THE NEW OLD AGE
BY EVE HOHWIELER
Being old does not mean that we have agreed to play the role of the aged person or have taken this role on us in order to adjust to the reactions, requirements and expectations of others. We do not act old. Why would we? We submit to old age and become old. (Beauvoir) The overall aim of this report is to investigate negative perceptions concerning the quality of life for people of advancing age, and how it is understood to take shape and become intelligible in social and cultural contexts. Thus, the main question addressed in this dissertation concerns the stigmas of ageing. This report, being part of a larger project, uses ethnographic research methods to explore popular ideas around ageing, while expanding on my own personal worldview and imagination. The study invites a perspective of ageing from a younger point of a view with the aim of imagining old age in a positive way, by using empathic design methods and future speculations. Framed by an introduction, the first two chapters look from defining “old age�, to concerns in present-day social and cultural thought. Then, in the third chapter, we focus on factors that change and impact the course of our lives and which can influence our elderly state, followed by methods of future speculations to avoid narratives of decline. In conclusion, I consider how these insights can inform projects of cultural criticism, and suggest the potential importance of this kind of change for unleashing a deeper existential appreciation for ageing, considering our own personal futures more positively.
CONTENTS 1-2
Intro.
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Method.
Expectations.
-Empathic design methods -Gonzo Journalism -Bingo
-The Up series - Regret and expectation. -Amorality
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Age defined.
Culture.
- How can it be defined? -Interview with Gunilla Weinraub. -Experiment
-Old age as a social construct - Young peoples characterisation -Experiment
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Future.
-A narrative of decline - Imagining out future selves -Experiment
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Conclude.
Figure 1: Gunilla weinrub Figure 1. 1
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Once we have understood what the state of the aged really is, we cannot satisfy ourselves with calling for a more generous “old age policy”, higher pensions decent housing and or gained leisure. It is the whole system that is at issue and our claim cannot be otherwise then radicalchange life itself.”(1996,543) Beauvoir.
The new old age By Eve Hohwieler
Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork conducted in generalised ageing environments, I am seeking to examine and test the ideas of becoming old through a more anthropological approach to the subject alongside empathetic design methods. My aim is to create a more positive look at ageing by re-designing clichés of “the elderly” and to change the belief that decline should be an acceptable life course narrative. Looking into the expectations of life- do we become who we want to bewhat changes this- culture and conformity limits our dreams? As we get older does life stop us from becoming who we really want to be? As a young designer, I would like to successfully make a leap into the imagined territory of old age, seeking methods of redesigning our future selves to avoid the idea of decline with alternative methods of approaching a natural process positively. The topic of age is complex however the report will use future techniques to produce thought provoking questions that will be useful if we are to imagine a positive society for our future elderly selves. It was estimated that by 2070 the number of people aged 65 years or more in the UK would double to over 21 million, and those aged 80 or over would treble to 9.5 million.
They also predicted that within 25 years, that the number of people with dementia, as a consequence of an aging population, will double to 1.4 million, with the costs to the UK economy of dealing with people with this condition trebling from £17 billion to over £50 billion per annum. (1) We have been so successful in treating diseases that we live longer and get older.(2) General perceptions accordingly are that these demographic changes will put increasing pressure on public systems, the retirement funds and the health care system.
“Ageism” has become a popular notion, expecting people to behave, or dress a certain way, because they are of a certain age and I think design in all aspects has a role to fulfil, in changing the image we collectively have of older people – and older people have of themselves.
“Once we have understood what the state of the aged really is, we cannot satisfy ourselves with calling for a more generous “old age policy”, higher pensions decent housing and or gained leisure. It is the whole system that is at issue and our claim cannot be otherwise then radiWe have had a democratic change in cal- change life itself.”(1996,543) Beauvoir. most industrialised countries where the proportion of people within a population I had to ask myself what do the words who are “older” is on the rise. The reason “elderly”, “old”, and “aged” really for that is manifold, boomer years after mean. How are they used by and vary WW2, longer life spans, different life styles in society and how is our treatment of and so on. On average our British pop- the older generation a reflection of our ulation is “aging”, people live for longer, society’s values and priorities. I will anand they lead, increasingly, different lives. swer these questions over the course of As a society, we have not yet got to grips this report as they form the main framewith the implications of having an ageing work for the issue of my topic. (3)(4) population, however it does not constitute a crisis. Too often the extraordinary success of humanity in doubling the average length of human life is over ruled by the weight of the Economy and public sectors. (2)We would do better in looking at the positive aspects of life and the importance of looking positively at the lengthening of human life expectancy. We appear to have a fundamental fear of ageing, as growing old is associated with death.
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Age defined.
Chapter 1.
Figure 2
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Figure 3
Old age definition I was interested in the opinion of Simone De Beauvoir and how she defines ageing, in the book ‘The coming of age’. She states that the concept of bodily transformations, gains and losses, manifests itself already in the transformations of childhood and adolescence, but in old age it receives a signal of death. The objects that we lose from our bodies, or appear on or in them, do not signal a rebirth, as they did in childhood and youth, but in function as signs of an ending, falling hair, fake teeth etc. (1) This feature is an uncanny characteristic of old age, “normal abnormality “as Simone De Beauvoir has described. (2) Her description sounds similar to that of William Shakespeare’s “The 7 ages of man”. In this poem Shakespeare states (3) that there are 7 chapters in a man’s life, the last two stages in particular are of relevance to Beauvoir’s opinion:
“Ito the lean and slippered pantaloons With spectacles on nose and pouch on side; His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide For his shrunk shank; and his big manly voice, Turning again toward childish treble, pipe And whistles in his sound.
