| ............... |
.
.
.
| If
you have had experience with several societies, you might easily
notice that elders tend to be treated with much more respect in most of
them than they are in mainstream Canadian society. |
.
| Rather
then rejoice or deplore that fact, ask what are the social differences
which may account for those variations? |
.
| Is
it merely a question of the romanticizing of youth in modern media? |
.
| Most
older persons have accumulated much information, even wisdom. |
.
| Their
physical stamina is usually lower than for younger people, and their ability
to learn new techniques and technologies rather hindered. |
.
| (Memory?
Now what did I eat for breakfast today?) |
.
| You
can think of many more characteristics commonly attributed to older individuals. |
.
| If
you look at many of the features which distinguish older people from younger
people, their value is lower in industrial and post industrial societies
and higher in agrarian and trading societies and communities. |
.
| In
the first, the ability to learn new technologies is useful because social
and technological change is faster. |
.
| In
the second, accumulated wisdom retains its use because agrarian and trading
communities change more slowly. |
.
| In
gathering and hunting societies, their knowledge of where the resources
are to be found in nature, and the methods of making things − including
traditional hand made artefacts − are both useful and appreciated. |
.
| Even
in town today, where you find a family grocery store, grandma and/or grandpa
can help out and run the till or do other useful tasks. Not so in
other industries. |
.
| The
value that older people have, which varies where the technology varies,
may be an important factor to consider when comparing degrees of respect. |
.
| In
western societies a common practice is to put seniors into special seniors'
homes where they can be cared for by professionals while their busy family
members can go on with their lives, and perhaps feel less guilty about
not looking after them. |
.
| Many
such residences try to provide an illusion of gemeinschaft,
but because they are bureaucracies and often requiring to show a profit,
that is often only an illusion. |
.
| Governmental
regulations, especially about hygiene and safety, hinder the spontaneity
of community life. |
.
| Staff
have definite tasks to complete so as to keep their jobs, and do not have
time or inclination to take time for side tracks and diversions. |
.
| Pets,
especially the big joyful slobbering dog, are often prohibited. |
.
| Children
are scarce, usually well behaved and kept on short leashes by the parents. |
.
| As
one resident once sighed, “We just come to the lobby after breakfast
and stare at each other, waiting for them to die.” Bartle 2005 p.9:4 |
.
| Canadian
mainstream society is informed by the values of capitalism and corporate
culture. |
.
| They
preach selfishness and greed. |
.
| Spin
doctors sometimes call these "the profit motive." |
.
| Over
concern for one's own well being detracts from respect and concern from
the well being of others, including elders. |
.
| In
many agrarian (farming) and mercantile (trading) societies, the elders
would be an intrinsic part of the family as a productive unit. |
.
| Capitalist
society does not require the family to be the productive unit (as factories
became the main units of production), |
.
| When
a family engaged in running a shop, even if the elders were physically
weak, they could keep the accounts or run the till. They were useful.
Not so in capitalist society. |
.
| Similarly
among farming families, although elders did not have the physical strength
or stamina, their accumulated wisdom and mental skills kept them useful,
and this contributed to the respect they enjoyed. |
.
| In
capitalist society, with automation and mechanization, only the most productive
remain employed, and that further pushes seniors out of work. |
.
| In
Canadian mainstream society, the common practice is for our seniors to
live in specialized residences that are designed to care for their needs. |
.
| There
is a lot of guilt on the part of their children who think to a time in
our own history when seniors were cared for by their children at home. |
.
| Our
busy pace of life is often used as a rationale (excuse) for packing them
off to a seniors’ home, where they may practice their dementia and confusion
under the watchful eyes of professionals. |
.
| The
industrial revolution and capitalist economy required social and geographical
mobility. |
.
| This
contributed to the erosion of the extended family. Workers moved
but could not bring their elderly parents, so they often abandoned them. |
.
| It
is important to note that many family characteristics are not merely the
result of internal family dynamics, but are caused by and reflect the wider
technological, economic and political characteristics of changing societies. |
.
| Solutions
to the problem are many. |
.
.
| Flexible
working hours and availability of part time work will allow people to remain
productive as they grow older. |
.
| Removing
forced retirement as a specific age (eg 65) will allow seniors opportunity
to work longer. |
.
| Creating
meaningful community service positions and programmes that will allow seniors
to participate will also help. |
.
.
|
