Ageism is a form of discrimination that still exists in the world. It involves forming assumptions against individuals based on their age, specifically children and older adults. In today’s society, many examples are found in the media such as movies, television and magazines.
An example of ageism can be found in the movie “Up”. During a scene in the movie, Russell approaches Carl and offers to help him in order to achieve his “assisting the elderly” badge. Russell needed that badge so that he can become a senior explorer. This badge exhibits ageism because it assumes that all older adults requires assistance. It is true that as older adults age, they may develop physical disabilities and requires assistive devices to maneuver around the house. However, as the character of Carl develops throughout the movie, he portrays a good example that older adults are capable of being independent and do not require any assistance as he goes on his journey. In order to avoid this negative stereotype, the badge could be modified to “spending time with an older adult” with a goal to engage in
…show more content…
The character of Grampa Simpson is portrayed as an old and senile man who spends most of his time complaining. His personality shows ageism because it creates these negative stereotypes that the elderly are bitter and cranky individuals. These are assumptions that all older adults will eventually become depressed and miserable. Moreover, this can potentially have an adverse effect on older adults as well as shaping individual’s perspectives about how they will behave as they grow older. To avoid these negative stereotypes in the future, television shows should portray more positive attributes within a character’s personality. This is because as younger individuals watch these shows, they may develop their own perspectives and opinions about the older generation based on what they see on