Beauvoir also states that the disparity that marks the event of becoming old is usually inflicted by the reaction of others. “The aged person comes to feel that he is old by means of others, and with out having experienced important changes. His inner being does not accept the label that has been stuck to him. He no longer knows who he is.” (1)(2)
Last scene of all, That ends this strange eventful history Is second childishness and mere oblivion, We do not experience our age “I for Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans the-itself mode” but for others. We everything.” do not immediately connect the quality of age to ourselves but to mediaShakespeare describes the man as a tion with others, via our perceptions sad shadow of his former self, physi- of others and the others perceptions cally and mentally as he enters old age. of us. I agree with her view of social origin being a reminder as well as biIn the last stanza, he is no longer capa- ological. ble of even looking after him self and cannot experience the world around him, facing imminent death. “Second innocence and mere oblivion.” (3)
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Figure 4 “In order to be able to appreciate the importance or unimportance of some particular exception to the rule or all in its place, to subordinate details to the whole, and to set anecdote aside in order to isolate the general idea, one must have observed an enormous number of facts in all their aspects of likeness and difference. And there is only one form of experience that belongs only to the old, that of old age it self. The young have only vague and erroneous notions of it”. There is no such thing as a ‘typical’ older being, the experience of ageing varies greatly with each person. So one cannot create a stable definition on the topic. However if someone is going to define it in ways, I think it is only those of an advanced age, who are in the process of experiencing it, that can be the true anthropologists of old age. They can offset delusions and fantasies for those, who have not yet lived it for themselves yet. (4)It was important that I talked to someone of an older age.
Gunilla Weinraub, 75, lives next door to my mother’s café in Berlin. Firstly I asked her to film a few natural moments of her self while she was in New York. With the idea, to show how people of different generations live their lives and to challenge the expectations, how people should act at certain ages. When I was in Berlin, she was kind enough to let me interview her. Gunilla’s interview was enlightening, in the sense of her perspective on ageing and how she personally feels about her age. Building on Beauvoir’s opinion in the last paragraph I asked Gunilla, “What sort of things in life remind you of your age?” She described to me, that the factors that remind her of her age, are her body, forgetting things and of nostalgia in particular.
“I come home and see there is this old movie with Gregory Peck and Ingrid Bergman, and that of course we cannot talk about it with you, because you have no idea about the film, you might not even know who is Gregory Peck…so I love watching but it makes me feel a bit sad that I cannot share with the people of todays generation”… I have this one book about age, one picture, where there’s a young cool guy standing here, and he tells me something- and I tell him ‘just you wait Henry Higgins’- and he says Henry who? So he doesn’t know My Fair Lady because that is one of the sentences in that film or in that play. I cant quote. I have to quote something of today”. – Gunilla Weinraub.
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Gunilla can connect to today’s culture through her daughter. She admits though that she would rather not call someone aged 75 asking, “do you remember that film”. This is what makes her feel older. Nostalgia is often regarded in a bad way, drifting back to pleasant moments in the past , when you may not be satisfied with what’s going on in the present. For Gunilla, I think it means something different: It reflects a huge part of the culture she grew up with. She is happy in the present however she doesn’t want to forget about important times in her life. By constantly only being able to share the films, music she grew up with people of her age, it makes her feel older. It can feel like it’s not your day any more or the same world, creating feelings of dislocation. A world she did not imagine in the 1970s- 80s.
In regards to nostalgia, could ageing have a lot to do with the mindfulness? In 1979 Professor Ellen Langer of Harvard University was investigating the extent to which ageing is a product of our state of mind. To find out, she and her students devised a study they called the “counter-clockwise study”. The experiment involved eight men, in their 70’s’ entering and living in a house that was designed to ‘conjure’ 1959. (5)The Men were in good health, but ageing in general had taken its toll. They were asked not only to reminisce over this earlier era, however, “Make a psychological attempt to be the person they were 22 years ago,” (Langer.) Through out the whole experience they were treated as if they were younger. Her findings were apparently successful, the men were suppler, showed greater manual dexterity and sat taller. By putting their minds back to an earlier time, their bodies seemed to move alongside. Langer has a strong belief in mindfulness and the power of our minds to imagine and overcome problems. (6)
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Culture.
Chapter 2.
Figure 11.
