If America Was Obsessed with Our Older Generation

Alternate Reality: What, How, and Why?

Trent Warwick

Psychology 2301 - General Psychology

Professor Pinney

April 5th, 2018

In a world obsessed with youthfulness, we are constantly bombarded with ideas and stereotypes of how we should appear - wrinkle-free skin, pearly white smile, fit body, and hair without any signs of greying. “Young is beautiful” is portrayed in every aspect of our lives, from the time of childhood to seniority.  In marketing, tv shows, schools, jobs, video games, the news, the internet, etc., young characters are idolized and viewed as important. We are living with the mindset of never wanting to grow old. We want to stay young forever because growing old would mean that we would no longer be of any value or importance to the society we live in today. Corporations and the workforce often replace old employees with younger ones simply because they are more creative, adaptable, energetic, and efficient. Our entertainment industries such as movies, games, and magazines all cast leading characters who appear young and physically attractive. Nearly every person that speaks on the news or appears in reality tv has had plastic surgery or other procedures are done in order to appear younger than they really are. However, what would happen if this infatuation with youthful living was changed completely? How would our world be changed if old age is what we strived to reach?  Would our mindsets and behavior be changed? Would this affect jobs or how we educate our youth?

Starting with change, I believe that we would see an immediate and extreme change in our personal lives and also our culture as a whole. “Sweet Sixteen” magazine would transform into “Sweet Sixty.” No longer would celebrities such as Selena Gomez or Demi Lovato appear on the cover with their “perfect,” photoshopped bodies, but rather older men and women with apparent wrinkles and grey hair would replace them. From childhood, kids would have the idea ingrained in their mind that “old people are cool,” and in turn, would try to live like them. Teenagers would probably care more about long-term goals in life, rather than their popularity at school. Young adults would view college in a completely different manner as well. No longer would college students try to take the easiest classes in order to simply get a degree that nearly every future job will require them to have, regardless of the field they studied. This “quickest and easiest” technique would dissipate, and students would look into classes that teach them important information they will use in the future. They will want to gain as much information as possible in these years so that as time goes on in college, in their career, and in life, they can become a wise and knowledgeable senior citizen that others look to for help.