Friday, October 5, 2007

What Old People Do For Fun





In the media, the elderly are portrayed in a number of different ways. First, there's the senial stereotype, then the crazy stereotype (think old lady with lots of cats), the "can't teach an old dog new tricks" character, and, on the opposite end of the spectrum, the sweet, caring, and loving figure that frequently shows up in portrayls of young children's grandmas and grandpas. This video shows another way I've been seeing the elderly portrayed, though: as regular people who happen to be old and who take advantage of other people assuming they're old and crazy. Take a look.


Here are some images of the "elderly" from Flikr:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/14827439@N04/favorites/

3 comments:

gopherblog said...

You are right. Many people do hold the stereotype that old people are either crazy or nice and wise grandparents. But like most stereotypes most people do not fit this mold. I think as America overall ages and more voting rights go to people who are of retirement to geriatric age we will see a dramatic change in American law, services, lifestyles, and culture. As a relatively young person this does scare me a little, because I often feel that older people are such dedicated voters the young American voice is not heard and our issues as future leaders are ignored in an effort for candidates to get support and election. This would be an interesting thing to bring up with students who are a generation or two younger then most teachers.

Bri said...

Love the video, Annie! Thanks for giving us another look at older generations.

Bri said...

Love the video, Annie! Thanks for giving us another look at older generations.