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Culture “What a culture says about old age says even more about the culture. “ (The Silvering Screen: Old Age and Disability in Cinema). (1)(2) The stories of our lives are definitely told very differently in every culture. These stories are created by the experiences and choices we make within the culture. Choice is so important to consider then, as it is an act of self-expressionism. We have been born with the tools to exercise and desire choice, and so it is an extremely powerful force in forming the authentic self. When it comes to culture there are many different opinions that effect choice and in turn your identity. (3) This presents more fundamental differences in human personality normally developed subconsciously as a part of an individual’s cultural upbringing in terms of the Family, personal experiences, educational systems and political structure. (4)
In regards to ageing in different cultures, the act of younger people getting up for an elderly person in public transport is a normal social skill, in Britain and most westernized countries it is a sign of respect and good manners. In Japan, you are most likely not going to see many elderly people sitting down on public transport. Most Japanese people do not want to be seen as ‘elderly’ or ‘causing trouble’ for others so no matter if you get up to let someone sit down, they will usually reject your offer. (5) If old age varies culturally and historically, then it must also be able to be defined as a ‘social construct’ rather than a definite ‘biological stage’. (6)
In terms of representation in popular culture, it’s apparent that younger artists seem to get way laid and have the idea that they can somehow imagine and characterise old age. Therefore the public imagination is influenced by these characterisations. Author Frank Kermode said, “The young know nothing about the old and their inquiries into the topic must be done blind”. (7)The movie industry reflects the older demographic usually with a plot line where the films agonizingly look back on a somehow unfulfilling life, rarely resulting in a satisfied sense on the part of the ageing protagonist. For instance, ‘What happened to baby Jane’ in a form of oblivion, tension between the loss of youth accompanied by a deep sense of youthful failures. (8) Hollywood often tries to establish a certain social identity for older people.
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. For example films such as, ‘The iron lady’ where old age does not escape the stigma and restraints. The once powerful Margaret Thatcher is reduced down to an almost shadow of her former self, portraying her life story as a narrative of decline. Sociologists talk of “social death” and “biological death”. This film gets away with treating Lady Thatcher as though she were already dead, (9) the great tragedy of our culture of appearances is that people seem to disappear from our scope of curiosity, as they grow old. We haven’t lost our faith; we have just put it in the hands of films and literature that glorifies youth. “If Margaret Thatcher suffered from a lung problem and I coughed, or if she had something wrong with her legs and I limped, no one would scream,” she said. “The particular stigma attached to mental frailty in our culture speaks more about the person who’s saying it’s shameful. Is it shameful? I don’t think it is. I don’t think things need to be hidden away.”Meryl Streep (10)
There are the characters that, defy those negative connotations, but are therefore presented as bizarre and comical. We are sometimes tempted to imagine old age as one big funny, wisdom-rich adventure. For instance the book, ‘The one hundred year old man who climbed out the window and disappeared’. Which is now a film adaption. One critic dubbed it, ‘Old people behaving humorously’. Stereotyping can be a kind of fictional abuse. (7)
Stereotypes of old age, whether positive or negative, do real harm in the real world, argues Lynne Segal, the author of “Out of Time: The Pleasures and the Perils of Ageing” (2013). She says that the biggest problem for many older people is “ageism, rather than the process of aging itself.” There is no possibility of diversified, personal approaches to aging if we are all “aged by culture”. (7)
Social anthropologist Ceridwen Dovey, describes in an article on the New Yorker ‘What old age is really like’ that she was confident she could as mid thirty year old, imagine her way into old age. In her book, the protagonist was an old crabby, computer illiterate, grieving from his wife who had dementia- who becomes involved with a new love interest- and eccentric, quirky old woman. However she realized that she had modeled the two characters after two dominant constructions of elderly stereotype in society generic old crabby, bitter grieving for his wife, old man to the ageless in spirit, quirky odd-ball. (7)
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An experiment was designed to study and test the affect of activations of the elderly stereotype on behaviour: Nineteen male and female undergraduate students took part in the experiment, informed that the purpose was to investigate language proficiency and they would have to look at a scrambled sentence tasks. They were randomly selected for either the elderly stereotype version or the neutral version. For the elderly prime version, the stimuli were ‘worried, Florida, old, lonely, grey, selfishly, careful, sentimental, wise, stubborn, courteous, bingo, withdraw, forgetful, retired, wrinkle, rigid, traditional bitter, obedient, conservative, knits, dependent, ancient, helpless, gullible, cautious, and alone.’ (11) Nothing purposefully related to the slowness associated with being old.
In the neutral version, the elderly prime words were re- placed with the words unrelated to the elderly stereotype (e.g., thirsty, clean, private). After the experiments, the participants left the room and walked town the hall to the escalator, and were secretly timed by a confederate of the experimenter. The participants who had the elderly stereotype version walked much slower then the participants with the neutral version. After the experimenter caught up with each participant and debriefed them on what was going on, the participants didn’t seem to notice that the words were related to the ageing stereotype and did not believe that the words affected their behaviour. The conclusion was that these words, still manage to Influence behaviour subconsciously. It’s interesting that these words just naturally have an affect on a person without them knowing, the knowledge is deeply engraved within, unconscious social biases. (11)
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CHAPTER 1
Methods.
Chapter 3.
Figure 15 Methodology It’s difficult to imagine old age positively, when one is so influenced by cultural assumptions. How do you start to imagine yourself as an old person, ageing and somehow test ideas of becoming old? Empathy is the intuitive ability to identify with other peoples’ thoughts and feelings. So in relation to my topic, Feeling for yourself how older people experience daily life and connecting this new perspective to daily life. Then the idea of Design for connectedness is to Create environments or products that support, amplify and motivate those things in life that is important for wellbeing. (1) My early research mainly focused on looking at service design ideas like the senior design factory and the amazing’s. (2) They team up with people of all ages, to take part in creative projects together. Where people can exchange and develop skills, the elderly can continue learning as well as contributing their wisdom.
