The stigma of age and accomplishment
For some time I have been confused by the apparent stigma of age. Though I am far from elderly myself, I'm hardly a spring chicken anymore either. "Old" is almost an epithet to many people, yet this honestly doesn't make any sense to me, not only on a personal level, but even within the context of the very same society that seems to consider it something to be ashamed of.
Every living thing on this planet has two options: it either reaches advanced age or it dies before doing so. And it seems, the James Dean phenomenon notwithstanding, that remaining healthy and living as long as possible as opposed to dying is a top priority for most of the world. Trillions of dollars are spent worldwide on research to prolong life; whether through medicine, lifestyle, exercise, and supplements. People have searched for the proverbial "fountain of youth" since the time of Herodotus. I'm not talking about simply looking young - as through cosmetics or plastic surgery - I'm talking about the quest to live as long as possible.
The life expectancy in classical Rome was a grand total of 28 years old, now worldwide it's 67. In old Japan 50 was considered a ripe old age and all anyone could reasonably expect to live, now people in the 80s aren't remarkable at all. And this is generally considered a very good thing; nobody's taking arsenic supplements every day to stave off old age. Worldwide we have better hygiene, better food processing and storage techniques, better understanding of nutrition and exercise (though the obesity epidemic would indicate that we don't always follow what we have learned), better medicine, more advanced procedures and medicine for treating ailments and conditions that commonly strike those that are getting on in years.
Even nature rewards the smart, the strong, the fast, and the healthy by allowing creatures to get old. Old age is for all intents and purposes an accomplishment in the animal kingdom because it is an indication that the subject creature is an ideal specimen. The proof of this is that it has survived natural selection and thus hasn't died.
Yet, astoundingly, "old" is simultaneously something of an insult among modern humans. It's really strange. Everybody is working like mad to figure out ways to prevent people from dying, yet if you don't die before the age of maybe 50 or 60 in Western society it is almost like you are marginalized or expected to be ashamed of it. And you aren't even permitted to commit suicide - legally or morally. You are considered a coward if you kill yourself to avoid reaching the dreaded "old age" and yet should be ashamed if you do reach it. Wiser and older cultures revere and respect age, not curse it.
It's similar with the terms "washed-up" and "has-been". I can't for the life of me fathom why being successful or popular in a field is some kind of insult. I retired from the Marine Corps after 20 years and was told some time ago in an online thread that I was a "has-been". The thread, incidentally, had nothing whatsoever to do with anything military in nature. The idiot looked at my profile, saw I am a retired Marine, and decided that "has-been" would be a great insult. In order for this to be an insult would it not have to be possible to stay in the military forever? And ironically, if one did so, would people not be saying that one is clinging to the military because one is "afraid of having to make it in the real world"? Funny thing is, I'm doing the exact same job that I did when I was active duty. I just have a beard now. And this was coming from someone whose occupation was self-described as "house hubby".
A little while ago, some of the cast of the show "Happy Days" were suing because their likenesses were being used on slot machines and by their contract they are supposed to get a percentage of the revenue earned. I won't go into details but out come the legions of commenters that label these formerly beloved characters in one of the most popular shows on television "has-beens" and "washed-up", as if it is a total disgrace that their series didn't continue forever. They said "these old has-beens are all just broke so their suing", despite the fact that the guy that played "Potsy" makes over a million dollars a year to this day. They have a strange idea of "washed-up", and I wonder how much they pull in a year.
I saw an op-ed piece that talked about last year's Superbowl Chrysler commercial with Eminem. The writer was talking about the dismal state of Detroit and how they got a "has-been" to do a commercial for their auto industry. I'm not an Eminem fan by any means, but the guy could probably dig up the equivalent of that op-ed author's annual income out of his sofa cushions. And he still performs and makes millions each year.
So I guess the conclusion is that the young'uns are envious. It's way better to be a "has-been" than a "never was and never will be". "Old" and "washed up" as an insult is the last bastion of the no-account, the youthfully arrogant, the mediocre, and the failed. So if someone derisively calls you "old" or "washed-up", cheerfully wish that they will never be likewise troubled with the burden of either success and longevity.
