'More than any other time, the old have no place in society today.' How far do you agree with this view?

Image from personal collection

'More than any other time, the old have no place in society today.' How far do you agree with this view?

As the horror of the Brexit poll hit the people, as they scrambled to make sense of what their collective stupor and ignorance had caused, the data-crunchers found a scapegoat on which to pin the responsibility. It turns out that the older voters had favoured the "Leave" campaign over the more rational "Remain" one. Vehement protests and moral outrage took over as the people shifted their regret into anger that the old had supposedly sabotaged the future in which they would not have to live to see. Many began to lament that the old, more than any other time, have no place in society, citing their entrenched mindsets, the rampant ageism, and their inability to keep up with the rapidly-changing world. The more rational, however, point out that the old today have more place than before, with the larger numbers of the old cementing their place in society as demographic composition changes, with ever more efforts in place to facilitate the old in attaining their needs, not to mention the commitment to their quality of life. Having considered both sides of the issue, even at the risk of sounding idealistic, I have to admit that I am of the opinion that the old in society today can hardly be said to have no place in society, when compared to any other time.

The pessimistic would argue that the old today are obsolete in modern cosmopolitan societies, unlike in the past when their entrenched mindsets were in sync with the more homogenous societies of yesteryears. Many societies today are diverse and cosmopolitan, often embracing a breath of views hitherto unprecedented. The implication is that individuals may too easily feel out of place in society, with the older individuals plausibly having difficulty feeling at home in a society that has evolved at a pace that far outstrips their ability and willingness to let go of the familiar. It is then a hop and a skip away from concluding that the old must then have no place in this dynamic world. The popularity of the "I don't want to live on this planet anymore" meme featuring Professor Farnsworth of Futurama aptly reveals the perception of the elderly mentality, suggesting that the old must feel utter disgust and disappointment in the world today. It is evident there is widespread discomfort in the current state of affairs, with the old seeking escape from the world they no longer recognise. While amusing and humourous, even possibly true in some cases, this argument grossly overlooks the flawed assumptions that render the conclusion invalid. It may be difficult to admit, but this widely held belief regarding the old is, in fact, born and perpetuated by the younger generation eager to dismiss the abilities of the old, whether out of pride or ignorance. In particular, the older generation's staunch defence to preserve values and practices may be far too easily dismissed as a product of entrenched mindsets, thus alleviating the possibly equally stubborn younger generation's need to give due consideration to the words of the old. One such example could be the distorted feminism that is prevalent. Female empowerment and rights are indubitably evidence of progress, though the more extreme efforts, such as the Slut Walks, in which women often demonstrated their freedom through the abandonment of clothing to embrace varying degrees of nudity may bring concern. Likewise, the efforts of the sexual minorities to gain acceptance have often turned to provocative means. Such perverse goals and unorthodox means are understandably likely to be met with disdain of the older people in society, who may feel some discomfort at the ways of the youth today. The stereotype of the old as concerned though out-of-touch with modernity, manifesting their good intentions in the form of nostalgic laments, unsolicited advice, and even condemnations of shame, quickly come to mind. However, rather than misconstrue these phenomena as evident that they have no place, we should recognise it as precisely the very reason why the old have a place. As much as their natterings may seem unimportant, the old in fact play the crucial role as the last bulwark that slows the rapid changes across domains that are simultaneously gnawing away at the foundations that underpin society. True that the words of the old, so steeped in the past, may not garner the same media attention that the latest social movement can, but even as the young struggle to break free from the reins, they need the old there to hold the reins and prevent them from a path more tangential and problematic than they had hoped for.

