Let’s end Ageism-talk by Ashton Applewhite-TED.COM, talk
you can view the Original talk at TED.COM, at this link
No one can prevent getting old for it is a mechanism that each one of us are created with. The day we are born, the cells in our body starts to age. The only difference is that, some become old before the appointed time, while some tend delay becoming old. This is the reality of life, though it is hard, the sooner we accept the fact the better our journey would be.
In this Review, we would critically analyze the talk by the Speaker and find how realistic it is to the actual reality.
Nursing Home care is just beyond the reach of average seniors-speaker ignorant of truth
Speaker’s says the following
The above is the opening with which the Speaker starts off, we hear the speaker citing some stats to justify her stand. Of course we all know that Stats ought to be relevant to the time, if not they are merely a detour.
At the outset, for sure, all of these stats would really spice the average listener up, but not those of the eagle eyed ones. For many of Stats that the speaker had used in her opening paragraph are either outdated or never relevant to the study.
For example, we hear that the Speaker mentioning that only 4% of the older Americans are living in Nursing homes. This is absolutely incorrect. For according to RAND study release, dated 2017, 56% of Americans, between the ages of 57 to 61, actually require Nursing home cares. But apparently, of these 56%, merely 12% have the ability to afford such cares.
Most don’t take up the Long-term Insurance care, for the fear of Uncertainty as to what an Insurer will pay. From the Economic front to start with, if you were to take 1000 people, at around the age group of 20. By the time they hit 60, most of them are broke and are living in shelters, while just 2 become economically independent, of these 2, just 1 becomes rich.
So to merely say that a mere 4% of the Americans are living in Nursing home and the rate is dropping is a flawed statement and goes only to show that the Speaker is not touch with the current crisis.
Dementia is ever increasing-speaker got this too wrong
This is also relevant when the Speaker mentions that the Dementia rates are dropping, not sure where she got this data from.
When according to RAND, 2017 study, the graying American population suffering from Dementia is ever increasing. According to AARP, brain degenerative disease and Dementia is increasing across all 50 US. States.
According to the American Alzheimer’s Association, the continued increase is putting a heavy stain on the Budgets allocated for Health Care programs. The projected increase of Alzheimer’s disease for 2025 stands at 54.9%, and this is just for one US. State, Alaska.
The speaker has no clue as to what she is talking about when she claimed that Dementia rates are dropping, which to us is undermining the efforts of these agencies who are fighting this threat.
Speaker’s says the following
Not sure if the speaker made this statement to ridicule or to merely state a fact. If it is to ridicule then it is shameful on the speaker’s part, to make fun of someone’s predicament.
On the contrary, if it was a fact, then it ought to be supported by data and analysis. For according to WHO, depression among older adults is largely due to Dementia. Thus this contradicts the Speaker’s claim.
Speaker’s says the following
This is an Absolute False statement, that, the longer the people live, the less they fear of death. According to a Statistical survey, the fear of death is only absent among the Teens and Young adults in the age group of, in and around 25.
When a person uses the word “Longer”, it ought to be very specific. For if she is talking about people who are in their 80s and 90s, for sure, most of them if not all, are very affluent.
For only the affluent can reach that landmark. And they would have the resource to take action and to do anything and everything to live longer. Thus, the more money the individual has, the better his or her longevity and health care would be.
The citing of the U-curve of happiness, merely bases its conclusion on a dozen studies. We have 7 billion people in the world and it is ever increasing. To draw a generalization from a dozen study would merely liken to telling toddlers that Santa would bring them gifts, it is okay to tell them, for they would believe it any how, but don’t do that to the learned.
Let your Talk be focused to the Subject, and don’t use the platform to preach Politics
Speaker’s says the following
Here we see the speaker talking politics. The speaker claims, Discrimination rising on the account of ageism. This is the funniest part. This merely shows that the Speaker is not aware or is blatantly ignorant of Nature’s laws.