Every living thing on this planet has two options: it either reaches advanced age or it dies before doing so. And it seems, the James Dean phenomenon notwithstanding, that remaining healthy and living as long as possible as opposed to dying is a top priority for most of the world. Trillions of dollars are spent worldwide on research to prolong life; whether through medicine, lifestyle, exercise, and supplements. People have searched for the proverbial "fountain of youth" since the time of Herodotus. I'm not talking about simply looking young - as through cosmetics or plastic surgery - I'm talking about the quest to live as long as possible.
The life expectancy in classical Rome was a grand total of 28 years old, now worldwide it's 67. In old Japan 50 was considered a ripe old age and all anyone could reasonably expect to live, now people in the 80s aren't remarkable at all. And this is generally considered a very good thing; nobody's taking arsenic supplements every day to stave off old age. Worldwide we have better hygiene, better food processing and storage techniques, better understanding of nutrition and exercise (though the obesity epidemic would indicate that we don't always follow what we have learned), better medicine, more advanced procedures and medicine for treating ailments and conditions that commonly strike those that are getting on in years.
Even nature rewards the smart, the strong, the fast, and the healthy by allowing creatures to get old. Old age is for all intents and purposes an accomplishment in the animal kingdom because it is an indication that the subject creature is an ideal specimen. The proof of this is that it has survived natural selection and thus hasn't died.
Yet, astoundingly, "old" is simultaneously something of an insult among modern humans. It's really strange. Everybody is working like mad to figure out ways to prevent people from dying, yet if you don't die before the age of maybe 50 or 60 in Western society it is almost like you are marginalized or expected to be ashamed of it. And you aren't even permitted to commit suicide - legally or morally. You are considered a coward if you kill yourself to avoid reaching the dreaded "old age" and yet should be ashamed if you do reach it. Wiser and older cultures revere and respect age, not curse it.
It's similar with the terms "washed-up" and "has-been". I can't for the life of me fathom why being successful or popular in a field is some kind of insult. I retired from the Marine Corps after 20 years and was told some time ago in an online thread that I was a "has-been". The thread, incidentally, had nothing whatsoever to do with anything military in nature. The idiot looked at my profile, saw I am a retired Marine, and decided that "has-been" would be a great insult. In order for this to be an insult would it not have to be possible to stay in the military forever? And ironically, if one did so, would people not be saying that one is clinging to the military because one is "afraid of having to make it in the real world"? Funny thing is, I'm doing the exact same job that I did when I was active duty. I just have a beard now. And this was coming from someone whose occupation was self-described as "house hubby".
A little while ago, some of the cast of the show "Happy Days" were suing because their likenesses were being used on slot machines and by their contract they are supposed to get a percentage of the revenue earned. I won't go into details but out come the legions of commenters that label these formerly beloved characters in one of the most popular shows on television "has-beens" and "washed-up", as if it is a total disgrace that their series didn't continue forever. They said "these old has-beens are all just broke so their suing", despite the fact that the guy that played "Potsy" makes over a million dollars a year to this day. They have a strange idea of "washed-up", and I wonder how much they pull in a year.
I saw an op-ed piece that talked about last year's Superbowl Chrysler commercial with Eminem. The writer was talking about the dismal state of Detroit and how they got a "has-been" to do a commercial for their auto industry. I'm not an Eminem fan by any means, but the guy could probably dig up the equivalent of that op-ed author's annual income out of his sofa cushions. And he still performs and makes millions each year.
So I guess the conclusion is that the young'uns are envious. It's way better to be a "has-been" than a "never was and never will be". "Old" and "washed up" as an insult is the last bastion of the no-account, the youthfully arrogant, the mediocre, and the failed. So if someone derisively calls you "old" or "washed-up", cheerfully wish that they will never be likewise troubled with the burden of either success and longevity.
posted by Soulend at 7:04 AM
