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Language Is A Powerful Tool Used To Manipulate And Persuade

on March 15, 2022

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Have you ever heard someone older say something like, There is still so much to learn even at my age! At first blush, that statement seems benign, but take a closer look. Still and even are little words that are immensely significant. In this context, these words imbue a sentiment of surprise that someone has the capacity and interest to learn in older age. It is subtle, which makes it so dangerous, and it is pernicious. Ageist remarks can also be disguised as compliments, such as calling an older person a young lady or young man. In reality, this is not a compliment but rather a subtle perpetuation of the idea that old is something to be avoided. As with gender, race, and ability, age identity is created, reinforced, and sustained through normed practices and a collective societal understanding. Age dictates whether we can go to school, get a driver’s license, and collect Social Security benefits. We feel differently about ourselves and interact differently with the world at age twenty than we do at forty, sixty, or eighty. Yet we don’t often take the time to critically evaluate, explore, and reflect on our own aging identity. Most of us learn about aging through personal relationships, if we are fortunate enough to have a relationship with an older person, or from the culture at large. The larger culture is riddled with language, images, songs, cards, and messages devaluing aging.

It's My Life

Collectively these cultural artifacts reinforce the social construction of age. Discrimination, oppression, and marginalization result from these social constructions that generally place value on youth over the aged. Ability is another form of identity that changes over time. We can experience changes to ability at any time and often do at multiple points during our lifetime. Think about a time you or a loved one experienced an illness or injury and required crutches, a cane, a wheelchair, or a walker. Traversing the world becomes quite different and often an unexpected challenge. You notice that doorways aren’t as wide as you thought, bathrooms are difficult to navigate, and the world seems to be moving very quickly. It is easy to notice others’ frustration trying to walk around you or past you to get where they need to go. If you have ever experienced this, you have caught a glimpse of ableism at personal, relational, and structural levels. Why would I erase them? We had a running joke in the family that Dad had a shocking level of unawareness about his susceptibility to food cravings, such as seeing an ad and feeling like he had to get himself some of that immediately. One day, Jeff and I decided to test his level of susceptibility by periodically but consistently mentioning pizza as the day progressed. We would sing songs under our breath about pizza, casually mention ingredients in pizza, and bring up words like pie or slice as often as we could.

Trip Through My Wires

We thought for certain that Dad would catch on before the end of the day. When it was time to talk about the dinner plan for the evening, as if on cue, Dad said, I’m not sure why but I have been in the mood for pizza all day! My dad may have been more vulnerable than most, especially when it came to food, but we are all susceptible to this type of manipulation. The constant barrage of voices and images in the background seeps into our subconscious with little notice. The media is a potent force of manipulation, frequently playing on our fears because that approach most often translates into ratings or sales. I particularly loved her strikingly gorgeous silver hair and the soft crêpey skin on her face and hands. I have witnessed friends and acquaintances become addicted to plastic surgery once gravity took over. I am not opposed to products or procedures that make people feel good about themselves. Beauty is personal and subjective, and everyone should be free to do as they please. By all means, dye your hair, get the procedure, purchase the cream, and put on the cosmetics. The unspoken effect of this outlook is the promulgation of the idea that aging well is the responsibility of and under the control of the individual. Those who show the physical signs of advanced age are judged and blamed for their own failure. Who profits from ageism? This perception served as a catalyst for medical research to try to develop an actual cure for aging, some intervention that would help stop the vicissitudes of the aging process that result in older people requiring so much time and support from younger people.

Think for Yourself

Although efforts were made in the first half of the twentieth century, nothing came close to delivering miracle treatments. A formalized subdiscipline of gerontology, biogerontology, was established in the latter twentieth century, focusing on mechanisms to understand and intervene in the processes of biological aging. A4M used militaristic terminology to describe the fight or battle to end aging. Old age was officially labeled a disease. It is undeniable that research in biogerontology and life extension medicine have made groundbreaking advances in detecting, treating, and preventing disease associated with aging that has vastly improved quality of life, health span, and longevity. Social structures are influenced by language, language reflects the social systems, and social systems are drivers of power dynamics. Language is a powerful tool used to manipulate and persuade, and it is a strong influencer of social norms. Language about aging that expresses value perpetuates and normalizes ageism. The nomenclature reinforces a singular view of aging as decline and disease and strips us of the power to understand and promote aging as a state of growth and development. If aging is the universal lifelong biological, psychological, social, and spiritual process of developing over time, how can anyone support the antithesis to this? It is a lazy and irresponsible way to describe the intended goal of increasing health span, longevity, and vitality. The strategy was brilliant. Again, we are giving power to others, outsiders, strangers, to define our own story of success.

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