The Bible says, there is a season for everything, a Season to plant and a Season to harvest. A season to Marry and a Season to Reproduce. If you miss the Season, you miss it bus. No amount of Discrimination claims will get you that opportunity back. When you drop the milk pot down, it is done, no amount crying, weeping, scoffing or discrimination claims will draw the milk from the floor, back to the pot.
The Speaker goes on to say that All-isms are socially constructed. Of course, this is the way Society is established. Take this simple analogy, there was this elderly lady who came in for audition at America’s got Talent show.
Now her act was to put a dance performance for the Judges. The lady started off by displaying her once youthful photo to the audience, with the audience giving a huge applause and then off she started her routine.
The dance was sexy Tango with a 25 year old man. Though she did get appreciated for her performance, but that didn’t help the final decision.
The Judges simply said that they didn’t like the combination. Of course the lady knew all long what the decision would be, yet she tried. However, if she wanted Validation, then that is never going to happen. You just don’t fill New wine in an Old bottle. It just wouldn’t work.
The Speaker then gathers attention to her content by drawing, ideas and quotes, illustrating examples of Racism, Sexism, Homophobia.
The irony here is, she talks about –isms, and includes Homophobia. This merely goes to show one of the two things, either she is confused or has issues in suitably citing appropriate pertinent illustrations that would serve to enlighten and ensure understanding to the majority.
Be mindful of Time
All of us should be mindful of Time, for Time is fleeting and it is given in limited rations to all. It is advised that we use Time in the most productive manner. If not, we would end up in the boots of the Speaker claiming Discrimination and Ageism.
The reality is that, Nature has fixed routines that no one could alter. Thus, in all stable mind, nobody would assume that everybody could do everything at all of the time.
The great Carl Lewis, wouldn’t be able to even qualify for Olympics now. Why? Because, his prime time is over. The best thing he can do now would be to train the younger generation, and rejoice in their Victory.
Just because you say you feel 25, no Man, would treat a 45 year old in the same way, he perceives a 25 year old girl
If you are 45, and tell yourself that you ought to be treated like a young girl of 25, you would only be kidding thy own self. Of course everyone can feel the way they want for it is a private affair, and that you are entitled to that, but the Society is not obligated likewise to do so.
For the society would care a damn for those feelings of affirmations and would blatantly view a 45 year old as a 45 year old woman nothing less but may be more.
Take the Marine Corps enrollment procedure. The Marine Corps only takes men who are in their prime and have the ability to stand the emotional and physical scar. Imagine a 47 year old woman, claims discrimination on age and expects the Marine Corps to enlist her, that would be a laughable joke, right?
That is exactly what the Speaker is trying to get at.
The speaker claims all of the Societal standings and virtues, to be a mere makeup of things, “We make them up”, and “these can change over time”, the answer would simply be, “Never” and Nothing would ever Change.
If the truth may be told as it is, then none of existing laws were made up by the Society, for all that the Society did was to suitably mold itself to fit into the existing laws of Nature.
When it rains, don’t wish it would stop, just carry your Umbrella and walk. For the rain would only stop when it wants to stop. For the rain descends from the Skies while we mortals are on the Earth.
Everything revolves around Age
We may not like it, but that is the way things work here. It is always the young and slender gets picked up for the Best positions at the work spot. The best way to illustrate this would be, Victoria Models.
Have you ever wondered, why Victoria Models are never in their late thirties. For the average age for these top models is currently around 21. Would you believe, 25 is considered a veteran.
Now, just imagine, someone in the age of 64, would claim discrimination at this, wouldn’t it be funny ? We cannot blame the company for this, for the existence of the company depends on its Clients. VT, claims that all its clients are in their late teens and late Twenties. And as per any Company, they care merely catering to their clients.
It is imperative to mention here that a 57 year old woman, almost suffocated while wearing a sports bra. Now, tell us, is the Speaker’s attempt to claim discrimination and Ageism, a real ethical cause?
Speaker’s says the following
Here we see the speaker drawing justification by inferring on one acceptable reason to parallel it with the one she claims is correct, which is totally unacceptable.
