More handpicked essays just for you.
Discrimination and stereotypes in the media
Discrimination and stereotypes in the media
Discrimination and stereotypes in the media
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Aging is universal and it is a process that everyone has to go through. The only difference is that everyone goes through this process at their own pace influenced by factors that will be discussed later on in this paper. When we think about factors that have an influence on older adults and how their life may be affected, we must consider the different social institutions while analyzing influences from social factors, cultural factors, and personal values. Abuse to older adults, stereotyping and informal care and technological advancements that affect older adults are the three topics that will be discussed in this reflection. Furthermore, will connect the three topics I have chosen to the knowledge that I have gained from my interaction …show more content…
For a large portion of my life, I was under the impression that the majority of stereotypes and myths about older adults were true because I was submerged with that type of message in everyday situations such as seeing older adults being portrayed in a stereotypical way in the media. In the very beginning of the course, I learned what the differences between stereotypes and myths were which was very helpful. While interacting with people in my discussion group a fellow student explained that elderly people are seen as a burden on society because they are generalized in a sense that they do not contribute to society, which is not true because older adults contribute in ways in which they may not be paid for (John Doe, personal communication, 2017). After hearing that statement, I began to think about the many contributions that older adults are not given credit for, such as; charity work, child care for their family, house work and many more activities. Aside from that example, I used to generalize the older population because I have witnessed some traits that were present in an older adult and because of this one particular incident that matches the negative stereotypes that were expressed by society I generalized a group of people which is not a fair …show more content…
In fact, there was a lecture where (Joshi, 2017b) provided an example of a negative stereotype of an older adult that was illustrated with toddler like features in a comic book. This example itself demonstrates how society makes fun of older adults, which relates to the cultural differences between the western society and their values compared to the teachings and values of the east. I could relate to stereotyping older adults stemming from differences in society because eastern society for example, places more emphasis on respecting elders while being more conservative because of their knowledge and experience in life, whereas some parts of the west may be more open to each other while communicating and allowing older adults to be the comedians of society for entertainment purposes which may not be the most considerate idea. Another good example that would debunk the fact that stereotypes should not be generalized across a group of people would be in the lecture where (Joshi, 2016c) explained that many older adults return to their hobbies or activities that they used to enjoy doing when they were younger which is an example of what the continuity theory would suggest. In short, I have changed my perspective on how I use my judgment when it comes to evaluating what the media or other sources put out for their audience such as
For example, a teenager in today’s socialistic normalities are thought to be selfish and so absorbed in their phones they miss out on everything around them. However, not everyone is like that. The only reason someone thinks about a stereotype being fact is because the ones apart of the statistic are the ones who are the loudest and are easily pointed out. Mitch1991 claims in a Teen Ink article posts “Loud, obnoxious, rebellious, out of control, and up to no good… these are just a few of a wide number of stereotypes that are attributed to American teenagers. What is it about teenagers that make the rest of society seem to turn against them?” He has a very reliable point because he is living the stereotype first hand. A teenager is not alone in stereotyping of age. Elderly people are stereotyped as well. These may include being ignorant of what is going on, not being able to learn anything new, and being weaker at everything than younger people. Although these may be true for some people, they are still not true for everyone. Similar to how not all things people say about teenagers are true. This post he made matters because stereotyping does not just stop at the adult level or the color or race of a person level. It expands way past that. This is similar to how the Finch kids are treated at Cal’s church; unfairly and judgeful. Grouping people together like a teenager or elderly person is today or how the Finch’s are in the book, are one in the same because both have been stereotyped and not completely truthful for
Understanding these topics has helped me realize that my viewpoints of elder adults and the process of aging are shaped by stereotypes embedded in my culture, which have affected the way I, as well as my family, communicate with one another. The Communication Predicament Model of Aging (Ryan, Giles, Bartolucci & Henwood, 1986, as cited in Giles, Oct. 21, 2014) proposed that these negative characteristics listed in exercise one can act as triggers for age stereotypes and lead to negative speech between the two groups (younger and older adults). This restricts communication opportunities between said groups, encouraging less social interaction with older adults. Thus, older adults can lose a vast amount of self-esteem, creating physiological and psychological problems.
Men and women are portrayed differently in media in relation to their socially constructed roles. As mentioned above about the agentic and communal roles, there is also double standard of ageing. Women’s lives: A psychological exploration defines “Double standard of aging” as, “the stigma of aging is much greater than it is for me” (Etaugh & Bridges, 2013, Pg. The media shows the public by giving them the bias that ageing men are more acceptable than aging women.
A stereotype is defined as ‘an exaggerated and often prejudiced view of a type of person or group of people’ (Novak, Campbell, & Northcott, 2014, pg. 5). Stereotypes often develop from observations/information that tend to not be true. If they turn out to be true then they are exaggerated and distorted. Further, if someone is found who does not fit the stereotype they are considered to be an exception. Some stereotypes positively portray the elderly but most have a negative impact. This can create prejudice and discrimination towards the elderly which can negatively impact their quality of life (Novac et al., 2014).
According to the Author Shankar vedantam Article How a self fulfilling stereotype can drag down performance.” Stereotypes is a highly simplified,general and exaggerated type of representation they are also can be negative”. “Stereotype could be positive or negative anytime your grouping race or individuals together and make a judgment about them without knowing them, this is an example of a stereotype.” “Stereotyping is the defined of over simplified attitude people hold toward those outside one's own experience who are different”. I made a google form to find out what people think more than 80 percent of kids taking my survey are 15 year old the other 20 percent was a 14 year old. Mostly 60 percent are female the other 40 percent are males.
