Ageism
and Society – Cartoon Analysis of Aging Stereotypes
This essay will focus
exclusively on the portrayal and perpetuation of ageist stereotypes in
cartoons. Cartoons are an interesting platform for conveying social norms due
to the diversity of their target audiences and often satirical tone, which can
be problematic because “older adults appeared in 1.5 percent of all television
portrayals, and mostly in minor roles”, casting a negative light on older
adults which often emphasizes “stereotypes of their physical, cognitive, and
sexual impotence” for comic relief (Montepare & Zebrowitz, 2002, p. 107). In other words, older adults are not well
represented in the cartoon genre and often used as comic relief instead of
displaying more realistic and empowering qualities of living into the third and
fourth age (Laslet, 1987). The goal of
this paper is to identify some of these common stereotypes across cartoons
geared towards older audiences , the family, and children. A simplified version of the Jefferson
Transcription System (Jefferson, 2004) is used to present the dialogues from
each cartoon excerpt.
Example
1: Positive and Negative Ageism of wily Grampa Simpson in Last Exit to
Springfield (1993) from series The Simpsons
16:20 - 17:20
Mr. Burns, the nuclear power plant owner, asks his assistant
to hire a security team to keep his striking employees at bay during a union
dispute for their dental plan. A crew of
five elderly gentlemen appears at his desk, in tattered civil war uniforms, led
by Grandpa Simpson, known throughout the series for his convoluted and long
winded stories.
Mr. Burns: Smithers,
get me some strike breakers, like the kind they had in the 30’s.
Grampa:
We can't bust heads like we used to. But we have our ways. One trick is to tell
stories that don't go anywhere. Like the time I caught the ferry to
Shelbyville. I needed a new heel for m'shoe. So I decided to go to Morganville,
which is what they called Shelbyville in those days. So I tied an onion to my belt,
which was the style at the time. Now, to take the ferry cost a nickel, and in
those days, nickels had pictures of bumblebees on 'em. "Gimme five bees
for a quarter," you'd say. Now where were we... oh yeah. The important
thing was that I had an onion on my belt, which was the style at the time. I
didn't have any white onions, because of the war. The only thing you could get
was those big yellow ones...
The scene begins with Mr. Burns sitting upright and alert
with his hands tented. As Grampa rambles
on, Mr. Burns, who is famed for being ambiguously ancient, frowns at Grampa in
exasperation with his head resting on his hand from boredom. He is also tapping
his finger on the desk as Grampa talks, signaling impatience. Mr. Burns starts
to close his eyes and then he and Smithers mutually roll their eyes at each
other as Grampa continues on with the convoluted yarn.
Grampa Simpson seems completely aware that his stories go
absolutely nowhere, by referring to his tales as a “trick” to keep people in
line. He seems to enjoy playing the part of the senile old man. A common stereotype is that the elderly love
to ramble on regardless of the dismay and discontent of their conversation
partners. This clip is an example of
positive ageism because Grampa is being a bit of a trouble maker, and willfully
abusing his elder status as an outlet for his rambling stories to torture those
who will listen because he is still sharp and has a sense of humor. To remedy the ageist stereotype of the senile
elder, Grampa could have played up his amusement of torturing listeners with
his stories that don’t go anywhere. The
clip leaves ambiguity if it is really for Grampa’s amusement and not because he
actually has lost cognitive capacity.
Mr. Burns is also an older adult, who is possibly older
than Grampa, but he was dressed in a modern suit, giving him a timeless
appearance appropriate for a business mogul. The shabby uniforms signified that
the older men are an “other” group, and living in a different world or time
period separate from modern society because of their status as elderly
(Johnson, 2011). The band of older men
could have been dressed in normal street clothes or in an updated uniform
instead of in the tattered civil war re-enactment outfits to show that they are
accepting modernity, or not holding on to their pasts.
Example 2: Quirky, Senile Granny
Defying Some Expectations and Confirming Others in Parents Day (2000) from the series Hey Arnold! 17:35 – 18:40
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGt09cH2X64
Arnold, a 4th grader at an urban public school
in New York, is competing in a Parents Day tournament. His parents went missing on an archeological
expedition when he was a toddler, so he has been raised by his quirky
grandparents in their boarding house.