I came to the conclusion that these service design ideas fall into the trap of collective grouping which is exactly what I wanted to avoid. Assuming people of advanced age are one and all need the same kind of re-assessment
Industrial designer Patricia Moore dressed up as an elderly person using prosthetics that restricted her movement and eyesight. She managed to spend three years in character.
“We get hit over the head with age because we are living in a culture that worships youth,” In terms of empathy, Ford Motors she says. “This is absolutely insane, because has invented the ‘Third age suit’. Ford there is no alternative: If you’re not aging, built the suit to help engineers build you’re dead.” cars around the physical limitations of old age. The suit simulates the This experience helped her to intiphysical limitations associated with ar- mately understand how difficult the thritic joints, failing eyesight and poor world was to negotiate as an elder. hearing. “When you are young, you Her design method paved the ways think you’re designing for everybody, for innovative designs, where designbut you can’t understand the range of ers would have empathy for the people people and their limitations. And you they were designing for. (4) should always be aware that ageing is not a disease but a natural process of life.” Dr. Achim Lindner, physician at the European Ford Research Centre. (3)
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Patricia Moore’s method was revolutionary. The best designs, in my opinion, come from the people who really experience for them selves what they are designing for. I wanted to undertake a method that could change my worldview and imagination, as well as finding interesting ways to document my research. I read several books, ‘The electric Kool acid test’ by Tom Wolfe and ‘Junkie’ by William s Burroughs. I was intrigued by the way they documented first hand experiences, going almost undercover in sub cultures to change their imagination and overall the readers preconceptions. This method was called ‘New Journalism’. Investigating these writers I came across Journalist/writer Hunter S Thompson, and his invention of Gonzo Journalism.
If this is translated into gonzo design it is a form of method acting for designers, it asks you to throw yourself into the world you are creating. Sometimes it’s about a world that already exists, where you need to become a fan, or an expert, to gain a greater understanding of the people you are creating for. A method of creative thinking that lets you disappear down a rabbit hole and become part of the very experience you aim to design. ( 5) I used this sort ethnographic fieldwork to detail bingo as an event. The Bingo organisation I’m studying is mecca bingo in Catford. The idea was to understand why so many older people, use bingo as a recreational activity and why it can be seen as a generalised ageing environment. Stigmas about ‘little old ladies’ in bingo halls highlight a leisure phenomenon that has received very little “The Edge... There is no honest way to ex- research. plain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over.” Hunter S Thompson, The Hells angels. The nature of Gonzo Journalism is to not dwell on ones opinion on ‘x’ matter, but to absorb oneself within ‘x’. Deny the idea that you are simply studying exhibit ‘A’, more rather immerse oneself in becoming; To understand Gonzo is to simply ignore the idea of journalism entirely, for that is not what one is partaking in. Gonzo Journalism is becoming the topic of interest; an ethnography in its truest sense. Hunter T not only unravelled the preconceived nature of the American Dream, but simultaneously posed questions that would remain unanswered for generations to come.
I went undercover as a bingo player to observe and study the behaviour of the players, and see if there was a common theme of elderly people. There did seem to be a bigger majority of older people playing. They took the game very seriously, and I somewhat admired each player and their dedication to the game. I actually enjoyed the game a lot, and enjoyed observing all the different characters around me. It turned out to be a whole world I had no idea about. Older ladies would say funny comments to me as I walked past saying “Did you win finally” It did feel as though I was part of community. The staff were very friendly and welcoming. I hope on future visits, I will get to know the players on a personal level. “The impact of regular cultural participation in events like bingo supplies a basis for seniors to construct their own sense of agency, meaning and role within a community.” (6) “What! Well, it’s Rebel Bingo – bingo reinvented for a new generation, for the 21st century, with bells and whistles, but still unmistakably, undeniably, bingo. There are cards and callers, numbers to be crossed off or dabbed, lines and full houses to be had, winners in waiting. We’ll come back to Camden and Rebel Bingo.” (7) It’s interesting, some of the mecca bingo halls are closing down and they are now realising that they are going to have to adapt and change. A few Mecca bingo halls have adapted a night of Rebel Bingo. Rebel bingo is a new version, “Who’s playing? Actually, everyone is. Playing bingo.”. (7)
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CHAPTER 1
Expectations.
Chapter 4.
figure 20
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Life expectations A new turn in my project came from the influence of the up series. The series began in 1964 following several children from the age of 7 from different economic backgrounds. Initially there was only supposed to be one series however the producer had the bright idea to revisit the subjects 7 years later. This has now continued to the most recent 56 and up. Its structuring conceit was that the class into which these children were born would determine their success in life; that their childhoods were unwitting prophesies of their future prospects. (1) What fascinated me was how curious and full of hope the 7 year olds were of life, anything seemed possible then as they get older, they realise how challenging life can be, and the reality of living in Britain. (2)What I really found valuable from the series was being able to watch these true life narratives unfold through different life chapters, the changes, the regrets, expectations set out in one chapter do they happen and how does life allow or stop these things from happening.
The participants in the series dread when the next 7 year interval finally arrives, because they are filmed for at least over a month each time, and only a selected moments are chosen, which they feel do not reflect who they are. To be honest I would be pretty annoyed if I had a camera person telling my life story in a completely different way then I saw it, but then one could argue that people don’t see us in the same way that we always see ourselves. “Did you have a dream?” “Well I would have probably have liked to play international cricket but I wasn’t good enough. You know ones dreams go in the day-to-day living of ordinary life and ones family life takes over. I think we sort of live without our dreams”. Bruce-56 up This led me into the direction of the expectations of life, do they influence ones elderly state? How doe’s ones life story continue into old age. Does a person who is full of regrets, become a bitter sad mourning of a former self ?
