Age issues, however so do phrases.
Whereas pundits debate President Biden’s cognitive health for workplace and the doable motivations behind prejudicial language contained in particular counsel Robert Ok. Hur’s classified documents report, the remainder of us have a unique downside: the “aged.”
Older folks themselves aren’t the problem, however the way in which we speak about them is. We should change the language our society makes use of to explain older adults.
Among the many ageist stereotypes in Hur’s characterization of Biden as “a sympathetic, well-meaning, aged man with a poor reminiscence,” the phrase “aged” leaps out as most cringe-worthy in its energy to conjure pictures of frailty and helplessness.
Many people who examine growing older keep away from “senior citizen” and “aged,” which might reinforce negative stereotypes that isolate old people as a unique and separate social group.
Sociologist Arlie Hochschild calls the seemingly respectable “senior citizen” an “unlucky phrase suggesting a big boy scout with a gold watch.” However simply because “aged” is so ubiquitous doesn’t make it applicable or innocuous.
Ageism stays a broadly accepted prejudice. I like late-night speak reveals, but a sampling of hosts’ current monologues reveals rampant jokes focused towards outdated folks (sure, I’m taking a look at you, Stephen Colbert). Ageism defies political persuasion, as one can see in Nikki Haley’s “grumpy old men” marketing campaign, which takes low-cost photographs at Biden’s and Donald Trump’s ages. Selecting on older folks doesn’t appear to stir the identical sort of shock as insults about different social identities corresponding to race, ethnicity and gender.
The difficulty of ageism surged in the course of the pandemic, with COVID-19’s disparaging nickname “Boomer Remover” trending on social media. However infantile laughs and complacent language harm everybody, exacerbating social exclusion and age discrimination and instilling a concern of rising older. Internalized ageism, prevalent amongst older adults, is associated with detrimental well being outcomes together with decrease life expectancy, hypertension and lowered vanity.
Tradition change is difficult and progresses at a glacial tempo. However as our older grownup inhabitants swells, the remainder of us should meet up with selecting age-inclusive language. Content material producers can take the lead in mitigating ageist portrayals, however everybody ought to scrutinize the language we use.
Latest revisions to the Associated Press style guide , drawing on steering from the American Geriatrics Society, provide a very good begin to writing about older folks with better specificity, accuracy and respect. Along with retiring “aged” and “senior citizen,” the AP suggests utilizing “older adults” or “older particular person/folks” normally phrases and using extra exact age ranges when it’s doable, corresponding to “new housing for folks 65 and over.”
I’ve wrestled with choices round language to explain the older adults I write about in my forthcoming e-book. I don’t use “aged” however I’ve come to make use of “elder,” impressed by geriatrician Louise Aronson’s reclaiming of the phrase to connote respect for folks over age 65. I additionally don’t deal with “outdated” like a unclean phrase to keep away from. As somebody who misplaced my mom to an early loss of life from most cancers at age 53, I hope to stay lengthy sufficient to develop “outdated.”
We are able to look to current debates over inclusive language when describing race, ethnicity and gender as precedents for the way making easy tweaks to our language round age can profit older folks. Simply as we are able to capitalize “Black,” undertake they/them pronouns, and use “Latine/x,” we are able to regulate how we discuss with outdated folks.
So the subsequent time you chuckle at a quip or a stereotype about an older particular person, think about this: Relying in your age, you’re both stoking the flames of self-loathing or laughing at your future self. Both approach, the joke is on you.
Stacy Torres is an assistant professor of sociology within the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences at UC San Francisco.
