Class notes - Thursday 30th January 2014

Apply the stereotypes of Age we learned last week (and below), justify and explain HOW the analysis on the slides constructs the stereotype and 'AGED' meaning

-Youths are classes as the stereotypes "beautiful and alive" because they are in their prime; they do not have wrinkles and haven't aged massively in their physical features which causes them to appear desirable. They're portrayed as "alive" because they have the freedom to do whatever the please; not worrying about responsibilities or consequences - they are free to make mistakes and live their lives to their own (sometimes reckless) decisions.
-Adults fall into the stereotype categories of "authority, responsible and control" because they have the upper hand when it comes to major decisions. Adults have life experience and wisdom which makes them respectable. They are at the age where they clearly know what's moral and immoral so they re completely responsible for their actions and the actions of younger people around them. Adults have control because people listen to them and they're wise enough to make decisions
-The stereotypes "vulnerable, frail and isolated" can be applied to both youths and elderly people. Youths can be portrayed as vulnerable, frail and isolated because they're gullible, naive and don't have enough life experience to know what's right or wrong. Youths could also feel isolated because they too young to be listened to or taken seriously and the pressure of adolescence could make them feel alone and not part of the crowd. Elderly people could fall into the stereotypes of "vulnerable, frail and isolated" because they are dependant on others and cannot fend for themselves. They are classed ad "frail" because they are no longer physically able to do the activities and regular routines that they used to part-take in due to their aged form. This also causes them to be slow. Elderly people are classed as the stereotype "isolated" because they are usually lonely; their friends and partners may have died or no-one wants to associate themselves with them due to their age.
-Youths are associated with the stereotypes "rebellious, threatening and irrational" because of how they are portrayed in the media and news reports. Adults and elderly people are afraid of youths because they are physically able, independent and free to do as they please which leaves youths with copious amounts of power.
-Elderly people are seen as the stereotypes "traditional, wise and experienced" because they are set in their ways and think that they know how everyone should behave. They are seen as "experienced" because they've done the majority of things they wanted to do in their lives and have a deep understand of how the world works (which also makes them wise).
-The stereotypes "impetuous, reckless, irresponsible and spontaneous" apply to youths because they do not think properly about consequences, are easily influenced and make instantaneous decisions purely because they can