The aim of psychoanalysis therapy is to release repressed emotions and experiences, i.e. make the unconscious conscious. Psychoanalyst Adam Phillips argues his theory that we all have two lives, the life we live and the life of our fantasies. It is the life unlived, the person who failed to be that can trouble and haunt us. Which too often can be the story of our lives. In the book Phillips tries to bridge the gap between who we are and who we are not. He argues if one cannot find the medium, we are setting ourselves up for bitterness. “Our lived lives might become a protracted mourning for, or an endless trauma about, the lives we were unable to live.” This is our life, and the book goes through methods and ideas to just ask the reader to accept it and deal with it. The dreams we have are still very much apart of our lives, Imagining and dreaming effects our daily choices, even if they don’t happen. (3) (4)
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Figure 25 In relation to Adam Phillips theory, the film American Beauty (directed by Sam Mendes) is about the search people often have for things they want that may have passed them by. The characters yearn to fill their selfish dreams that will somehow get them out of their apparent lacking beauty lives. Nearly every character is an expression of life and how it is different and how they are living it whether they are happy or not, each character lives their life based on how society thinks they should or how they want to, and it is reflected by their happiness. By the end of the film, most of the characters get a taste of their dreams and discover the meaningless truth of their lives. Looking closer they see the decay that has replaces genuine beauty and meaning. The main characters beauty has been ironed out by culture and conformity.
“I guess I could be pretty pissed off about what happened to me... but it’s hard to stay mad, when there’s so much beauty in the world.” Lester at the end has the realisation that all the dreams he had actually were unimportant, what was important was the relationships he made in life. (5) (6) as fictional character Andy Bernard says in the US office, “I wish there was a way to know the good old days before you’ve actually left them”. “One can leave an answer to this sophistry to the good sense of each man who has lived long enough reflected on the value of life, you have only to ask him whether he would be willing to play the games of life once more, not under the same conditions, but under any conditions of our unearthly world and not those of some fairyland (critique of judgment- Kant). Isn’t the problem less with the life we’ve lived so far then one that is certainly before us? People refuse to grow up because growing up means growing old. The alternative is dying young.
I found this quote on a forum, Adding, “The quality of life far outweighs the quantity”. (7) Apparently this is actually a very old idea. In Beauvoir’s coming of age, she acknowledges that this sentiment is dated back to the philosopher and poet Ptah-Hotep from Egypt in 2500 BC. (8) (9) We have had the song by The Who “My generation”. They sing the line “hope I die before I get old”. This represents the young people in the 60’s, where for the first time there was a real youth culture. Breaking away from traditions when never before were young people so vocal. They had their own tribes /gangs for example the Mods/Rockers. They were just living for the moment and for first time not thinking of an older serious future. “I think you should just keep going while you can, doing what you like,” Mick Jagger observed at 66, ignoring his pronouncement in May 1975 that he’d rather be dead than be singing “Satisfaction” presumably long after 45. (11)
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In terms of ageing an amoral does not consider if something is age appropriate because the sentiment means nothing to them. They live and do things in the same way from late teens all the way up until death. They do not structure their life around death, or see it as a narrative of decline because they prefer to ignore it and continue doing what they love. “Amorals’, as they advance in years, hold the key to transforming perceptions by showing what older people can do and showing older people what they can be. They’re inclined to keep working, rather than vegetating. They may not age gracefully, but nor do they trade their sense of adventure for dignity. Thanks to amorality, our graying world may not prove too gray a place.”(11)
“What’s the most important thing for you in life at the moment? I think its looking to the future. Perhaps that because I’m getting old, believing that things cant be so bad in the future, some short term objectives, if I can achieve a few of those ill be pleased.” Neil56 up.”
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future.
Chapter 5.
Figure 26
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figure 27 Future Expectations There was a project called The “Face Aging” booth at the Boston Museum of Science. The programmer wouldn’t say how the designers conceptualized “aging.” But they started with a photo of an 8-year-old girl and asked the staff if the image of her at 60-something was believable. The responses made them add more effects. As Digital’s project manager observed: “It was only entertainment. We streamed together six or seven different ideas; we’re a special-effects studio.” Only people under the age of 15 years old were allowed to use the machine. The machine made the faces of the young children look unappealing. Of course the children were left with a bad opinion on ageing. (1) Before anything called aging happens in the body, it is a set of stories children hear about their future. These stories create expectations, lay the ground rules of life, shape what it means to be human.
