Some Commercials For Your Entertainment!
6 Flags
Boost Mobile
Snickers
My guess is that while watching those commercials, most people would crack a smile or even laugh. This is exactly what the makers of these commercials are aiming for. But at what cost? These commercials are made to be funny because of one thing: they show elderly people doing things that are against what we think is normal for people their age to do. The media exploits the elderly for entertainment. A current example of ageism in media is the movie Bad Grandpa, where the whole movie revolves around a guy dressed as a old man doing things that old men wouldn't normally do. "I've fallen and can't get up!" "Where's the beef?" Just by hearing those two quotes, most people automatically know where they come from. There were so many commercials that had to do with ageism that it was difficult to choose which ones to put in this post.
The three commercials that I have chosen all show things that people would find funny because it makes elderly people look silly. But where does the line stand between silly and idiotic? The first commercial that I chose is the classic 6 Flags commercial. It shows an elderly man shuffling off a bus, holding his back and adjusting his large glasses. Then, all of a sudden, he starts dancing wildly to loud music. Most people would find this funny because you never see old people dancing so bizarrely. The second commercial is for Boost Mobile and shows an elderly woman using vocabulary that most people would never expect from a person her age. She uses phrases like "ight", "yo", "home-girl" and "where you at". Boost Mobile had a line of commercials that all used the slogan "Boost Mobile. Designed for young people. But its just more fun showing old people." Boost Mobile knows that people think its funny watching old people do or say dumb things. The third commercial is a Snickers commercial starring Betty White. This is relatively new and shows Betty White playing football, getting tackled, and cracking jokes. Betty White is a good example of ageism in the media because recently she has been in commercials or guest starred in T.V. shows that show her doing and saying things that are against what is stereotypically normal for older people. Media needs to move away from only showing the elderly as dumb people that are only there for people's amusement. I was surprised by how many commercials revolved around making older people the center of the joke and I hope that there will be more commercials that show elderly people in a better light.
#2: It is very brave of you to write about this controversial topic in today's society. I agree with you that many individuals tend to overlook ageism and I think that the media often goes way too far when trying to portray older people just to get high ratings on their shows, movies and commercials. At first glance these are all very funny commercials but I can really understand how society targets the elderly and it is quite hurtful. I can't even imagine how some of them feel because they are being joked around with or as you stated they are actually the center of the joke. I hope that these incidents will spark some sort of a debate about how these companies are crossing the line and to what degree they are disrespecting the elder population around the world.
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