Aging is inevitable. The process looks different on all of us and is dependent upon certain factors including; how well we take care of our health regarding exercise, diet, and the support we get from others. In society aging has a negative connotation because we are led to believe we are less likely to be able to be independent, self-sufficient, and have less social support. Pixar’s UP is a great movie that exemplifies the aging process and two key concepts; ageism and chronological age vs. functional age as it relates to societal beliefs, pressures, and effects. Disney’s UP takes us on an inspiring journey of life, friendship and adventure. A young explorer named Carl has always dreamed of adventure and (….) He meets a fellow explorer as …show more content…
a child named Ellie and they fall in love and get married. Ellie shares her adventure book with Carl and her desire to move their home to Paradise Falls one day. The two of them had many dreams and goals together such as having a family and travelling to South America. Ellie unfortunately had a miscarriage and their dream of having a child ended there so they continued to look towards Paradise falls. Years passed as the two saved for the trip of a lifetime, but as always life got in the way and their savings had to go towards fixing the roof and tires on their car. With both of them aging quickly, Carl decides this is his last chance so he decides to book tickets and amaze Ellie, but to his surprise she became sick. Ellie passed away shortly after and Carl became a lonely, grumpy old man. Carl’s beloved house that held many memories of his life with Ellie, was becoming threatened by the new construction being built around it. This caused Carl to snap and strike one of the construction workers who hit his mailbox. Due to this incident the judge forced Carl to be sent away to Shady Oaks Retirement home the next day, since they considered him a public nuisance to the neighborhood. The day before he is expected to leave for Shady Oaks he meets a young wilderness explorer named Russell who needs to earn his badge for assisting the elderly, but Carl doesn’t give him a moment of his time and instead sends him off to look for a “snipe” bird that he knows Russell will never find just to send him away. The next morning the nurses from the retirement home come to pick Carl up, he asks for a few moments to say goodbye to his cherished home. Instead Carl had tied over a thousand balloons to his home and up goes the magical colorful home soaring into the clouds. Carl is finally able to sit down in his cozy chair when the doorbell rings and Carl is surprised to find Russell on the porch. This is the start of the incredibly journey two unlikely characters would take to Paradise Falls. Carl and Russell hit a few rough patches during the flight and land in Paradise Falls, but in the wrong spot. Carl’s number one priority is to walk the home to the point on the falls where Ellie always dreamed of and sending Russell back to America. On the beginning of the exploration Russell actually finds the snipe bird who joins the two on their mission, as well as meeting a talking dog named Doug who wants to take the snipe bird that Russell named Kevin as prisoner for his master. During their walk they come into contact with several vicious looking dogs that take Carl and Russell to meet the great Charles Muntz. Charles Muntz was Carl’s childhood role model and where Carl got his passion for adventure. Soon after Carl realizes that Charles is not a good man and wants to capture Kevin just to be able to prove that snipes exist. Carl is still focused on his number one priority and finally makes it to the spot on the falls that Ellie once dreamed of. Here him and Russell get into a fight and Russell leaves to go save his newfound friends Kevin and Doug, knowing Carl is uncaring and insensitive towards his feelings. Carl sits once more in his cozy chair and finds Ellis adventurer book, here is where he has a moment of clarity and sees Ellie’s wish for him to go on his own new adventure. Carl goes after Russell, Doug and Kevin and saves the day. They leave Kevin in South America with her new babies and goes back home with Russell and his new dog Doug. Carl is honored to share in the day with Russell to give him his assisting the elderly badge. Carl realizes that sharing your life with friends and companions is the most important thing. Aging adults are often negatively perceived in our society.