In a narrative of progress, the implicit meanings of aging run from development to survival, resilience, recovery and then on to collective resistance to decline forces. Children’s internalized aging stereotypes carry with them expectations about their own aging process. (1)
You may want it when your younger however you don’t consider your future self in that moment, how you age, your skin will wrinkle, as well as many other factors. The famous photo of the old lady with the tattoo on her back saying ‘Forever 18’ is brilliant. Many may see it as unappealing however it shows a sense of pride. A comWe will all grow old one day. So we mitment to the choice she made a long cannot think that aging happens to time ago. others and not ourselves. There is A ted talk by Daniel Goldstein called It seems like we don’t want to actually “Do we want to imagine ourselves over believe or imagine that we are going to time, so that we make smart choices get old one day, so I think its important for Future elderly us? Right now in the to assist peoples imaginations. There is Present we have strong heroic arms, so misconception on the power of time, we don’t care about looking after them children change by the minute, adults in a certain way, we just think about by the year. “Human beings are works the present moment and our feelings. in progress that mistakenly think However the future self is not around, they’re finished.” Dan Gilbert shares there is no one to stick up for the fu- recent research on a phenomenon ture self. Why do we make decisions he calls the “end of history illusion,” that our future selves so often regret? where we somehow imagine that the person we are right now is the person When we age, there are things that we’ll be for the rest of time. He states change and impact the course of our that we are always works in progress lives, decisions that effect who we be- and never finished. The one constant come. Tattoos are obviously a big deci- in our life is change. People need to sion as they remain on our bodies our believe or imagine that we are all gowhole life. ing to get old one day, and look to the future in a positive way.
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Looking at stereotypes and our future selves, I asked a selection of people to draw what they thought they would be like when they were 70. I was pleasantly surprised to see that everyone had such high hopes for their future elderly selves. In fact many of the participant seemed excited to grow older. One person said, “I’ll be able to wear all the hats I would have collected over the years.” He believes that he cannot wear them now, but will be able to when he is 70.
I am going to take the experiment further. If the main source of feeling older is the body, I want to create my own device, like the third age suit that would mimic the struggle of fatigue, and bones loosing strength. If tom wants to be fit enough to be able to go in the ocean, surf when he’s 70, I’ll get him to wear my ‘third age suit’ and go surfing. A method Combining the empathetic, with future scenarios. Afterwards I’ll ask how each person felt, if its uncomfortable and unenjoyable, I will help redesign the scenario to make it work. This will hopefully create positive expectations for the future.
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CHAPTER 1
conclude.
Conclude. Chapter 6. 4.
Conclusion
The report has aimed to reflect on the ageing stereotype from a younger point of view, with out sounding ignorant. I have looked at points of view on ageing, and how younger opinions can influence the public imagination, in negative ways. The true experience of old age belongs to those of old age itself. With this Knowledge of ageing being a very large topic, I have attempted to put my mark on it, by using future speculations, to assist people’s imaginations. If we start by looking at our futures more positively, the overall perception of our narratives declining will hopefully vanish thus the stigma too.
The overall aim of this report has been to investigate why there is a negative perception on the quality of life for people of an older age and how it is understood to take shape and become intelligible in social and cultural contexts. The evidence presented in this report have examined the ways in which ageing can be defined more as a ‘social construct’ rather than a definite ‘biological stage’ through the understanding that old age changes within different cultures. With more people reaching an advanced age in society, there is a much larger need for existential appreciation, as the stigma of ageing can have I hope to reflect and use methods of a huge effect on ones wellbeing. future speculations, and understand that with time culture can change and there for we may be able to use different methods of imagining our future selves. For instance with the in introduction of Cyborg possibilities we could have replacement parts and their could be the first age face transplant. What happens if the face of youth is premium? A 17 year old printed face for when you 70 year old.
We will all grow old one day. So we cannot think that aging happens to others and not ourselves. The report looked at the expectations of lives, and how regrets can impact our elderly states. I want to look at how we want to be remembered. Then how I can use these thoughts to structure or consider my own life and future and use my project as a tool for election.
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APPENDICE Bibliography. Introduction. 1. The Independent, (2013). Demographic time bomb: Government ‘woefully underprepared’ to deal with Britain’s ageing population. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/demographic-time-bomb-government-woefully-un- derprepared-to-deal-with-britains-ageing-population-8533508.html 2. Wildevuur, S. and Dijk, D. Connect. Design for an Empathic society ( pg 13) 3. http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21122.The_Coming_of_Age 4. Beauvoir, S. (1972). The coming of age. New York: Putnam. Chapter 1. 1. Heinämaa, S. (2016). “Aging and death: Perspectives in the future”. 1st ed. [ebook] Available at: https:// www.academia.edu/5955120/_Aging_and_death_Perspectives_in_the_future_ [Accessed 19 Jan. 2016]. 2. Beauvoir, S. (1972). The coming of age. New York: Putnam. 3 Quora.com, (2016). What is the explanation of Shakespeare’s poem “Seven Ages Of Man”? - Quora. [online] Available at: https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-explanation-of-Shakespeares-poem-Seven-Ages-OfMan [Accessed 19 Jan. 2016]. 4. Dovey, C., Angell, R., Gawande, A. and Dovey, C. (2015). What Old Age Is Really Like - The New Yorker. [online] The New Yorker. Available at: http://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/what-oldage-is-really-like [Accessed 19 Jan. 2016]. 5. Grierson, B. (2014). What if Age Is Nothing but a Mind-Set?. [online] Nytimes.com. Available at: http:// www.nytimes.com/2014/10/26/magazine/what-if-age-is-nothing-but-a-mind-set.html?_r=0 [Accessed 19 Jan. 2016]. 6. BBC News, (2016). Can you trick your ageing body into feeling younger? - BBC News. [online] Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-11284180 [Accessed 19 Jan. 2016]. Chapter 2: 1. Gullette, M. (2004). Aged by culture. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 2. Chivers, S. (2000). The Silvering Screen. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. 3. Iyengar, S. (2010). The art of choosing. New York: Twelve. Pg 29. 4. Persson, S. (2015). The Individual and the Collective A Comparison of Identity, Individualism, and Social Catego- rization in American and Chinese Students. [online] Available at: http://depts.washington. edu/jsjweb/wp-content/ uploads/2011/05/Pages-from-JSJPRINTv1n1.10-9-Persson-S.pdf [Accessed 9 Jan. 2015]. 5. Info, J. (2015). Why Don’t the Japanese Give Priority to the Elderly on Public Transportation?. [online] Japan Info. Available at: http://jpninfo.com/21297 [Accessed 19 Jan. 2016]. 6. Wikipedia, (2016). Old age. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_age [Accessed 19 Jan. 2016]. 7. Dovey, C., Angell, R., Gawande, A. and Dovey, C. (2015). What Old Age Is Really Like - The New Yorker. [online] The New Yorker. Available at: http://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/whatold-age-is-really-like [Accessed 19 Jan. 2016]. 8. Chivers, S. (2000). The Silvering Screen. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. 9. Pemberton, M. (2012). The Iron Lady and Margaret Thatcher’s dementia: Why this despicable film makes voyeurs of us all. [online] Telegraph.co.uk. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/ margaret-thatcher/9013910/The-Iron-Lady-and-Margaret-Thatchers-dementia-Why-this-despicable-filmmakes-voyeurs-of-us-all.html [Accessed 19 Jan. 2016].
