The Debunking Ageist Myths project was an eye-opening project, not only during the process of creating my piece, but also after. Originally, I had planned to create TikToks to create a media piece that reached out to a younger platform. However, after creating a few I realized I ran out of content ideas and some were still implicitly conveying ageist myths (e.g. trying to appear “old” in the videos). Instead, I moved to an infographic to succinctly and visually target an ageist myth. The myth I had chosen was that “Older adults are not productive individuals”. I enjoyed creating the infographic as it allowed me to use creativity to express the information I was learning.
One of the comments that lasted most with me after my presentation was when Dr.Lewis noted how we need to reframe the way we value lives through their productivity. It made me realize that, although done intentionally, my project to an extent was still promoting ageist ideals. Older adults are often thought of as useless to society past retirement and “not worth the trouble” once they start to lose more physical and cognitive functioning. However, as we learned from Leland’s book, there is so much that can be learned from older adults that more people should learn. Furthermore, placing a value on one’s life based on their “economic/monetary” contributions just seems inhuman and antagonistic to appreciating one’s life-course. Therefore, moving past this I will try to look more critically at the literature, media, and messages I see.
One of the comments that lasted most with me after my presentation was when Dr.Lewis noted how we need to reframe the way we value lives through their productivity. It made me realize that, although done intentionally, my project to an extent was still promoting ageist ideals. Older adults are often thought of as useless to society past retirement and “not worth the trouble” once they start to lose more physical and cognitive functioning. However, as we learned from Leland’s book, there is so much that can be learned from older adults that more people should learn. Furthermore, placing a value on one’s life based on their “economic/monetary” contributions just seems inhuman and antagonistic to appreciating one’s life-course. Therefore, moving past this I will try to look more critically at the literature, media, and messages I see.