A common stereotype associated with the elders is that they are all helpless and or defenceless victims who are at risk of being attacked and easily scammed. These stereotypes portrayed in the media about the risk of being attacked or robbed, leaves our elders unable to get out of their comfort zone because they feel vulnerable. As Kristen discussed in this previous post on stereotype threats, the negative impact associated with stereotypes of the old can bring forth the particular behaviour in an individual consistent the stereotypes. When we impose stereotypes on the aging, it affects their quality of life and alienates them from the rest of society - they will feel as a burden to those who love them. These misconceptions are often taken for granted and presented to the public as factual.
Here is a video clip by the parody broadcast show Onion News Network that makes light of this stereotype:
Here is a video clip by the parody broadcast show Onion News Network that makes light of this stereotype:
Whether the above video serves to dispel this stereotype or reinforce it is debatable. However, the situations that helpless elder stereotypes present are not necessarily false but takes a very narrow subset of elderly people and presents them as representative for the entire age group. We need to see the elderly population as a diverse group of people with various competencies, abilities, and personalities and spread across the spectrum of independency and dependency just like any other age group.
A number of seniors harbour a greater fear of crime among other groups. According to police-reported crime statistics in Canada, seniors are less likely than younger people to be victims of violent crime. Older women are least likely to suffer assault, sexual assault robbery or murder. Even though statistics indicate that seniors are least likely to be victims of crime than any other groups in Canada, they continue to live in fear.
But behind stereotypes, there is always truth and it is dangerous to dismiss it outright either. Elderly people have been subject to physical, emotional, or financial abuses and almost 90% of reported cases the U.S. show they were victimized by family members or trusted individual (Schiamberg & Gans, 2000). Given this statistic, potentially many such crimes are not reported or ignored. Elder abuse and mistreatment issues need to be confronted. While the following video is anecdotal and presented from the single viewpoint of the poster, it is an example of how terrible these abuses can be:
Warning: the following video depicts scenes of violent and graphic nature, viewer discretion has been advised.
A number of seniors harbour a greater fear of crime among other groups. According to police-reported crime statistics in Canada, seniors are less likely than younger people to be victims of violent crime. Older women are least likely to suffer assault, sexual assault robbery or murder. Even though statistics indicate that seniors are least likely to be victims of crime than any other groups in Canada, they continue to live in fear.
But behind stereotypes, there is always truth and it is dangerous to dismiss it outright either. Elderly people have been subject to physical, emotional, or financial abuses and almost 90% of reported cases the U.S. show they were victimized by family members or trusted individual (Schiamberg & Gans, 2000). Given this statistic, potentially many such crimes are not reported or ignored. Elder abuse and mistreatment issues need to be confronted. While the following video is anecdotal and presented from the single viewpoint of the poster, it is an example of how terrible these abuses can be:
Warning: the following video depicts scenes of violent and graphic nature, viewer discretion has been advised.
For a less graphic and more informative view on this issue, this is a public service announcement video by the Elder Justice Now campaign and American National Council on Aging:
Elder abuse is an important and relevant issue to us as individuals and to society. That being said, we need to keep in mind that it is also not representative of the entire elderly population and maintain a balanced viewpoint to avoid making assumptions of people just because we think they are "old". Just as we individually evaluate people we are closely connected with, we need to do so with each elderly person we meet. By perpetuating the stereotype of helpless seniors, more harm can be created.
Report of the Canadian National Seniors Council on Elder Abuse (2007)
References for the post can be found here.
Co-written by Wilson
I believe this could also be a positive stereotype fore it keeps seniors alert to their surroundings and also it will deter future attacks from thieves as they may think that seniors know that they can easily be targeted and will do whatever they can to protect their property. some will go as far as putting bolts on their doors, which will discourage thieves from breaking in hence it takes time; most thieves want to spend less than a minute during a burglary.
ReplyDeleteThe media’s portrayal of the elderly is concerning for me as well. The media which includes advertisements, television, radio, magazines and news sources such as newspapers and news reports do tend to speak of the elderly in ways which reinforce and strengthen negative stereotypes about the elderly. The media plays a large role in perpetuating how society views the elderly. When characters are created that disprove certain stereotypes they are viewed as unusual or comical, when in reality that may be closer to the norm than the stereotype. This negative portrayal of the elderly in the media is problematic because many people are learning these incorrect stereotypes rather than accepting that it simply is not realistic to overgeneralize about the elderly and put people into categories.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of the stereotype that the elderly are helpless victims, this is simply un-true. Many elderly people are very independent and are very aware of the potential threats and risks that come with everyday life. Unfortunately when an elderly person falls prey to a scam or a crime the media definitely uses the victims age to their advantage to try to gain interest and sympathy from their readers or listeners. This may be beneficial for the news companies to attract more attention and generate more of a buzz however, this this kind of a portrayal in the media provides a dis-service for the elderly community. Let’s be realistic, after all anyone at any age could have (and I’m sure probably has) fallen victim to a scam.