When I was a child, people of color were commonly characterized in stereotypes that are no longer tolerated. The growing intolerance for racial and ethnic slurs in the media wasn’t the result of altruism on the part of the economically dominant white Christian population but quite the opposite, it was the result of the efforts of organized movement with leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and others, who opposed the basically selfish and/or ignorant prejudicial attitudes of white majorities who control the media.

In the 1960s, when I began producing media for schools and television, in pursuit of some ethnically egalitarian standard, ethnic diversity was a requirement in casting and black, brown and Asian minorities had to be proportionately represented in school films but not native American. In commercials, however, this kind of balance was unnecessary since the media targeted a narrow demographic—the Lego commercial to be shown in African nations used black talent, except for South Africa, for which, black talent was excluded, and so on.

When we’re really engrossed in viewing a good movie, unless the story is in part about issues, such as, Raisin In The Sun, The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter, etc., children and naive people generally will not notice that their expectations are being shaped about people of color and all other stereotypical categorizations. Stage plays of the 19th and early 20th century regularly and fairly consistently characterize women as weaker and scatter-brained, poor people as ignorant and stupid, actors as lascivious and immoral, clergy as moral and upright, older people as infirm and incompetent, sex workers as depraved; on and on. It is significant that this stereotyping is less true of the literary and fine art works that endure through centuries.

Although demands for social justice in the civil society and demographic targeting by commercial advertisers began to force more balance in ethnic and gender representation in media, the opposite of this has occurred with regard to age stereotyping as a consequence of similar forces; e.g., since younger people are considered more susceptible to media advertising, over the last few decades, pejorative characterizations of older people and aging generally has increased. It is taken for granted that it’s fine to represent aging with symptoms of Alzheimers, dementia, infirmity..

The effect on black children of showing them racial stereotypes was that they grew up learning to view the possibilities of their lives differently than did white children. Now, examine how we grow up learning to view the possibilities of our lives after we reach the age of 60 and you will begin to understand something of great importance to you personally.

Had someone asked me to consider this thirty or forty years ago and if I’d had the sense to listen, I’d have done a few things differently because my expectations of my future would have been better informed. Here’s a few facts about your future that could be improved if the characterizations of aging in media you consume is corrected in the same way we addressed racial and ethnic slurs:

• Unless you have a life-shortening condition of some kind, if you take reasonably good care of your body and your mind, you will be physically and mentally fit for about 100 years.
• You are likely to be unemployed and “unemployable” for the last thirty or forty years of your life having nothing to do with your ability but rather a consequence of competition from younger but less able people.
• You will find that people half your age have replaced you at work and they will regard your wisdom and experience as useless and irrelevant or simply, quaint.
• Statistically, you may have some health issues, including some that impair your mobility, sight or hearing however, most of that will be the result of your health practices when you are young and risks due to genetic inclinations that could be managed early on.
• All but a few of you will have greater mental capacity, ability to focus and your ability to understand and assess situations will be greater as you age.
• Your children and grand children will treat you as if they think you are a doddering fool since that is how older people are characterized in the media and games they play.
• You will experience prejudicial discrimination that is sanctioned in your community.
• Provided that your hormonal balances are maintained, you will have a healthy sexual appetite but most people that you’re attracted to won’t be attracted to you and when you express that kind of interest, most of those who are younger will be embarrassed about it and some will be unconsciously rude to you.
• You will suffer from depression as a consequence of all these things and statistically, your chances of suffering clinical depression are one in four if you are white, one in two if black. You will acquire other health symptoms as a bi-product of depression
• You are likely to be expected to live outside the community of your family and go off to die in an assisted living facility rather than being a burden to your children and grand children. Depending on your resources, this will deepen your depression.