Blog 4: How are the Elderly Represented in the Media?

According to a U.S. News article I read, people of retiring age (65+) make up over 13% of America's population today. I think the biggest problem with their portrayal in the media is that the media does not reflect this statistic. Elderly are almost completely shunned from many forms of media. I rarely see older generations regularly in movies, shows, commercials, etc. This severe underrepresentation of the elderly in the media is an issue because it does not reflect the diversity of age spans in America and in the world.

When the elderly are represented in the media, they are almost always shown with one of a few common stereotypes of the elderly. These include: weak, immobile, of extreme income groups (very poor, very rich), miserable, grumpy, in nursing homes, or the butt of a joke. A quote featured in newsworks.org explains how the media portrays the elderly:
"In the media, aging is about being in a nursing home or conversely we will see it as living 'til 100 and still being able to run a marathon and in between those two poles is where most people will actually live."
-- Bruce Chernoff, president and CEO of the SCAN Foundation

Almost every instance I can think of an elderly person in the media involves one of these stereotypes.

In this clip from the TV show, King of Queens, Arthur, the elderly character, is shown not knowing what is going on at all and can't understand what people are trying to say when they talk to him. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMiJzne3Wmk&feature=related

This popular Taco Bell commercial from this year's Super Bowl features elderly people breaking out of a nursing home and doing rebellious things. People find it funny because these are things that young people do that elderly individuals do not. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2yBevCWbRA

Almost every instance of a commercial, TV show, ad, or movie I can think of or looked up features an elderly person in one of the listed stereotypes. This is an extremely negative portrayal for people our culture has been taught to have a high level of respect for. And, perhaps the biggest problem with the elderly in the media, is the severe lack of representation they are given which is extremely misleading.