The aspect of aging is a very controversial issue in the current world. Aged and old people are often discriminated and alienated from significant life contributions leading to emotional and psychological related problems among the older generation. Biologically, old age is associated with poor functionality of most of the regular body systems, for instance, reduced eyesight, hearing ability, and reduced cognitive ability. As such, people have developed a negative attitude towards old age. Ageism also can be seen where the old disrespect the younger generation, citing lack of experience. Discrimination based on age can happen to everyone in life, but the most affected groups are the very young and the very old groups. The young, mostly teenagers do not feel as much pressure in relation to ageism as compared to the old because the young still have a chance to change their status. The old people, on the other hand, are so susceptible to ageism because old age is the last stage of life and that makes the elderly vulnerable to death. Middle-aged people tend to be more appreciative of the old people, thus creates three different groups of persons with different attitudes towards the aging process.
Greeting cards are some of the items that depict different reactions and attitudes that people have concerning old age. Basing on the analyzed cards, nobody looks forward to old age. The society often treats old people like children, especially the teenagers who take the older generation as a joke. As stated earlier, different people have different ideas about the aging process. The old people themselves show many dislikes concerning their counterparts, mainly because of the effects of ageism on their part. The middle-aged people show some level of respect to the old, mostly because they are almost becoming old while the younger generation has no interest in either becoming old or interacting with the elderly. Either way, old age is not something that people look forward to, based on the messages on most greeting cards.
The societal attitude differs in relation to whether the older person is male or female. Older women are considered stronger than older men are because, as women age, they stop looking for outside approval and become more confident of themselves. On the other hand, old men lose their control, especially financial and economic control, thus making them susceptible to criticism by the younger generation. In fact, as men age, they are said to become more feminine in terms of dependency. The societal attitude towards old age also differs from one society to another based on the level of interaction that the old have with the rest of the people. For instance, children who often interact with their old grandparents develop a sense of respect and admiration for the elderly as compared to their counterparts who rarely interact with the old.
Most of the cards analyzed for this study support the well-known propaganda concerning old age. Regardless of the gender, the attitude towards old age is similar across borders, and no one wants to get to that level of life. The general information presented in relation to old age presents the aging process as lose in life. In terms of health, older people have more needs as compared to the rest of the people. Biologically, normal body functions begin to deteriorate at some point in life depending on an individual’s metabolism. However, this does not imply that there are no positive impacts of old age. The elderly play a great role in shaping the society in terms of ethics and morals. In the business world, the old generation can offer significant insights given the chance, but the myths surrounding old age hinder the elderly from exploiting their potential at that point in life. Additionally, the mass media has substantial effect on the societal attitude towards the old. The general negative perception of the aging process explains the increasing number of home care institutions for the elderly and the reduced life expectancy.
In conclusion, ageism is a problem in the current world, and it is bound to affect almost everyone at some point in life. For this reason, the society must demystify the myths related to old age, for a better future. First, the young generation must be allowed to interact closely with the elderly to help change the negative perceptions that people have concerning the aging process. Second, the older people need to change their attitude towards other elders. Aged people show a lot of negativity towards old age than any other group because they do not feel worthy of anything. The healthcare providers can help change the perceptions that the aged have concerning old age by providing exemplary care and providing avenues for the elderly to function within their abilities. Thirdly, the mass media must change the message it presents to the world concerning old age. Rather than telling the world how less functional one becomes of old age, the media can provide relevant information on how the elderly can spend their last days productively.