Though we agree allocation should never be done on Race or Sex but on need cum wants and means, but for sure this shouldn’t mean that the Younger generation should experience denial of Opportunities, for someone who has passed her prime yet still wants to be treated on the same scale as a young adult.
That would be unfair. Specially, when it comes to resource sharing.
From the society stand point this would never happen. Take for example Scholarship awards for students pursuing Research. The grant specifically places an Age criteria that all of the Applicant should be below 33 years and anyone who pass this mark even by a day would be summarily rejected.
For it is always the Rising sun that people would prefer and not the setting sun. Speaker then mentions Anti-aging cream and questions their need. This only shows limited knowledge and experience on the part of the Speaker.
For we see her posing a lot of “why’s”. For example, “why should ageing well mean, struggling to look and move like the younger version of ourselves?” The reasons are simple, as mentioned in the introduction, the cells in the body starts to disintegrate right from the time we set foot on this planet Earth. More so, after the age of 30, Muscle loss, called Sarcopenia occurs at the rate of 3% to 5%, a decade. If an individual is using Alcohol, then Liver function also dwindles. There are a whole lot of Age related sickness that strike during the 40’s. And then the fearful, Menopause steps in, with it a whole set of new complications.
Now here we have a Speaker who is talking about walking on water, when Tsunami is raging.
Nervous Rant from a Senior
Further down all we hear is a ravenous rant from a senior. Justifying everything from wrinkles to perimenopause to be beautiful. Wrinkles may not be ugly to a 64 year old, for there is little she can do about it, but to a 40 year old, her whole life ahead depends on how well her face looks.
She might be leading a team and it becomes imperative for her to look good, for all her subordinates will look up to her. At 64, it is highly unlikely that anyone would even offer an interview call leave alone a job offer.
A survey conducted among the fortune 500 companies, with regard to their expectation of their employees, all of them unilaterally responded that they want their Employees to be slim, firm, tall, swift and above all with Good looks.
You see, it is the age that time and again dictates the decision making process.
Speaker’s says the following
According to studies, Dementia is the number one cause for many of ailments that the elderly suffer.
For example, look at the statements that the speaker is making here. Now according to her, gender is a spectrum. This shows clearly that she has now got confused with gender too, clear signs of Dementia taking hold.
She then goes on to claim that there is no difference between the young and the old, this is a usual phenomenon among the seniors, specially during their 60’s, when life hits them hard, when the youths would prefer to stay away from them, all that is left of them now is to Rant and provide justification that Old is now the new Young, would you believe this?
After 30, the companies want young Blood, and if you are 64, the race is all done
The Speaker then talks about discrimination in the workplace. Well, the question to ask here would be, who sets the Retirement age? And why would they do that? We wish to ask the Speaker if she had seen the walk of a 64 year old and compared it to the walk of a 24 year old, simple, the walk tells it all.
We have nothing against old people, it is just the way this planet has been designed. More so, today, the world is catering only for new fire, new blood and new energies.
Look at the work force, the moment a person touches 35, he or she has a very a high probability of losing his or her job, and when that happens, it is downward hill from there on.
The reason most companies give for firing is, “you are too old for the job and our policies don’t permit that luxury to us of hiring seniors”
Conclusion
The talk is more of a Rant from someone who is undergoing this struggle that life throws at her. It is sad, but that is the hard reality. Age is very critical and often becomes the deciding factor. We may not like this, but that is how things on this planet is designed.
It is imperative to understand that Rants such as these, and claiming discrimination on Ageism and demanding opportunities meant for the youth, and locking horns with them, is what makes the youth of the society to despise the Old. In fact, the youths today, don’t even want to stay with their parents even over the week end. This is sad.
It would work out much better, if the old and the elderly understand that their Time is up and now the future generation ought to take its place. This is a normal phenomenon in the Plant and Animal kingdom, but we humans don’t want to let go. This talk by the Speaker shows the latent disdain for youth and we wonder how it made it to TED.Com
George Foreman, the Heavy weight champion of the world, narrates the difficulties that he had to face, while making a come back at 40. To the world, 40 is a death sentence.