After losing the egg toss to Arnold and his Grandpa, an overly
competitive parent slanders the unorthodox family and puts Arnold in a funk
over the peculiarity of his situation.
Arnold asks his grandparents to withdraw from the tournament but has a
change of heart when his grandpa tells him the real, unembellished facts
surrounding his parents’ disappearance. The
next morning, his Grandmother is wearing a black-belted gi and is making miso
soup for breakfast.
Arnold: uuh, I was
thinking, maybe we could go back to the parents tournament?
Grandpa: really? But I thought you said it was just for kids
with actual parents?
Arnold: yeah, but for
me that means you and Grandma.
Grandma: then it’s time
to man the battle stations! We’ll fight
‘em in the trenches, we’ll fight ‘em on the beaches! We’ll give ‘em heck, Harry!
As Grandma gives her battle speech, she stands on the
dinner table and her robe exposes defined varicose veins on her calves, the
table creaks and groans, and collapses, sending her flying into Grandpa’s arms. The whole family embraces.
This example assumes that older adults become senile
after a certain age. Although Grandma
Pookie and Grandpa Phil are loving caregivers, this piece of cartoon reinforces
that grandparents are fundamentally different from parents. Even though the
intention of the cartoon is to show that family can be diverse, and it is
raising a child with love and compassion that matters, the negative stereotype
remains by making the Grandma into comic relief with her senility and
kookiness, she consistently may not be a reliable and competent caregiver due
to her unpredictability. When Grandma
gives her clarion call on the table and it collapses, it not only uses her
energy and enthusiasm as an element of surprise because it goes against the
stereotype of the withdrawn, out of the loop elder, but it also makes the
viewer question what is safe for an older adult. Drawing attention to her varicose veins is an
interesting and subtle technique to implant the notion that although her spirit
is strong, her body is deteriorating. A
younger character would probably not break the table and the whole scene would
have been very triumphant, but instead it was wrought with comedic relief in an
otherwise emotionally charged episode.
Grandma, a white, lower middle class New Yorker, is a
very unexpected person to be well versed in Japanese culture (the miso soup),
and certainly not karate. I think those
unexpected elements of her character are essential for the show’s dynamic;
however, making her completely senile perpetuates a hurtful stereotype for the
elderly. People can be weird, quirky,
and have a tricky sense of humor, but by keeping her short term memory sharp,
it would help give young viewers a more positive outlook on cognitive aging and
hopefully garner more respect for their own grandparents. Grandpa Phil acts as the voice of reason. Grandpa delivers his line about “actual
parents” in a tone signifying that he already knew Arnold had had a change of
heart, but he wanted Arnold to come to a conclusion on his own. Grandpa Phil is perceptive and caring: if
Grandma’s craziness was toned down and she was more consistently involved with
parenting Arnold, then it would help convey a more respectful portrayal of an
otherwise enthusiastic, quirky, and theatrical grandmother as caregiver.
Example 3: Ageist Stereotypes of
Physical and Sensory Deterioration, Incontinence, and Loss of Mental Function
from Dexter’s Laboratory: Ego Trip (1999) 23:48 – 25:38
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11H3bJ2VlIg
Dexter, a boy genius super scientist, travels into the
future to band together with his 20-something year old self to save the world
from an unknown evil. Once in the
distant future, Young Adult Dexter and Boy Dexter come upon the beacon tower of
elderly, world saviour and scientific deity, Elderly Dexter.
Boy Dexter: We must be
at the top a-runnink the whole show! (sniffles and wipes away a single tear) I
did-a not think it could happen, but I am more of a gen-i-us than I already am!
Shall we?
Young adult Dexter and
Boy Dexter approach the door of the impressive tower and ring the bell.
Elderly Dexter: (very hoarse voice) WHO DARES DEESTURB THE
GA-REAT AND POWERFUL DEX-TOOOR WHILST HE DROPETH SCIENCE UPON THE WORLD?
Boy Dexter: We are the Dexters of the-a paaaaast. We have come from the paaast to find out how
we save the fu-ture, your all knowink presence.
Elderly Dexter: PRESENTS?!
I DIDN’T KNOW IT WAS MY BIRTHDAY!
I’LL BE RIGHT DOWN.
From the outside, Dexters
can hear a toilet flush and the clanking of Elderly Dexter coming down
countless flights of stairs and huffing for breath.