10. Celebitchy.com, (2016). Cele|bitchy | Meryl Streep defends ‘The Iron Lady’ & its depiction of aging Margaret Thatcher. [online] Available at: http://www.celebitchy.com/201208/meryl_streep_defends_ the_iron_lady_its_depiction_of_aging_margaret_thatcher/ [Accessed 19 Jan. 2016]. 11. Bargh, J., Chen, M. and Burrows, L. (1996). Automaticity of Social Behavior: Direct Effects of Trait Construct and Stereotype Activation on Action. 1st ed. [ebook] The American Psychological Association. Inc., pp.236-237. Available at: http://www.yale.edu/acmelab/articles/bargh_chen_burrows_1996.pdf [Accessed 19 Jan. 2016]. Chapter 3 1. Wildevuur, S. and Dijk, D. Connect. Design for an Empathic society 2. The senior design factory, (2016). [online] Available at: http://www.seinor-design.ch [Accessed 19 Jan. 2016]. 3. Autoblog, (2016). Autoblog Sitemap. [online] Available at: http://www.autoblog.com/2011/04/18/ special-ford-suit-used-to-mimic-the-elderly-finds-use-among-arch/) [Accessed 19 Jan. 2016]. 4. Co.Design, (2013). 4 Secrets For Doing Gonzo User Research. [online] Available at: http://www. fastcodesign.com/1671571/4-secrets-for-doing-gonzo-user-research) [Accessed 19 Jan. 2016]. 5. Gonzo Design. (2016). [online] Available at: http://jjdeeley.tumblr.com/gonzo_design [Accessed 19 Jan. 2016]. 6. Anthropologyworks.com, (2016). anthropologyworks » More than Just a Numbers Game: Bingo as a Tool against Disengagement among the Elderly in Adams County, Pennsylvania. [online] Available at: http://anthropologyworks.com/index.php/2013/11/26/more-than-just-a-numbers-game-bingo-as-a-toolagainst-disengagement-among-the-elderly-in-two-small-town-communities/ [Accessed 19 Jan. 2016]. 7. Wollaston, S. (2016). Bingo is back – and even the hipsters have got their eyes down. [online] the Guardian. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/jan/06/bingo-is-back-and-eventhe-hipsters-have-got-their-eyes-down [Accessed 19 Jan. 2016]. Chapter 4: 1. Mead, R. (2013). What “56 Up” Reveals - The New Yorker. [online] The New Yorker. Available at: http://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/what-56-up-reveals [Accessed 19 Jan. 2016]. 2. Mail Online, (2012). 'Disillusioned’ 7 Up boy who criticised Thatcher returns to the documentary series after a 28-year gap. [online] Available at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2144082/56-Up-7-Upboy-Peter-Davies-returns-documentary-28-years.html#ixzz3tGw68a3t [Accessed 19 Jan. 2016]. 3. Brain Pickings, (2015). In Praise of Missing Out: Psychoanalyst Adam Phillips on the Paradoxical Value of Our Unlived Lives. [online] Available at: https://www.brainpickings.org/2015/08/17/missing-out-adam-phillips/ [Accessed 19 Jan. 2016]. 4. Phillips, A. (2013). Missing out. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 5. Beauty", L. (2016). Looking Closer at "American Beauty". [online] aishcom. Available at: http://www. aish.com/ci/a/48929712.html [Accessed 19 Jan. 2016]. 6. Guo, Y. (2016). GRIN - American Beauty - an analysis. [online] Grin.com. Available at: http://www.grin. com/en/e-book/170559/american-beauty-an-analysis [Accessed 19 Jan. 2016]. 7. Thethinkingatheist.com . Would you rather die young or live to an old age. [online] Available at: http://www.thethinkingatheist.com/forum/Thread-Would-you-rather-die-youngor-live-to-an-old-age [Accessed 24 Apr. 2015]. 8. Beauvoir, S. (1972). The coming of age. New York: Putnam. 9. Quadrophenia. (1973). [film] England: The Who. 10.dictionary of amorality 11. TIME.com, (2011). Amortality. [online] Available at: http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2065254,00.html [Accessed 19 Jan. 2016]. TIME.com, (2011). TIME Magazine Cover: Forever Young - Apr. 25, 2011. [online] Available at: http:// content.time.com/time/covers/asia/0,16641,20110425,00.html TIME.com, (2016). 10 Ideas Changing the World Right Now - TIME. [online] Available at: http://content. time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1884779_1884782_1884758,00.html
