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Is this Ageism or Not?
[Author]
[Institute]
Author Note
Is this Ageism or Not?
Question 1
Are these commercials ageist? Support your answer with specific details from the commercials and the course material.
Ageism is stereotyping people on the basis of their age. It is biased and discriminatory behavior that is rather widespread and harmful to those being subjected to it. While it is harmful to any age group that is being subjected to ageism, is has particularly adverse effects on older adults, which makes it a challenge for them on a regular basis ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"6JYcO2re","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(WHO, 2018)","plainCitation":"(WHO, 2018)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":399,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/5VyEEXyp/items/7KKSXE5R"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/5VyEEXyp/items/7KKSXE5R"],"itemData":{"id":399,"type":"webpage","title":"WHO | Ageism","container-title":"WHO","URL":"http://www.who.int/ageing/ageism/en/","author":[{"family":"WHO","given":""}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2018"]]},"accessed":{"date-parts":[["2019",7,31]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (WHO, 2018). In this regard, ageism is similar to sexism or racism, because they too stem from stereotypical backgrounds and are perpetuated through cultural mediums such as television commercials rather regularly. This makes the concept a problematic issue at its core since it has the potential to affect many individuals negatively.
The given commercials were decidedly ageist since the women acted out on various stereotypes associated with older female adults. In both of the commercials, the women are seen to be blatantly hitting on the car salesman, and later their driver, in a rather flaunting manner, which finds its associations with the stereotype that older women have a proclivity towards hitting on young adults. The men in both commercials were decidedly uneasy at the attention they were receiving, but it was also made obvious that there isn’t much that they could do about it. Furthermore, they are also portrayed to ask for deals and play out the various popular beliefs regarding diesel in their days. This way, the commercials market the product to a certain age group in order to be accessible, while still having a negative effect overall.
Question 2
Do you find these commercials funny or not and why?
The way, these women behave in the commercial with one another is rather funny. However, it serves as a stereotypical reminder of the things frequently associated with older people and while it may be funny to a younger age group, older adults may not be able to find the humor in this. If the commercials aimed to market the product to an older adult audience, it has widely missed the mark since many individuals will certainly find it to be offensive if nothing else. There is a fine line between being humorous and being offensive and I believe that these commercials have gone a little over the line. I may have laughed over the subject, but I certainly will not remember it in humorous terms.
Question 3
What else do you find yourself reacting towards?
I found myself laughing alongside the commercials. However, there were certain parts of the commercials that made me cringe. In one of the commercials, the older women test driving the car kisses her finger and then places them on the car salesman’s lips in a flirtatious gesture. This part alludes to the fact that women, no matter their age, can get a better deal if they simply flirt with the salesman. She is immediately reprimanded for her behavior by her sister sitting in the back, but the unease is visible on the young man’s face and I, personally, felt the same. The unease is real, and it is rather palpable. On the other hand, in the other commercial, the women have a young driver diving them around and again they do not hesitate to make him feel ill at ease with their demeanor. Again, the effects of their behavior are reflected in the driver’s face and he is ill at ease.
Question 4
How would your reaction to the question about ageism be different if you were in your 20s, 30s, 40s…70s?
I believe that no matter what my age, ageism is a topic that is going to make anyone uneasy. Thus, no matter my age, my mind has been made regarding the implications of ageism. I believe that it is discriminatory and wrong at its core. Furthermore, seeing them reflected in these commercials in the way that it was, my mind is rather made up on the subject, with the cringe-worthy parts etched into my memory for the rest of my days.
References
ADDIN ZOTERO_BIBL {"uncited":[],"omitted":[],"custom":[]} CSL_BIBLIOGRAPHY WHO. (2018). WHO | Ageism. Retrieved July 31, 2019, from WHO website: http://www.who.int/ageing/ageism/en/
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