Popular culture is rife with negative representatives of elderhood. Older individuals are often exemplified as weak, infirm, cognitively impaired, or stubborn. These are negative stereotypes, and we see them in comedy shows, cartoons, and news outlets.

And yet, for some reason such representations do not receive the same public outcry and backlash as other aspects of identity. 

One of the most recent examples that I’ve witnessed occurred on the 12/9/2023 broadcast of Saturday Night Live with guest host Adam Driver. In one clip, many of the young cast members of the sketch comedy troupe were portrayed as older citizens who were being pranked in various ways. Sure, the individuals carrying out the pranks were intended to appear hedonistic, vapid, and crude. Yet, the “older” characters were decked out in full parody, or what I refer to as “Old Face”: gray hair, canes, bumbling speech, tottering step, and rigid/self-centered perspectives. 

Of the two groups, it was clear that the audience was meant to laugh uninhibited at the older folks, who reacted to the pranks with confusion and helplessness. These were not victims capable of fighting back or standing up for themselves; they were pitiful punching bags. And yet, I did not have the impression that the aggressors were meant to be viewed as bullies or overly in the wrong.

The overall message that we can infer from the stage production is the following:

1. Older individuals are helpless, inept, and weak.


2. It is okay to make fun of them anyway. 

Saturday Night Live is by no means the only agency guilty of portraying ageist views, and based on its track record I suppose I should not have been surprised. The reason I highlight the show is its power of influence. Saturday Night Live attempts to capture the feeling and views of its audience and reflect them back onto the viewers. That is what entertains, and it also is the way that stereotypes are reinforced.

We know that older folks are highly resilient, capable, and helpful to those around them. Age is a unique aspect of identity because, unlike race and many other parts of what it means to be human, we all will grow old one day (or at least that is the hope). With that age, though, comes new challenges and loss. Growing older takes on the essence of an existential threat that can be hard for some to face.

(That’s one reason that older folks are so tough — they face this reality every stinking day)

Because of such a potential future, our culture develops a love-hate relationship with growing older. We want to delay the declines that come with age, yet we walk closer to elderhood every day. There is an internal conflict within each heart, and one of the most common defense mechanisms for dealing with internal conflicts is humor.

Laughter provides a release of tension — as you exhale your chuckle, you can feel your muscles loosening. Humor also allows us to view a situation in a new way. If you really dig down into the anatomy of a joke, you’ll find it’s composed of two parts: the build-up, and the subversion. The audience is led to believe one thing, and then the punchline subverts that expectation.

“Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the other side.” In this classic joke, a seemingly curious question has a very concrete and literal response. We are led to think that there is an important reason that the chicken is crossing the road, yet we are then made to feel silly for not picking the obvious answer. The greater point, or the “Meta-Joke,” is that we should not take things so seriously.

When it comes to jokes at the expense of older folks, the meta-joke is clear: old age is bad, and it deserves to be ridiculed without consequence. 

When young actors put on “Old Face” to make fun of our older generations, it stinks of bullying. At the core, we have one group of people putting down another group of people in order to feel better about themselves.

The ironic thing is that it’s actually in young people’s best interest to stop ageism and celebrate older age. Ageist stereotypes have actually been shown to influence behavior and even health outcomes in older individuals. When an individual repeatedly hears the message that they are incapable or that memory loss is part of aging, then those outcomes become manifest in a kind of self-fulfilling prophecy. If we start to believe the negative talk, then we unconsciously respond in kind and it becomes the reality.

So, if younger generations are taking pot-shots at older folks in order to cope with their own dread of getting older, then they’re going about it the wrong way. Why turn old age into this pitiful thing if we are all going to grow old?

Why not, instead, shape the narrative to be more positive and prepare the way for a brighter future? And, in this way be more in line with reality?

What if we had more representations of older folks who are intelligent, powerful, accomplished, and content with life? They exist, but it would do us well to present them up front and center.

It might help us all to be a bit more hopeful for the next steps in life.

……….

If you’re interested in exploring these ideas more, check out my new book available on Amazon: The Golden Rules of Retirement: A Psychologist’s Guide To Living Life to the Fullest, No Matter Your Financial Situation. Kindle and paperback editions are available now by going to the following link: https://www.amazon.com/Golden-Rules-Retirement

And, stay tuned for details, including release date, upcoming sales, and future books in the Golden Rules series by visiting my website: lifecanbegolden.com/

-Lee Penn, PhD