Why Is Respect The Elderly Both Wrong Or Shameful

"Today in America, we no longer see our elders as sources of wisdom but as feeble yet, loveable, doddering but dear." (Nelson, 2004) It seems that the old phrase "respect your elders" isn't holding strong with todays young generations. This could be due to the fact that in our lifetime, aging and aging persons are something to be avoided, not celebrated. "If we need to be ashamed of and reverse the signs of ageing, then being old must be both“wrong” and “shameful”, and, therefore elderly people must be both “wrong” and “shameful”. If we regard the elderly as either “wrong” or“shameful” then we do not need to regard them or treat them with respect." (Cohen, 2001) Although, this may be an unconscious effort, it is still an effort that should be consciously recognized and

Honneth (1990) states that insult and degradation is injurious to the person and violates the sense of, and belief in, self. " Therefore, experiences of disrespect and insult pose the risk of an injury which can cause the person’s entire identity to collapse." (Honneth, 1990). Old age is something that is inevitable for everyone, a category that all at some point will fall under, so it becomes unbarring to watch the future bodies we will we become, be treated as if they are so meaningless. "It has been suggested that respect is taking a person seriously by paying careful attention to that person and having sympathetic consideration of the person’s needs and wants." (Sung, et al., 2010, Downie & Telfer, 1970, Dillon, 1992). Hockey and James (1993) suggest that elderly people in need of care are metaphorically regarded as being in their second childhood and younger people with disabilities lose their social status as adults if they become dependent in any way. The ugly truth about ageism is something that can be found when viewing solely the respect factor- if it is manditory to understand how to appreciate the elderly, then maybe there could be a less ageist world to