According to ALFA ageism is the discrimination of a person based on their age and it robs seniors of their independence (website at bottom). Not only are these stereotypes negative to the elderly, but it may also shorten their lives.(dittman) In Levy’s research she found that older adults who had a more positive perception of themselves lived 7.5 years longer than those with a negative perception. (dittman) Carl was perceived as a grumpy old widower and a menses to the community because of his seclusion and unwilliness for change. Because of this the judge decided he would be best off in a retirement home. It’s that assumption and attitude that Carl was too old to continue to take care of his home and be a productive citizen that creates this stereotyping. (paper) It can be assumed that Carl quit his job willingly to retire with Ellie so they could travel to South America, but unfortunately she passed. It is likely if Carl wanted to return to work that he would be turned away due to age. Okinawan people believed that retiring early made for an early death and even to this day they don’t have a word for retirement 75(book). Even young Russell displays ageism in UP, when he specifically chooses Carl to achieve his assisting an elderly badge because he assumes that because Carl is a senior that he in fact needs help. Russell would soon realize that Carl has more spunk and push in him than he first
believed. (Carl felt helpless so he decided to escape this fate and go on a journey of a lifetime ….add in somehow maybe) (and we are a culture that promotes youth) Aging is subjective and just because someone’s chronological age is 80, doesn’t mean it has any relation to their functional age. Carl may seem like a frail old man, but that is due to him losing the love of his life and being lonely. Losing Ellie has caused Carl to have a negative outlook on the rest of his life. Research has been shown that cultural shifts could be one explanation for age related change ( king). Carl and Russell clearly grew up during different historical eras, and as we continue to advance in education, diet and technology it could help allow us to be stronger long into our 80’s. Another explanation could be that we are more educated on the importance of fitness and maintaining our cardiovascular health so we feel younger than our biological clocks. Gozei from Okinawa is over 100 years old and is able to spring up and down from the floor over 30 times a day, which shows how incredible her body strength and balance is at her age. (book). To the Okinawan people age is just a number. Carl’s adventure gives him that push to get out of his comfort of his home and physically get back in shape to allow him to have a positive outlook on life with his new friends and to socially be part of society again which research shows to increase a individuals longevity (king)
Aging and old age for a long time presented as dominated by negative traits and states such as sickness, depression and isolation. The aging process is not simply senescence most people over the age of 65 are not Senile, bedridden, isolated, or suicidal (Aldwin & Levenson, 1994). This change in perspective led the investigation of the other side of the coin. Ageing is seen as health, maturity and personal Royal growth, self-acceptance, happiness, generatively, coping and acceptance of age-related constraints (Birren & Fisher, 1995). Psychological und...
world tends to let the decrepit fade out of existence. It is also about the stereotypical sense of older means wiser, which is
Ageism is shown in both novel by Harper Lee and the article by Scott Wooldridge about millennial’s by stating that because of how young you’re more likely to be less intelligent and have almost to no experience compared to older people therefore making them seem more superior.
According to Melissa Dittman’s article, the negative stereotypes that are being displayed towards older people might be shortening
Hiller, S. M., & Barrow, G. M. (2011). Aging, the individual, and society. (9th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
Conversely, this is also a misconception of sorts. Ageism was a concept devised by Butler (1975) to describe how older people in general were discriminated against purely on the basis of being over a certain age by younger members of society (cited in The Open University, 2014c). Using this concept of ageism, Ms Jones is correct in what she is saying, however since Butler and Lewis defined this term, further research has been carried out into ageism and this term has evolved again as society has changed. A more modern take on ageism is defined by Bytheway (2005) cited in the K118 course material (The Open University, 2014d) as “Indeed we are all, throughout our lives, oppressed by ageism, by dominant expectations about age, expectations that dictate how we behave and relate to one another.” In my own personal experience I have been on the receiving end of ageist remarks at different stages in my life. As a teenager, it was perfectly normal for me and my friends to get told off for “loitering” if there was a group of more than 3 of us – 2 teenagers together were tolerated in our town, anymore than that were presumed to be causing trouble, even if we were quite innocently minding our own business. I am now a woman with a 7 year old, and it is amazing how many times I have been asked when my
Aging has changed throughout history. The aging population has changed drastically over the course of past generations. Many people are living to a much older age. At this time in history, according to the film, anyone dying before the age of 80 is a premature death. 17% of the total population of the United States is elderly. This film shows how all the dramatic changes have happened in society involving the elderly not only effects the aging population, but they also affect everyone especially family life.