Elderly Dexter: WHO PUT THESE STAIRS HERE?
Clanking and huffing
continues until he can be heard screaming and tumbling down the stairs. He eventually crashes at what we assume is
the exit of the tower.
Elderly Dexter: AHHHHH MY HIP!
The doors to the tower
finally open and a binding green light bathes the younger Dexters. A wiggly little arm using a wrench as a cane
is the first visible part of Elderly Dexter.
He shuffles over to the other Dexters with squinting eyes.
Elderly Dexter: Hello!
Young Adult Dexter: HI!
Boy Dexter: Hello!
Elderly Dexter: hmmm
Young Adult Dexter:
HELLO!
Boy Dexter: Hey!
Elderly Dexter:
(looking concerned) What?
Young Adult Dexter:
HELLO!
Elderly Dexter: Hi!
Young Adult Dexter:
HELLO!
Boy Dexter: ...stop it.
Elderly Dexter: Who?
Young Adult Dexter:
what?!
Elderly Dexter: HELLO!
Young Adult Dexter: HI!
Boy Dexter: ...stop it!
This sequence carriers
on about 3 more times.
Young Dexter: STOP IT!
Elderly Dexter: (3sec)
Where are my presents?
There are many elements at play which combine to form an
elderly caricature complete with the most daunting aspects of aging while
exuding comic relief. Even before
Elderly Dexter leaves his tower, it is insinuated that he is frail and
incontinent because viewers can hear him flush the toilet before venturing out
into the world and can hear the metallic clang of a walking aid as he struggles
for breath down the stairs. His voice is
hoarse, subtlety signifying that he has to yell to hear himself speak because
he has lost most of his hearing.
Throughout the verbal exchanges with his past selves, exemplified by the
extended greeting process, he seems to first miss the initiation of greetings
because he cannot hear, then seems to have his memory reset every few seconds
so that the process of greeting becomes drawn out and painful for Boy Dexter;
however, Young Adult Dexter is oblivious to the frustration and confusion.
Although Glass (1996) states that seniors do experience
stiffer joints, weaker lung functions, hearing loss, and reduced bladder
capacity, Elderly Dexter is a shuffling ageist stereotype. He could be an example of successful aging at
its finest, considering that Dexter is supposed to be the greatest scientific
mind in the history of the world. He
could have easily been a beacon of hope to children about aging, by having a
brilliant intellect, quick humor, and mature conversational skills. Instead of shuffling with a wrench for a
cane, he could have made an awe-inspiring mechanical walking aid or power suit
to cushion his joints, which would also discreetly reinforce his intact
procedural knowledge for mechanics and physics.
References
Bartlet, C. (Writer
& Director). (12 April, 2000). Parents Day [60]. In Harrington, M. & Lamoreaux, M. (Producers),Hey Arnold!.
United States: Nicktoons Productions.
Glass, J. C. (1996).
Factors affecting learning in older adults. Educational Gerontology, 22(4),
359-372.
Jefferson, G. (2004).
Glossary of transcript symbols with an introduction. In Conversation
analysis: Studies from the first
generation. (13-31). Retrieved from http://www.liso.ucsb.edu/liso_
archives/Jefferson/Transcript.pdf
Jönson, H. (2013). We will be different!: Ageism and the temporal
construction of old age. The Gerontologist, 53(2), 198–204.
Kogan, J., Wolodarsky,
W. (Writers), & Kirkland, M. (Director). (11 March, 1993). Last Exit to Springfield [76]. In Jean, A. (Producer),The
Simpsons. United States: 20th Television.
Laslett, P. (1987). The
emergence of the third age. Aging and Society, 7, 133-160.
Montepare, J. &
Zebrowitz, L. (2002). A Social-Developmental View of Ageism. In Nelson, T. (Ed.), Ageism:
stereotyping and prejudice against older persons (p. 107). New Bakerville: New Graphic Composition, Inc.
Savino, C., Keating
Rogers, A., McIntyre, J., McCracken, C., Rudish, P. (Writers), & Tartakovsky, G. (Director). (10 December,
1999). Ego Trip [Dexter’s Laboratory]. In Tartakovsky, G. (Producer).
United States: Hanna-Barbera Productions.
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