Are Americans Hypersensitive to Aging?

"Life would be infinitely happier if we could only be born at eighty and gradually approach eighteen." This sentiment, attributed to Mark Twain, along with more recent assertions such as, "Forty is the new thirty" could definitely give rise to the idea that Americans are hypersensitive to aging.

But is this really accurate? The word "hypersensitive" suggests hysteria, panic, abnormal or unwarranted concerns. While there may be some individuals who are preoccupied with staving off physical aging through the almost obsessive-compulsive use of anti-aging techniques such as plastic surgery, Botox, hair coloring or implants and Viagra there can be no denying the evidence which shows that many of the fears that Americans harbor when it comes to aging are probably justified.

America is a youth obsessed culture. Asian and Latin cultures are renowned for caring for their elderly with affection, honor and respect. Many African tribes freely acquiesce to the wisdom of their elders. The French are known to celebrate the natural beauty and sensuality of the more mature woman. America, by contrast plays almost exclusively to the 18 to 34 year old demographic.

Gone are the days when grandparents routinely lived in the same home as children and grandchildren. Today's elderly are, more often than not, found in one of two settings: posh but decidedly segregated "senior living communities" or in grim isolation in nursing homes or government subsidized apartment complexes that often amount to little more than "gray haired ghettos."

Add that to other concerns such as deteriorating health, outliving retirement savings and being alone and aging can be downright scary. It certainly isn't "hypersensitivity" when the problems are so real. In one of her final television interviews actress Bette Davis perhaps said it best, "Old age is not for sissies."

When the relentless worship of youth is coupled with the blatant disrespect that is often hurled at the older folk in this country is it any wonder that some might become somewhat "hypersensitive" to aging.

But as scores of Baby Boomers begin to surge into the "senior citizen" ranks, perhaps it is a prime opportunity to reverse this trend. By their sheer numbers Boomers have had significant impacts upon society as they have passed through each life stage. With considerable buying power, longer life spans due to the advances in modern medicine and a decent amount of political power it would seem that the Baby Boomer generation is best positioned to make aging more fashionable.

There was a time in our history when media portrayed women mainly as housewives and people of color as servants. However, once the public stopped accepting these images the landscape changed and today, women and ethnic minorities receive far more respectful treatment both in the media as well as in real life than they enjoyed thirty or forty years ago. Embarking on a similar course of action with the elderly may just be the most effective way to combat ageism in the United States.