The Role of Age in Today's Society

[Storm+]

I think that Fleisher's depiction of the current treatment of the elderly is fairly accurate. Much of America's older population has to face aggression and neglect on a daily basis. However, we cannot confuse our society's views of the elderly with the world's views of the elderly. In some cultures, treating the elderly with respect and taking care of them is a priority, whereas in American culture, it is not. If the demographic had changed from (mostly) white elders to, say, Chinese elders, the whole narrative might have shifted. The same problems might have arose in regards to guns, but with very different motivations.

[Julie Green]

I wish more books explored the point of view of the elderly, though I suppose only elderly authors can truly experience - and perhaps therefore accurately describe - what it actually feels like ..

[Mindy Conahye]

I just started reading this book the other day. Unfortunately, people do target elderly individuals as easy targets. We hear all the time about the phone scams or older people being taken advantage of. I don't necessary think it's to the degree as listed in the book, but I do believe our senior citizens get targeted for being used in numerous ways because of their age.

[Robby Chandra]

Parents are people who we must respect and respect, especially our own parents, namely our mothers and fathers, according to the teachings of my religion, serving our parents, especially our mothers, is the closest road to the end of the life of entering heaven.

[DakotaA]

"Elder" in literature usually means two things- either "Elders" which implicates knowledge and control or "elderly" as in weak of mind, body and usually also stuck in the past somehow. Generally, in books set in modern times, the latter is most common.

[Karen Crumley]

As the daughter of senior citizen parents, this book really strikes a chord with me. I still see my parents as capable adults, and functional members of society despite ailments and signs of age. As a sufferer of chronic illness, I sometimes perceive that they are more capable than I am most of the time. LOL
And, I know that they appreciate that and would prefer me to see them that way rather than to coddle them. They would be annoyed if I did that.

On the other hand, I see how businesses and organizations prey on the elderly. My late grandpa was taken in many times by door-to-door merchants who were pushing what was to become "the next big thing." Mind you I'm only 10% through this book as of this post, but I see how the senior discount on firearms inspired the characters to jump on the bandwagon.

Just like older women buy overpriced fashion jewelry from shopping networks, some corporations see them as "easy prey." I see so many television advertisements are pushing everything from "jitterbug" cellphones to emergency devices for the elderly. I wonder how much is well intended for the care and protection of our elders, and how much of it is corporate greed. Perhaps a fair amount of both, but so many people prey on the vulnerability of the older generations.

[Renu G]

The book focuses on the security issues faced by seniors and would have been very different it another age group had been chosen.

[Atara Miles]

There are a ton of people who are very dismissive and sometimes even hateful towards the elderly. I once watched a video of a man in his twenties harassing an elderly couple who did nothing more than walk on 'his' sidewalk, similar to the scene when the elderly gentleman was harassed by the young man in Final Notice.

With America's climate, all you have to do is go on social media to see videos with Muslims,Mexicans and African Americans, among others, being the target of racial hate.

[Namaste23]

I do think he portrays our current societal view of the elderly correctly. Everybody is too busy to slow down enough to care about elderly people. That work is outsourced just like kids in daycare. I think the elderly have special circumstances that made them a viable demographic for the story. They are old and their bodies and minds are declining, but they are still healthy enough to make decisions for themselves. I don’t know that another demographic would have worked in the same way.

[Amy Luman]

I don’t think the elderly are treated very well in our society. They are seen as having old-fashioned views and their opinions are often dismissed. In fact, they, themselves, are often dismissed. I think that the behavior described in the book is seen as easily attributed to this segment of the population. Any other demographic would have had to have had their actions explained further.

[Chimezie Agbata]

To an extent, i think the present generation seem to be careless towards elderly. However, we live in a dynamic world that keeps changing everyday. It is important that the older generation should give way for younger generations who are up to date with the current trend on technological and political advancement to lead the way.

[koffi Malay]

I had a lot of thoughts about this. I felt some things felt a bit stuffy to me and I realized that may be because this book would speak better to someone older.

[Samuel Okoye 2]

Judging from several reviews I've seen in this forum, I think the writer wasn't far from what is obtainable in western societies. Not withstanding, there are still societies where the elderly are still respected and reverenced.