Quick Blog # 6

Age diversity has been a very interesting unit that we have studied. My social sphere is somewhat. I am a big family person, so I am with them a lot. My sisters and I are all the same age so I never had the chance to see what living with older or younger siblings are like, but my parents are older and my grandparents are much older. I feel that I have a lot of interaction with my grandparents who are older. I love being with them, but there are times when I recognize that they are older. This is realized mainly, with hearing and the fact that they can fall asleep on a dime, although if you asked them, they weren’t really sleeping. I always enjoyed babysitting in high school, so in some ways I suppose I had more interaction with younger children. But, I think I am set in my own age group and the friends that I have so I don’t feel a need to interact with the your or elderly people as much.

I think that our society is segregated based on age simply because we tend to form groups with people who are similar to us, and a lot of that similarity is based on age. The elderly weren’t always the elderly, they were once youth and then teenagers and then adults but they all had their groups of friends then and it seems natural that in later years of their lives they would be friends with those in their age group who all have common interests. Still, both young and old people suffer from age discrimination and are socially marginalized. I feel that many people think young people are up to no good and that they don’t deserve the respect that adults would get. On the other hand, I feel that a lot of people have respect for the elderly, but many become impatient with them, especially if they aren’t keeping up with the pace of our society and those people voice their frustration.  Young-adults and middle-age adults are certainly privileged due to their age. They are the elite and at the top of the pyramid when it comes to age because that is how our society has shaped itself. I think that everyone feels young-adults and middle aged adults are the ones who are going to be spending the most money, who are the most intelligent, and who have the most going for them.

I think there are certain ways that we can promote the integration of people of all ages and challenge age based segregation. I know it may seem silly, but the game BINGO is something that all ages can play and that people of all ages seem to enjoy playing. This is the same with bowling as well. Why not break down the barriers that exist and let everyone enjoy the same things together. The elderly could probably use a little youth in their life and the youth can learn a lot from the elderly. I think our culture could benefit from realizing that the elderly were once young, and that those who are young now will eventually become the elderly. Everyone is still the same person they were born as, but time changes us physically and mentally. This doesn’t necessarily mean in a good or bad way, but it is in a different way. We need to learn to accept people of all ages, and really we need to learn to accept all people. All people should be treated equally no matter who they are, what they look like, where they come from or how old they are. Everything, all of these isms, seem to come down to the issue of equality so I think what society needs to do is realize that everyone is equal and not just realize it but act upon it. The world would be a better place if we could all just be equal.