1223 Ageist

Comment:

I really, really enjoyed this article! It is well-written with minimal mistakes, and puts forward an interesting and cleverly- crafted perspective. Thank you for this, Min. Keep writing.

1223 Ageism

Back when I was in college, I remember hearing about an 82 year-old renowned scientist who married a woman who was young enough to be his granddaughter. The scientist was a Nobel Prize winner as well as a household name in China, and I clearly recall the sudden turn of people’s opinions toward him soon after the news had broken. Though in truth, an American of Chinese ancestry or Chinese-American, he used to be widely revered and even seen by us here as a national hero. Such status and glory, however, quickly lessened and tarnished once their marriage became publicly known. The two instantly became objects of ridicule and insults as people simply found it hard to believe that there existed any genuine love between them given the age difference; instead, it was seen as the unsavory and despised combination where one craved what the other offered--wealth and youth. I, too, also recall harboring my own share of reservations then, but I had also thought that as adults, that it was their own business and they were entitled to make decisions concerning their own lives. What they had done was first, not against the law, and second, not harming anybody else, though it may have been objectionable, if not morally questionable, to others. Due to those reasons, I then believed that it was inappropriate for any outsiders, including myself, to be overly critical of them.

That all came back into my mind today because I read something online that touched on a similar situation. Someone commented that younger women would only date much older men for two reasons: “their big money and short life expectancy”, a response that resonated well with me and, judging from further comments, many others. Yet, a comment from another viewer provided a different perspective of this age issue. He talked about how one’s age has increasingly become a liability for the older you are, the more unattractive you are considered to be, regardless of your personal qualities or capabilities. Older people are viewed, if not somewhat marginalized, to the degree that any notion of their somehow being physically attractive to someone of a much younger generation is deemed to be laughable. He argued that this is ageist, and is equally wrong much in the same way that people in the world are sexist and racist. The truth of his feedback prompted me to reevaluate my own beliefs on this issue. On the one hand, we take for granted that love based on physical attraction is shallow, for we are supposed to value someone for their qualities as a person rather than solely on their appearance. So why then, when it comes to a relationship with age differences, people will automatically start mocking it simply because of the contrast in the parties’ physical appearances? Furthermore, they then also question the “real intentions” behind it? Granted, perhaps, it’s because the more publicized of those unions do fall into the category of a Sugar Daddy or Mummy type, but there could still be other, lesser known, situations in which money is not at play. If that is in fact the case, shouldn’t it be our turn to show an open and understanding mind?

Hi Min! This is another very well-written and thought-provoking composition. As usual, my changes here are minor and more stylistic in nature than grammatical. You’ll find my comments in the usual place. And, it looks like I have a lot to catch up on! As always, I hope that this helps you. J.