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Elderly-Final

The elderly represent a growing portion of the U.S. population, “The older population in the United States is growing very rapidly. The numbers of very old people have increased by over 50% in each decade since 1940” (Mookherjee 72). Their numbers loom so large many fear Social Security will collapse when the majority of baby boomers hit retirement. Increases in the average life expectancy mainly due to medical advances also mean the elderly are living longer lives past retirement. Aging causes fear in many individuals, but this fear is engendered to a large degree because of society’s perceptions of the elderly. In general, most people associate aging with the loss of faculties, both physical and mental. The loss of independence is also a fear among the aging, one that adds to the negative perceptions of aging in our society. All too often the elderly are perceived as a burden. Many typically end up in rest homes where they are not a burden to family or friends, and where they also remain out of view from the younger generations who are no longer confronted with the inevitability of their own aging. The obsession on youth in American culture couple with the abhorrence of age also creates a negative perception of the elderly. Plastic surgery and entire industries centered around delaying the aging process are more popular than ever before in our culture—all geared to delay the inevitability of aging. Therefore, many researchers contend that aging and negative stereotypes of aging are social constructions, constructions which help to institutionalize age discrimination. One study suggests that gerontophobia exists in this country, a fear and loathing of older people. Because of this our perceptions of aging and the elderly are ones that are learned and reinforce stereotypes and other forms of discrimination against elderly individuals in the U.S.:

The ageism hook is reasonably novel and intuitively appealing. ...

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Elderly-Final. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 05:44, March 29, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1685383.html