elderly

January 6, 2011

I often get a chuckle out of Mr. Mackay’s cartoons, but not today and certainly not on the topic of older people. That a newly elected inexperienced politician has been appointed as Minister of State for Seniors is a major issue for another day.

My point today is that such a negative, stereotypical depiction and assumptions about older people is not funny, but rather a classic example of ageism. Ageism is a term first coined by the brilliant Robert N. Butler, in 1968, who correctly defined it as another form of bigotry. He died last year but wrote extensively on ageing to educate us that this is a stage of life we need to learn about, and celebrate not to disrespectfully malign.

Older people want to be accepted for what they are, as thriving, energetic, skilled, interesting, experienced people who still want to participate in society in whatever capacity they so choose..be it in paid or unpaid work or policy decision-makers; to contribute socially, politically, culturally, whatever, wherever, should they choose to do so.

The task ahead is to raise awareness and educate the public and insist that all policies regarding older people must include input from those affected; in other words, ‘nothing about us, without us’. Growing older is a normal stage of life as described in Dr. Butler’s studies. The question is, are our elected leaders, and our media outlets wise enough to accept this and do they have the vision to plan and prepare for our society’s future?

Respectfully,

Thelma McGillivray
Advisor on Ageing, International Council of Women
Burlington, On L7N 2G8

Thursday July 23, 2009

 

The other day every media outlet carried a list of a bunch of places vying for the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. It provided a nice diversion from the usual negative stuff happening in the world, but in particular filled a gaping hole that comes with the lack of news in the depths of the northern hemisphere’s summer.

So I thought I’d follow up the trivial fodder with my own. Old guys who dye their hair… it sure feels good to get that burning issue off my back.

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday July 23, 2009

The best of a wonder-full world

The world’s most impressive tides. The highest waterfall on Earth. The tallest mountain in Africa.

A group called the New 7 Wonders has come up with a contest in which people can vote for the “new seven wonders of nature.”

The choices can be made over the next year-and-a-half from a list of 28 finalists, including the Bay of Fundy in Canada, Angel Falls in Venezuela and Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.

The winning seven spots will be announced in 2011.

Many of the 28 finalists announced yesterday are traditional picks, such as the Grand Canyon, the Great Barrier Reef and the Amazon rainforest. But there are also a couple of lesser-known spots that might send folks scurrying for their atlases, including the Bu Tinah Shoals of the United Arab Emirates, the Mud Volcanoes of Azerbaijan and Lebanon’s Jeita Grotto.

Niagara Falls would be a no-brainer in many people’s eyes, but it didn’t make the cut because folks in the state of New York apparently didn’t want to spend any money to promote the cause. (One would have thought they could find money in President Obama’s bailout plan, but perhaps not).

Swiss adventurer Bernard Weber, who started the New 7 Wonders group, says he expects a billion people will vote online and over the telephone in months to come.

Folks around the world came up with an initial list of 261 natural landmarks. That was pared to 77 top vote-getters, and a panel of experts whittled that down to the 28 finalists, using criteria such as geographical balance (you can’t have Canada hogging everything), diversity and the importance to human life. (Source: Toronto Star)