various obstacles associated with aging. Each of the characters in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel overcome ageist social constructions present within western culture but represent that there can still be hope in old age.

Ageism has been defined as a type of discrimination that has a prejudice against an individual based on their age (Cherry, 2015). This was first used by Robert Butler, a gerontologist, who published back in 1969 the article that stated that ageism was a “serious national problem” (Levy; Macdonald, 2016). Mr. Butler was trying to help other understand and describe the stereotype and discrimination against the elder generation, and to show that ageism was as big of an issue compared to racism and sexism (Brownell, 2014). Since the establishment of Ageism, the growing work force of aged

As society progresses, prejudices pertaining to ageism arise on multiply fronts, which stems from simply an ignorant societal state of mind. This is especially turn when it comes to younger generation. When looking at prejudices of older adults it often comes down to assumptive limitations that given to an older age group and they become seen as a burden to society, which is

In particular, the conflict that arises between younger and older generations is reflective of how society polarises and excludes age. To illuminate this, cross-cultural examples will include the differences between European and Asian cultures regarding age – especially statistics regarding elderly care homes – and reference to ageism in media.

The main idea of masculinity that the film considers is the loss of a man’s traditional masculinity. After the second wave of feminism, the idea of traditional male masculinity being ‘lost’ became an increasingly big idea between men. The idea that a man, in this ‘post feminist’ world, cannot

Likewise, Carney and Grey (2015) describe four interlocking bases on which ageism is institutionalised. Each domain shows how norms and institutions socially construct old age as a period of life to be cured, denied, or feared (Weicht, 2013). These domains include, 1) Biological,

If there is prejudice against people of different cultures, sexual orientation, and class, it is no surprise that there is also prejudgment towards people based on their age. Ageism, coined by Robert Neil Butler is the discrimination against groups or individuals on the basis of their age. As it was discussed in Todd Nelson’s “Ageism: the Strange Case of Prejudice Against the Older you”, there are lot of factors on why people may have certain prejudicial attitudes towards the elderly. It could all be sourced from the society’s perspective on change, fear of death, institutionalization of ageism, etc. Since the study of age prejudice is fairly new and constantly expanding, researchers are still finding new discoveries on factors regarding ageism (Nelson, 2011, p. 37). Studies done by Lee, Carpenter, and Meyers suggests that television advertisements may alter the viewers attitudes about older adults by portraying them a certain way. These findings are important because among all forms of media, television is perhaps the most pervasive in society (Lee et al., 2006). Another study, “the role of individual difference variables in ageism” reveals that empathy traits, personality traits, and gratitude have influence on ageist beliefs. The researchers claim it may be crucial in weeding out certain characteristics of people who may show age

There is more than one main theme in this movie; some examples of these are the inequality between rich and poor, suffering as entertainment and the importance of appearances. Some questions that need to

Stereotypes and assumptions are what form the phenomenon of ageism (Macnicol, 2006). Stereotyping is the prime component in the process of ageism, which leads to age discrimination, which includes actions such as excluding those in certain age groups or disadvantaging them (McHullin and Marshall 2001, as cited in Snape and Redman). It has been expressed by some that older workers have played their part, and hint at older workers to leave the workforce in order to allow more job opportunities the upcoming younger working generation (Shah and Kleiner, 2005).