The cartoon above is how the majority of American society views older adults. They are looked at as a group of people who are getting up there in age and don't know much about what going on in life or what issues are being discussed within our nation. This is not true. As we discussed in class today many older adults get out to the polls and vote to make sure their voices are heard. They pay close attention to debates and issues being discussed by potentially elected officials. We can not assume that older adults just sit around staring at microwaves confusing them for T.V.s we have to remember that older adults are still well informed about what is being discussed in our society. Do not write them off.
Side Bar:
I came across this meme and it rubbed me the wrong way.
In class we discuss misconception about welfare and this just show what some think that all those who are on welfare do with their benefits. This is not the case for all families on welfare. Memes like this annoy me because the always have a negative command at the end like " Get a job like the rest of us." or " Is this what my taxes are paying for ?" It's really sad as we have come learn many people on welfare benefits do not rely on the benefits for ever. They use them until they are able to get back on their own fit. We have to continue to advocate for these families and help educate people on the misconspetions of welfare and those who recieve benefits.
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ReplyDeleteThere is this misconception that the older you get, the quality of your life decreases. What this picture shows is that as you get older, you will become unhealthier, dumber, and live a dull life. This is a problem because with this conception, we (society) do not view the elderly as a worthy population. With the increase in the older population, society needs to address the problem that they will face. The goal for the social workers is to advocate for change, and making sure that the older population get the help they need.
ReplyDeleteAddressing the second picture, the misconception about welfare will always be around. Truthfully, I would have share that picture, if I would have come across it. I had always thought that they (those who rely on welfare) was poor and lazy. I had no stand on the issue, and if they wanted to buy a new phone, then that is their choice. What I did learn, is that there are many regulations, and many requirement someone must meet in order to obtain benefits. Because I have the opportunity to be educated about this, I now look at welfare in a different perspective. No one wants to live in poverty, and welfare is just temporary until he/she can get back on their feet. Society sees it differently, and that they are lazy. It is not that they are lazy, it is that they don’t have the opportunity. Instead of blaming the individual, society should learn how to address the bigger issue, social justice and human rights.
Well I would be lying if I didn't say that that I have been one of those people who have judged the older generations especially when it comes to driving and technology. Even though I do find myself sometimes thinking of older adults in a negative light in certain situations, I know from personal experience that they are a key asset and help shape our current society. They are a direct influence on younger generations and can share their own personal experience to ease certain struggles. I think we have this back and forth feelings towards the elderly because we feel like they are more of a burden than helpful. But especially after yesterday (Veteran's Day) , we should all come to the realization that older people have done more than their share of the work for our country. It's our turn to take the reigns of our country by applying these lessons. We are allowed to get frustrated with people but we should always respect the older generations because we would not be where we are today without them.
ReplyDeleteAs for the the meme I think it's important to note because when it comes to money and assistance there are many misconceptions. I do think that there are situations where people take advantage of this system but not enough to bad mouth everyone who needs the system. Because people do depend on the assistance from certain programs to survive, I don't understand why people who have never been in that situation constantly belittle it. But ironically, we have stated how everyone in our country uses these programs but that is acceptable. But because of welfare and the misunderstandings that stem from it, we bad mouth anyone who needs this type of help. Hopefully as these programs are changing and the demographics who needs help continues to grow so will the awareness of these stigmas.
I think it is easy to see a comic like this and just laugh without considering what it is really saying. I know I have done it although when I stop to think about the comic I find the message to be uncomfortable to think about and often not completely accurate. I think this is probably why people do not think past the generalization that is shown. Something I have experienced that falsifies the generalization in this comic is when I have had conversations with elderly people. These conversations have been really interesting, and I have learned a lot from them about what life was like when they were growing up and the challenges they faced. I think it is easy to think that the elderly have nothing that they can teach us because they are sometimes not as familiar with technology as younger generations. However, I think there is more to life than one's capability with technology, and if we listened more to what other people were saying, then we could learn so much. After all, my grandmother taught me to knit and crochet, and my grandfather tried to teach me to fish.
ReplyDeleteThe meme also generalizes one opinion to cover every situation. I do not doubt that there are some people who use their welfare money for things that are not, strictly speaking, necessary, but I am also sure that this is not true of everyone on welfare. We learned in class that everyone is making use of some form of welfare, but this welfare is not always cash assistance. I think some of this misunderstanding is caused because people do not really know what welfare is. They just assume that welfare only refers to the cash assistance programs for helping people in poverty. This also connects to the idea that "I work hard for my money, but those people can be lazy and be given money." Therefore, it is seen as an unfair system. However, jumping to conclusions about people based on the help they receive is misguided at best since we do not know their situation. In fact, it is difficult to even imagine being in the same situation because our perspective is completely different. It is like that proverb says "before you criticize a man, walk a mile in his shoes."