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What’s Wrong with Being “Old?”
It’s not an insult unless we let it be
Early in his writing career, Kurt Vonnegut was surprised and annoyed to find his stories relegated by reviewers to “the drawer labeled ‘science fiction.’ “ He wrote, “I would like out particularly since so many serious critics regularly mistake the drawer for a urinal.”
Many adults of a certain age have feelings similar to Vonnegut’s when it comes to the drawer labeled “old.” We hate that label. We despise that label. We reject that label. And if you doubt that, the proof is in the profits — for anti-wrinkle creams, hair coloring, cosmetic surgery, gym memberships, weight-loss drugs, and of course, Viagra. We will do almost anything to avoid being seen as old.
It may be technically correct to say that the word “old” is a neutral term, yet we know that’s not true. In a society that equates youthfulness with goodness, vitality, creativity, and (lest we forget) beauty, “old” becomes a pejorative. We become defensive because we want no one to think we are ready for obsolescence. We reject the word because of its implied subtexts — we refuse to consider ourselves decrepit, pitiful, useless, or hanging out in God’s waiting room.