Chapter 5 1. Inthesetimes.com, (2016). Trapped in Decline Culture. [online] Available at: http://inthesetimes.com/ article/1121/trapped_in_decline_culture [Accessed 19 Jan. 2016]. 2. Goldstein, D. (2016). The battle between your present and future self. [online] Ted.com. Available at:https://www.ted.com/talks/daniel_goldstein_the_battle_between_your_present_and_future_self ?language=en#t-436131 [Accessed 19 Jan. 2016]. 3. Bird, A. (2014). You won’t regret that tattoo. [video] Available at: .https://vimeo.com/89546048 [Accessed 19 Jan. 2016]. 4. Gilbert, D. (2016). The psychology of your future self. [online] Ted.com. Available at: https://www.ted. com/talks/dan_gilbert_you_are_always_changing#t-147956 [Accessed 19 Jan. 2016]. General reading Angelou, M. (2011). Letter to my daughter. Oxford: Isis. Wolfe, T. (1999). The electric kool-aid acid test. New York: Bantam Books. Thompson, H. and Heuvelmans, T. (2011). Hells Angels. Amsterdam: Lebowski. Thompson, H. (1998). Fear and loathing in Las Vegas. New York: Vintage Books. Self, W. and Steadman, R. (2007). Psychogeography. New York: Bloomsbury. Phillips, A. (2013). Missing out. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Neiman, S. (n.d.). Why grow up?. Hall, D. (n.d.). Essays After Eighty. Jonasson, J. (2009). The 100-year-old man who climed out the window and disappeared. Toronto: Harper Perennial Canada.
Illustrations: All images have been changed and modified in Photoshop. Cover: Gunilla Weinraub, granted permission to use by Gunilla. Figure 1: Personal photo, of mother and grandad. figure 2: louise bourgeois, illustration by myself. Figure 3: The Seven Ages of Man by William Shakespeare, 1838, illustrating the speech source https://www. quora.com/What-is-the-explanation-of-Shakespeares-poem-Seven-Ages-Of-Man [Accessed 19 Jan. 2016]. Figure 4 : Image taken by myself, Gunilla in her studio. Figure 5:Gunilla and nostalgia. illustration by myself. Figure 6: Gunillas studio, photo taken by myself Figure 7:Gunilla at a younger age. Grated permission to use by Gunilla. Figure 8: Gunilla at a younger age. Grated permission to use by Gunilla.a Figure 9: Image found on pinterest. 60s living room. https://de.pinterest.com/pin/218495019397198849/ Figure 10: Photo illustrations by Zachary Scott for The New York Times. Hair and Makeup: Bruce Spaulding Fuller, Aimee Macabeo, Stephanie Daniel. Wardobe: Gillean McLeod. Set and Props: Patrick Muller. Retouching: Electric Art, Amy Dresser. Figure 11:https://londondigitalmum.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/tfl-sign.jpg Figure 12: http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/meryl-streep/images/28949620/title/iron-lady-production-stills-photo Figure 13: Two dominant cultural stereotypes, illustration by myself Figure 14: https://madisonmovie.files.wordpress.com/2015/06/movies_100_year_old_ Figure 15: Patricia Moore. Source: Co.Design, (2013). 4 Secrets For Doing Gonzo User Research. [online] Available at: http://www.fastcodesign.com/1671571/4-secrets-for-doing-gonzo-user-research) [Accessed 19 Jan. 2016]. Figure 16: Hunter s Thompson and Gonzo journalism, Illustration by myself. Figure 17: Bingo fieldwork imagery, taken by myself. Figure 18:Bingo fieldwork imagery, taken by myself. Figure 19: Bingo fieldwork imagery, taken by myself. Figure 20: Neil Hughes, the up series. Illustration by myself. Figure 21: The up series 21 and up still: The original participants reunited for 21 Up in 1978. Source http:// www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2012/may/07/56-up-its-like-having-another-family Figure 22:The up series 56 up still: Source http://rogersmovienation.com/2013/01/12/movie-review-56up-is-a-new-installment-on-the-greatest-documentary-series-of-all-time/ Figure 23: My mum , from birth up until the present. Personal photos. Figure 24: The Mods/Rockers Source: http://tay.kinja.com/banished-revisited-the-colonial-charter-mod-1700467014 Figure 25: Lester Burnham american beauty. Spource: http://spanish.fansshare.com/gallery/photos/10870426/kevin-spacey-wallpaper/ Figure 26: Source: https://de.pinterest.com/pin/567805465489280112/ Figure 27: http://inthesetimes.com/article/1121/trapped_in_decline_culture Figure 28: Experiment work, What my mum wants for her 70 year old self. Figure 29: Redesigning future self experiment.