The Role of Age in Today's Society

[n-dai che]

Our elders has taught us many thing from how to take care of our selves to all about Life... They have been our greatest role models and passed down knowledge that cant be taught in a classroom. We should honor our elders and show them the same curtesy that they have shown us...

You're right!

Our elders often times neglected because of they became a liability to some. And usually, their children put them in the home for the aged.

[Bianka Walter]

I feel like it has a lot to do with how people are brought up. Behavior is learned and the treatment of other people (regardless of their age) should stem from parents or peers. The piece in the book where the young punk almost knocked the older man over was totally distasteful to me. I go out of my way to treat the elderly with respect and that is a trait that was taught to me by my parents.

[n-dai che]

I feel like it has a lot to do with how people are brought up. Behavior is learned and the treatment of other people (regardless of their age) should stem from parents or peers. The piece in the book where the young punk almost knocked the older man over was totally distasteful to me. I go out of my way to treat the elderly with respect and that is a trait that was taught to me by my parents.

I agree with your point. If children are brought up good with respect, likewise they will treat their parents with respect when their parents were old.

[toribyers13]

Where I live I don't necessarily see this kind of action/speech directed at the elderly. I have seen instances of people talking amongst themselves about "that stupid old man" or something like that. I think I see more racial discrimination for sure. That being said, I thought that this description of the elderly being treated like this is something that could definitely happen, sadly. I agree with some of the other comments saying that many people do consider elderly people as "not important". So sad!

[n-dai che]

Where I live I don't necessarily see this kind of action/speech directed at the elderly. I have seen instances of people talking amongst themselves about "that stupid old man" or something like that. I think I see more racial discrimination for sure. That being said, I thought that this description of the elderly being treated like this is something that could definitely happen, sadly. I agree with some of the other comments saying that many people do consider elderly people as "not important". So sad!

yeah you are right! I often times heard that words with my cousins when he cannot understands our grandparents. our Senior Citizens needs a lot of patience from us.

[Zain A Blade]

Sadly, Fleisher's depiction of people's attitudes towards the elderly is very similar to what you see happening in western society today - there's no science fiction here. The only thing is, this kind of attitude towards the elderly is rather typical of western societies, in Asian and African societies their elders still hold a position of decorum and reverence in society. So no, the book does not exemplify what is happening in all of society today.

[britt13]

We need to respect the gray hairs. Our elders are our greatest assets with repertoire of knowledge. The current society shows less regard to the elderly which is wrong.

Do you mean the current society in the book or in real life? Or I suppose you could also mean both. I think that the way we treat the elderly is very different across different cultures (in real life, the book only focuses on one country and even though it deals with immigrants, meaning different cultures, it does not really focus on how that affects peoples views on age).

[R-g-R]

I like that the author has explored many aspects of society that are quite different or challenging.

Seniors...the aged. This group are less often the focus of books and movies, yet are a very large number of the people on our planet, and we are all approaching them (their ages) all the time!
For some reason seniors have become more maligned, less respected, ignored, are seen as a burden, or similar, in many narratives, both personal and public. There is a wealth of knowledge and experience in all those over 60, and it would be of benefit to all to extract and enjoy this while we can.

It is true that the world is changing and changing fast, and, as depicted in the book, there are things that seniors can find difficult to keep up with, but this does not negate or lessen their value. Histories need to be recorded, even of the changes in local areas, and there are many more roles than that. I appreciated the positive assistance provided in the book, for those who were keen to learn new things but were feeling less confident.

[n-dai che]

Sadly, Fleisher's depiction of people's attitudes towards the elderly is very similar to what you see happening in western society today - there's no science fiction here. The only thing is, this kind of attitude towards the elderly is rather typical of western societies, in Asian and African societies their elders still hold a position of decorum and reverence in society. So no, the book does not exemplify what is happening in all of society today.

Yeah, it is alarming nowadays but the new generations often times neglected them. The growth of Home for the Aged tells that they rejected.

[Sarah_Khan]

Like someone has previously mentioned... I think the depiction of how we treat elders in this book is realistic, but only in certain cultures. Different cultures treat their elders in different ways.

[n-dai che]

Like someone has previously mentioned... I think the depiction of how we treat elders in this book is realistic, but only in certain cultures. Different cultures treat their elders in different ways.

Yeah right. Culture and custom also affects a family's lifestyle as well as how the elderly manage their children when they are young.

[mmklundt]

Each generation of people is significantly different from each other due to advances in technology, state of world affairs, government policies and control, and laws and regulations. Changing the age, and therefore the character personality, should significantly change any book as long as the author uses accuracy.

[n-dai che]

Each generation of people is significantly different from each other due to advances in technology, state of world affairs, government policies and control, and laws and regulations. Changing the age, and therefore the character personality, should significantly change any book as long as the author uses accuracy.

Yeah, every generation will change from time to time. The sad part of life because important matters will be left forgotten. Like caring for the elderly seems growing in the home for the aged.

[See_B00kReaDs]

In our generation today, it seems that the elders are being pushed in the back, being deemed as ignorant and useless by society. Ever since the changes in our technology, more elders are left behind. Living in the nursing homes or in the streets rather than being in the homes of their loved ones. In my opinion, we should value our elders all the more. They are old, but it does not mean they are not important in our life and in our society. Their love and sacrifices are the reasons why we are what we are today, let's show our love and respect for them until they die.

[VictoriaMcMillen]

I feel like it has a lot to do with how people are brought up. Behavior is learned and the treatment of other people (regardless of their age) should stem from parents or peers. The piece in the book where the young punk almost knocked the older man over was totally distasteful to me. I go out of my way to treat the elderly with respect and that is a trait that was taught to me by my parents.

I agree, the part that the elderly man was knocked down, infuriated me! I was raised better, as have been many others. I almost couldn't believe this happened, but I have heard of other accounts in the news.