Image from knowyourmeme.com

Still, the most cynical would insist on the old having lost their place, choosing to see the old as burdens and helpless victims of ageism in the societies that are now cognisant of the realities when faced with unprecedented numbers of the previously-celebrated rare few survivors into old age. They point to the undercurrents latent in many developed societies between the young and old, suggesting that the younger have grown tired of the old, exhausted under the weight of supporting the many older people, who seem utterly incapable of being self-sufficient and fighting the discrimination they incessantly lament about. As an illustration, these cynics point to both the disgruntled comments of the young and the old, with the occasional incident on the news as irrevocable evidence of such sentiment. Despite some existence of the impatience and frustration that rears its ugly head every once in a while, the fatalistic notion of consequent irrelevance as inevitable overlooks the need for adjustment to changing demographic shifts, which although uncomfortable, is rather temporary. As much as there are a number of societies still negotiating the changes, there are many that have successfully adjusted its mindsets and policies to support the needs of the growing silver generation in their population. From atop the list of ageing populations, Japan has successfully found a place in its heart and well-oiled economy to accommodate the elderly, who take on meaningful tasks with the traditional skills few youths have, and who contribute to the community in ways considered less effortful and more suited to the realities of old age. In other ageing societies, the old are far from just useless burdens, cast aside and preserved in the name of ethical duty. It is evident that besides the initial adjustment and irreverent few voices that cast doubt, the old have a place in society.

Admittedly, some sympathetic individuals have expressed pity and concern for the old who they perceive to have no place today, considering the degree of technological advancement that drives our world today. There is fear that the rapid progress and seemingly ever-changing processes are far too much for the old who would supposedly feel out of place and obsolete, in a way that the old from other times would plausibly not. Putting aside the fact that this conjecture is a construct of imagination and laced with some well-intentioned stereotypes, this view, in its zeal for compassion, under-estimated the ability of the old to learn and overlooked the abundance of resources now available to quench the insatiable thirst for knowledge and self-improvement, both of which are unaffected by age. As much as age has been a convenient excuse to justify a lack of interest, effort, and success, especially when it comes to learning, this argument fails to hold water when we consider the sheer amount of options now available to facilitate the learning of the older generation. The subsequent silver invasion into domains once solely dominated by the young, such as social media platforms, reveal the undeniable truth that when the old desire it, they have a wealth of resources to enable them to get it. Today, they reign over social media platforms that the young hurriedly left behind, finding more ways to make use of the platforms, be it livestreams of garage sales or sharing of the latest health tips. The elderly are able to, and have embraced technology, thus cannot be considered obsolete, especially when we realise that the efforts to help the old and resources provided are, in fact, clear indications of the continued relevance of the old.

In the face of the arguments on empowerment and resources, the most staunch would still insist that the frailty of old age means less place for the old in society. This is arguably exacerbated by the limits that have been pushed in terms of medically-preserved decrepitude. As individuals age, it seems logical to no longer retain the physical prowess associated with youth in their peak physical states. Medical issues seem to creep up and ageing bodies try to negotiate the issues to compensate for, and carry on, some semblance of life. The feared fall of an elderly, the dreaded hip replacement or knee replacement, are some physical issues faced. The intangible senile dementia and other conditions add to the fray, with the old already embroiled in this private struggle. Thankfully, the concerns surrounding health in old age have been largely mitigated by the powerful strides in technology that has the ability to negate the ravages of time. Physiology has been thoroughly studied and many treatments and interventions developed. From the media's hype over ordinary women who defy time by looking like they are their children's ages, we can see that the old have access to and employed techniques to overcome these physical limitations. Even for the mind, there are many pharmaceutical interventions, such as to delay and even reverse brain ageing. Clearly, technology can, or at least soon, ensure the old still have a place in society. I do concede that such tools and benefits may not be available to all the elderly in every society. The availability of the resources and efforts are still predicated on one's wealth and thus not readily accessible to everyone. Still, the circumstance that the old find themselves in is not without reprieve. As we look beyond today, we need to help the old and those without resources to be able to seek the help they need.

All in all, our cynicism, fears, and criticisms, may tempt us into downplaying the place for the old, but we need to keep a rational mind to focus on the place they have. With the world staring down a silver tsunami, it is best we make pace with any existing issues to help our society, young and old through the next set of challenges. A convenient scapegoat the old may be, it is still unwise to give them up as sacrifice whenever any polarising poll comes around. Before blaming "Brexit" on the old, it would make more sense to listen to the views in an objective manner and understand the issues, rather than take the easy way out by blaming the old.

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All sample essays in this blog are original works written by Belinda. They are handwritten under timed conditions (90 minutes), and are subsequently typed out as blog posts. If you like what you read, leave us a comment below! :)