Older adults are a very knowledgeable population and have had a lot of life experiences. As people age, things start to change physically, mentally, and socially. It’s important to understand the process of aging, so that older adults can be taken care of properly. I interviewed P.R. who is a 71-year-old male that lives alone in his home. P.R. is a retired coal miner, and is currently living off his social security and savings. He lives close to both his daughter and son, who frequently help him out with things that are needed. P.R. was able to give me a lot of insight about specific challenges that he has experienced in his life that is associated with aging. I will be discussing challenges that P.R experienced physically, mentally,
...for them. In conclusion perception of the elderly are attributed to the way society view them, so let us as a society change the perception and maybe some of the morals and values of our land would return thus decreasing the amount of negative occurrence within our country.
Stereotypes that are associated with a group of older individuals might consist of this particular group being less productive than younger workers within the workplace because of the label attached to their age group. Other aspects that are associated with this group is that they are susceptible to contracting Alzheimer’s disease and they are “boring” or “forgetful”, I feel as though this is the most common stereotype. It is quite unfortunate that this type of discrimination still persists. Though, no act of discrimination should exist or be justified. It is evident that one will follow a social cue to fit in with individuals of a certain group. Author Schaefer mentions that social circumstances provide cues for a person’s attitudes. (Schaefer, 2015. Pg. 38). This notion influences others to act in a particular manner in order to receive a positive or negative reaction from individuals in their proximity. These reactions result from acts or expressions of prejudice. The normative approach, a theory of prejudice, is an exemplification of
“If I can buy enough pills, cream, and hair, I can avoid becoming old” (Esposito, 1987). Western cultures are champions of stigmatizing the complex, delicate, remarkable process that is aging. Generally, people rely on physical cues to categorize each other in races, genders, and ages. What comes to mind immediately when the word “old” or “elderly” comes about? Quick identifiers like white hair, wrinkles, and slow-moving, are always associated with the elderly. Simply, the labels that are given i.e. elderly, old people, seniors, and senior citizens contribute to the categorization of this group of people. Like prejudice or discrimination, “ageism” refers to the adverse attitudes, stereotypes, and behaviors focused toward older adults based
shows broadcasted on television. According to Tom Robinson’s article Older Adults of Offensive Senor Stereotypes in Magazine Advertisements: Results of A Q Method Analysis, he stats that, “They may cause people to think of the older population as less worthy than other groups or that they would not enjoy the company of an older person.” (they being stereotypes). What he is saying is that due to the ageism stereotypes that are shown through the media the younger population are becoming less excepting and less tolerable towards the older adult population. A quote by Palmore used in the same article by Robinsons states, “Negative stereotypes of the elderly are the underpinnings of ageism which involves prejudice and discrimination against older people” (1990.
Ageism for the purpose of this discussion will refer to stereotyping, discriminatory and oppressive practices towards the older population, those individuals over age fifty. Public policy, health careers, and social programs within contextual framework of our society’s norms are influenced by negative attitudes towards aging. The definition of ageism is, “stereotypes which are generalized beliefs or opinions based in individual experience, often produced by irrational thinking. Stereotyping whether direct or subtle is usually inaccurate, emotional impressions, and not based on objective information” (Hillier & Barrow, 2011, p.32). Some stereotypes are older people are poor, unhealthy, and unable to learn new technology.
2. Ageism is where a person is categorized and judged solely on the basis of their chronological age (). Are society maintains ageism by stereotype and elder speak. Stereotype we tend to do on older adults is by saying they are not very smart, cannot keep or stay with a job, and are very boring people that cannot have sex. These types of stereotypes that we say about older people are not true but can hurt the elder in the long run. Elder speak is the way we speak to the elder, this is like speaking very loud and very simple sentence (). A problem with speaking that way is that some elder has good hearing and do not need to be spoken down to children.
In the modern era, stereotypes seem to be the ways people justify and simplify the society. Actually, “[s]tereotypes are one way in which we ‘define’ the world in order to see it” (Heilbroner 373). People often prejudge people or objects with grouping them into the categories or styles they know, and then treat the types with their experiences or just follow what other people usually do, without truly understand what and why. Thus, all that caused miscommunication, argument or losing opportunities to broaden the life experience. Stereotypes are usually formed based on an individual’s appearance, race, and gender that would put labels on people.
...es, where the lived experience ageing has been discussed from a mainly discriminatory point of view, must be and is considered very useful in modern society. It is also important however, to consider not only the hostile approach to ageing, but also the cases when prejudice can be more benevolent. Examples in the case of the elderly include those that may offer them preferential treatment, including cheaper visits to the cinema or bus passes (these sort of discounts can also be applied to the young of course). Conversely, the perception of incompetence can lead to conclusion about people either side of adult to be unfairly dismissed when considering a task to complete. In some cases there is little or exaggerated evidence to support these claims. This can lead to concerns from any individual that when they do reach the later years of their life, will they be needed?
Aged care is becoming such a huge part of our health system and society in general. It is so important that we come to an understanding on not only how it affects the community and society that we live in but the requirements that need to be met in order to care for older adults. Throughout this paper, we will discuss active ageing and the cultural, physical, economic and social well-being of older adults, as well as the affect that community as on the older population and visa-vasa. Accompanying this essay is a flyer that well be used to define active ageing, why it is important to individuals and the community. It is important to understand what active ageing is and that health is measured by more than just physical