Ageism
“The thought of hair loss, saggy breasts, or wrinkles doesn’t sit well with people who have emphasizing fitness and youth” (Butler
I think ageism, and sexism both have this common denominator of only seeing a person for their aesthetic qualities and not their moral (that’s really any type of “ism”, but for the sake of focusing I’m using sexism). The video Tough Guys talked about how men should aspire to getting to know women through more open relationships. It’s being able to define that as masculinity as oppose to seeing a women as an object to sexually conquered. In Killing Us Softly 3 it discussed how women should not rely on facelifts of breast implants to be the object of a man’s desire. Both examples show how society objectifies, materializes the human condition. Youthful qualities are put in so much high regard, it’s almost taboo to appreciate that which has grown old.
It think ageism isn’t talked about much because other “isms” overshadow it or take more priority in society. Regardless if it’s not a high priority or if it’s overshadowed, the fundamental question is still there: will you find respect in a person for their moral worth or aesthetic worth? Can both be done? Depending on how a person answers those questions defines how they will contribute to a society.
I think its very interesting that you thought that ageism and sexism were similar. I completely agree with you. In fact in my blog I related ageism and ableism. Just because elderly people may not be able to move as quickly or physically be appealing does not mean they do not have as great a quality of life.
ReplyDeleteI really like how you said whether people will respect others for the moral or aesthetic worth. I think this is a problem all across the culture, and that people should really stop judging the book by the cover (as the saying goes).
ReplyDeleteEthan and Kelly, I like how you both related ageism to other isms. I do feel as though ageism is over shadowed and can absolutely be grouped in with ablism. In Western culture we focus so much on the negatives and the disabilities involved with getting older that we forget their knowledge and experience surpass everything else. We need to focus more on the positives and take the "ableism" approach to things.
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