Reinforcing the stereotypes of old people...

Ageism Example #2

This second example was taken from one of my favorite shows, Parks and Recreation. It is the episode where Amy Poehler's character is suffering through a date with an older person in their 60's and he is just fulfilling the overall stereotype of older people. He forgets the questions he asked, he keeps acknowledging his "senior moments", he doesn't understand new trends, he is slow and old fashioned, and is just an overall burden to his date. This stereotype allows our society to pretty much look down upon older people and view them as a waste to our system. Unfortunately this stereotype is seen in almost every type of media and it discredits old people all together.

If I were in charge of this media outlet I would make old people appear as the productive and loving and positive people that they are. I would not emphasize their slower qualities or their inability to do certain tasks because that is something beyond their control and it is just a cheap attempt at humor.