Stereotypes of Older People: Are They Really True?

Everyone is familiar with stereotypes about elderly people. They range from lighthearted "over the hill" jokes, to harsher accusations of being senile, unable to think for themselves, and even having the mental capacity of a child. The truth is, many of these stereotypes do not serve as a true representation of the elderly population. Beyond this, many television shows, movies and other types of media just altogether ignore the elderly population.

Research has found that during prime time television shows, only 3% of the characters are age 70 or older, while this age group actually accounts for 9% of the American population. Fewer elderly women were shown, although the number of elderly women outnumbers the elderly men.

When elderly characters are present in the media, they are often disgraced by being depicted inaccurately. They are sometimes shown to resemble children, which may seem harmless, but actually gives the public the impression that they only have the mental capacity of a child. According to an article by John Hess, the media blames elderly people for budgets being out of control, banks going bust, states and cities going broke, and even children going hungry. He says that when the press releases information regarding government spending on elderly people, it is often exaggerated and this is why people think that so much of their tax money goes to old people. This results in the government calling for budget cuts on services that benefit the elderly, such as Social Security and Medicare. This is also why people think that elderly people are the cause of budget problems, etc. The government claims that money spent on the elderly takes away from programs that take care of those things. Despite the common belief that elderly people have plenty of money and do not need Social Security, a full half of them would fall below the poverty level if their Social Security was cut off.

Advertising in the media is one of the most bias towards elderly people. The elderly are usually only shown in commercials for "elderly" products; adult diapers, medicine for forgetfulness, nursing care facilities, BINGO, etc. They are not usually found on advertisements for any product requiring physical activity, although many elderly are actually quite physically active. The commercials and advertisements usually only depict the elderly as mean, grumpy, unwilling to try new things and otherwise unattractive.

The role of the elderly in the media is alarming because of the media's influence on public opinions. According to Gerbner, "Mass media, particularly television, form the common mainstream of contemporary culture. They present a steady, repetitive, and compelling system of images and messages...This unprecedented condition has a profound effect on the way we are socialized into our roles, including age as a social role ... The world of aging (and nearly everything else) is constructed to the specifications of marketing strategies." It is scary to think that we allow the media to form our ideas about people to conform to their marketing needs. Elderly people have much to offer that is largely ignored by the public, and much of this is a result of the media's negative influence.

Sources:
http://www.trinity.edu/~MKEARL/ger-tv.html
http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=1511
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/8237/