Harvard School of Business Sociological Perspective on Aging Essay
What was the discussion about : "share two "big ideas" that were new or insightful for you. Explain why these were significant and how you related to them. Identify something you didn't understand well or that you had questions about."
My Discussion? " Applewhite A. (2016). Where Ageism Comes And What It Does. This Chair Rocks (page 1). New York, Celadon Books. “Negative messages about aging cast a shadow across the entire life of every American, stunting our prospects, economy, and civic life. This is oppression: being controlled or treated unjustly”Applewhite A. (2016). Our ages, ourselves: identity. This Chair Rocks (page 43). New York, Celadon Books. “When we internalize stereotypes of olders as useless and debiliated, it's understandable that we experience aging as trauma-the Detrayal of the body and the dissolution of our place in the world along with it”.In both sentences, a transcendental concept is that Applewhite thinks that aging can be a great dilemma in the lives of all Americans and that they grow conditioned because the years pass so quickly. The writer also says that we are totally conditioned by the advertisements that come out of television which want to teach us that the perfect stereotype is always to look younger than we are. The main message of those advertisements is that we need to hide that time has passed and that we are getting old. An impressive idea that the author wants to convey is that everyone teaches us from childhood that growing up is something negative, that our body begins to function badly, that we are not going to be worth anymore, that we lose value and desire to keep living and that we must do everything we can to delay getting old. The two quotes I have chosen are related because the author tries to open her reader’s eyes and she teaches them to stop believing in stereotypes that society wants to impose. Applewhite A. (2016). Our ages, ourselves: identity. This Chair Rocks (page 47 ). New York, Celadon Books. “Aging is, obviously, a process. The older we grow, the more complexly layered identity becomes, the fatter the file in which our knowledge and memories are stored, in which, in turn, our sense of self resides”. I would have many questions about that phrase from many aspects of life, since I am currently at a young age and there are many things in life that I cannot understand, and that phrase of the writer produces many doubts about the process of living. The quote generates me enthusiasm and questions about the experience of living. When I am much older, I will verify what the author emphasizes. I would ask the writer: “How complex can life be?”, “Will I find my identity and what I want for my whole life?”. Questions that will be answered later and that I will have to live much longer to answer.
My fellow classmates replies that you need to reply to them ?
1- Alfredo Roman: Good evening class,I have to admit that it was delight to read the first chapter of, This Chair Rocks. Dr. Rainey is spot on when she mentioned that the book is not your normal read. The first chapter was: clever, witty, and quite frankly a bit entertaining. That said, there is plenty of in-depth, research based, and data-based material to digest. Historian David Hackett Fischer explained that when we do not come to terms with the transition to older age. we create a destructive, ignorant, and distaste for others in that age group (Applewhite, 2016, p.17). That also turns in to distaste for oneself. Having such an ignorant and negative outlook on what is inevitable for all of us could have dire consequences on an individual and societal level. These norms are already in place and in action as the years move on in our society. If we do not seek and make a change to this baseless way of thinking, we will self-manifest as a society to a more: conflictive, divisive, and uncompassionate country. This message is so relatable to current day events in the world and society. I being an optimistic and positive person prefer the Successful Aging Model (Applewhite, 2016, p.17-18). Healthy behaviors, a can-do attitude as a society can open our minds to change those old ways of thinking and treating our older folks in an appropriate way. Walter Mosley put it "When you become old, you become black...anybody that's poor, who gets really old, anybody who suffers some kind of traumatic physical ailment, they realized what it is to be pushed aside by a society that is moving ahead with they believe is good..." (Applewhite, 2016, p.35). This struck a very strong cord with me. Being that I am a minority, my experience in America has had its challenges but we can not compare it to African American experience. Mosley took me down a way of thinking that I had never considered, nor seemed comparable. But as I learn, explore, and discover the treatment of this population I can see the similarities and the covert prejudice. We have a long road ahead of us to make change. It will take a lot of work and compassionate people, but it can be done. Applewhite said it best, "The mutually advantageous alternative is to see age as an asset. Exploit the "experience dividend" that this new cohort embodies. Acknowledge that olders are not mere burdens but contribute to society, and that their value as human beings is independent of conventional economic productivity" (Applewhite, 2016, p.37). Working together will produce the best results for all age groups in an even equitable manner. reply.....
2-Nicole Costello : Aging in our country is very vain, not enough people want to embrace the aging process. Men and women alike all age at different rates. This makes it a much easier process to deny or reject our chronological ages, I myself do not feel 44. Although some days the age creeps in and oh my, I have aches and pains I didn’t have yesterday or at times even hours before. I am finding that with more people exercising and eating healthy, the age denial an easier process. “Stereotype embodiment theory” according to Becca Levy (page 42) a Yale Psychologist and Age Scholar who used negative and positive words that were associated with aging process later in life on a screen, flashing them briefly that way the subjects couldn’t really pay attention to them. I found it interesting that the older people who were exposed to the positive words recalled positively to aging related items than those who were exposed to the negative words about aging. There have been many times I have related to this idea of the negative effects of aging flashing across a screen depressing me or making me sad. You start to feel old or embody the old age idea. Why is Hitting the Age Wall (page 44) so significant and real? Has anyone ever experienced this? Applewhite talks about how while interviewing Betty Soskin a Park Ranger she discusses hitting that age wall while on a hike in the Grand Canyon. Betty describes walking past a group of older adults who were talking, and she started relating to them, walking slower and feeling older as she stood near them. I have not heard of this theory before, is those a true experience?I mentioned how vain our country is regarding aging, I am not a saint in this subject. I just covered my gray hair because I couldn’t stand it anymore. It wasn’t terrible; however, I noticed every strand and couldn’t stomach the thought any longer. The aging process is inevitable, we all know this, we all recognize it. But why can’t we accept it? At what age is aging appropriate? Is there really an age? Applewhite mentions this (page 47) regarding the inevitable changes of our lives, and even our bodies. She says, “The older we grow, the more complexly layered identity becomes”. This is so true, as you are no longer the girlfriend in a relationship, you become the wife, the mother, the grandmother, and at times a great grandmother. Same for the men, boyfriends, husbands, fathers, grandfathers, etc. the layers of titles and experiences of aging that is inevitable at time goes on. However, with these title changes comes the physical changes too, gray hair, wrinkles, hunching back, slower walking, no walking; maybe you are in a wheelchair. Aging as we are finding is everywhere, no one person can stop this process, no matter how fit, vain, or how much the ignore the process. We all find the same end result, just at a different rate. Reply....
PS: For your TWO peer replies , engage with the author by elaborating, comparing or contrasting, sharing counterpoints (stats and/or studies welcome!), or drawing connections to specific sociological concepts or theories. This is an opportunity to demonstrate critical thinking, so avoid simplistic replies that mainly repeat the author's post or others' replies. Try to bring something new, insightful, or provocative to the discussion! You want to further the conversation by adding new ideas, information, or perspectives. It's OK to play "devil's advocate", just let others know so we're all on the same page. Be sure to use in-text citations when appropriate and page numbers so others can easily find the passages you're discussing!