Theories concerned with ageing are constructed in an attempt to objectively satisfy the inquiries that arise after studying ageing and to provide evidence based clarifications. In the context of this essay, they allow troubleshooting regarding issues around the type of support would be expected to be needed by Betty and her son. Bengtson et al, (1999) accepts the potential pragmatism of the theories nevertheless he argues that they can be generalised and unimaginative. The controversy regarding theorising ageing becomes especially relevant when they are applied in isolation failing to address that “the science and positivism are severely limiting… for understanding aspects of ageing.” Bengtson et al (1999)
According to DeBrew, author of “Can being ageist harm your older adult patients?” stereotypes and discrimination are evident in various aspects of patient care. “Ageism [is] defined as stereotyping or discrimination aimed at older adults and a lack of knowledge about normal changes of aging and presentation of illness in older adults (. . .)” (DeBrew, 2015). DeBrew (2015) states, “research findings suggest that ageism is common in healthcare” (DeBrew, 2015). Ageism is not only an issue in the healthcare setting, but also among older adults as well as their families. When ageism is present in the healthcare setting it poses
Aging and being old was dominated by negative characteristics and conditions such as illness, depression, and isolation for a long time (Eibach, Mock, & Courtney, 2010). At first glance the terms “success” and “aging” seem to be in conflict to each other. When asking people about aging, their answers have many facets that are also found in psychological definitions: successful aging is seen as health, maturity and personal growth, self-acceptance, happiness, generativity, coping, and acceptance of age-related limitations. In the psychological sense successful aging is also often seen as the absence of age-associated characteristics (Strawbridge, Wallhagen, & Cohen, 2002). It seems that successful aging means is not aging.
Ageism is a prejudice whereby people are categorized and judged solely on the basis off their chronological age. “Stereotyping causes ageism to become a social disease, a lot like racism and sexism causing great fear, waste, illness, and misery (Palmore 2005, p.90). Effects of ageism can lead older people to feeling embarrassed and depressed. Most people who are 70 or older think they are doing better than other people their age are, who have worse problems in their mind. If an elder forgets something they may call it a “senior moment.” In an ageist culture, you are being self-protected when you think you feel younger than your actual age. In the classic study with Levy and Langer in 1994, a memory test was given to groups of Chinese, deaf Americans, and hearing Americans. Elders in all three groups scored lower than the younger people. When older people believe themselves to be independent, they are more likely to be healthier mentally and physically (Berger, p.500-501).
There once was a grandma that went to a job interview, finally able to do something on her free time. She was energetic, strong, kind, and understanding. Probably one of the best women ever known in her block. But then she wasn’t accepted. Why? Because a younger woman, got the position, even though grandma’s resume and personality were better. She wasn’t accepted because was old, and there’s a higher risk in having her on the job because she might be too frail, and might not be able to work as well as the younger employees. This is ageism the “discrimination on the basis of a person’s age”(ageism). Ageism affects people mentally, the elderly are not the only ones being discriminated against, and it’s so simple to prevent.
When you think of the term senior citizen what comes to mind? Do the words disabled and old come to mind, or do you visualize wisdom and patience? The word old is looked upon in todays society as a “dirty” word. Yet we will all be old someday. Ageism-the discrimination according to a persons age is a known stereotype just as racial, or religious discrimination. We must end this way of thinking soon or else our elders will feel unwelcome in their jobs and in their communities.
Age is but a number. A number that classifies, organizes, and can even define someone. It holds opportunities to learn new things and determines when the path into adulthood begins. The linear notion created by steadily increasing numbers is a very narrow outlook on age. It assumes that as someone grows in age, they are changing both mentally and physically. This, however, is far from the truth. Age is beyond the numbers; it is what lies within. When numbers are disregarded and the qualities attributed to each phase of life is examined, a sequence of repetition can be observed. Instead of growing old, it can be seen as regressing to adolescence. The two outliers of life, infancy and elderly, are far more similar than any numerical value could ever project.
It is my personal belief that America is a nation that suffers from ageism. It is the fear of growing old and the stereotypes that aging brings that causes ageism. Daily we are faced with advertisements that focus on youth, on looking, fe...