THANKS, BETTY

(or, “The Last Ism”)
First in a series of “The Owl and the Elephant”


By
Ruth Lampert

Copyright Ruth Lampert September 2010


…and thanks also to the rest of you “old timers” who have come upon the scene just in time for this blog. You, Betty White, and many like you, are bringing down walls of prejudice, this time against “ageism.” I can remember (I’m sure some of you can too, and now it’s o.k. to admit it) when newspapers and other media pictorially portrayed various minorities in physically insulting ways. Political cartoonists especially employed grotesquely big noses, huge mops of then-unfashionably frizzy hair, gruesomely thick lips, etc to depict the various minorities which I am sure you can match to the racial/ethnic stereotypes. And while unattractive _ physical characteristics (think big ears) are still employed, they are ethnically neutral. *
It is still true that we elderly are often mocked in ways that go beyond the “hey where’s your sense of humor” rationale.’ Seinfeld is over, but repeats abound; on a recent one, Jerry’s parents move to a retirement facility where an election of officers is being conducted. The residents are uniformly portrayed as ludicrously stupid. It can be said in defense that everyone on the show is portrayed as ridiculous, but by no means are they all unattractive. On another episode the principals volunteer to “cheer” lonely old people – again, the recipients of care are without exception foolish, mean, and ugly.

Compare this with “Frazier,” also currently on repeats, in which the elderly father has foibles and eccentricities and sometimes he is right and sometimes wrong - - as are all the other characters. Case in point: “being funny” is not the same as “being made fun of.”

Stereotypically, if not mean-spiritedly, just about everywhere grandmothers are linked with grandchildren and cookies. Lord knows I adore my grandchildren and great-grandchildren (I told you I was old) and my long, loving relationship with cookies is widely celebrated, but as you can see I am also involved in other activities, as are most of my grandma buddies. We even sometimes talk about men – is that hilarious or what?

Which segues me nicely to the bright, talented, pretty, energetic, “new”comedy star, Betty White. They don’t come much funnier at any age, and I predict (remember, you heard it here first, unless you already heard it somewhere else) that we will soon see many other geriatric stars, new and recycled, in the entertainment firmament.
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As in a recent Sunday edition of the Los Angeles Times which featured a long article about 84-year-old Mel Brooks who “has a new star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame” following 15 months on Broadway with “The New Mel Books Musical Young Frankenstein, ” and a film retrospective at the Egyptian Theatre.

Other fields are sure to come forward with recognition of the on-going accomplishments of “oldsters.” (Sports stars maybe not so much) Scientists, statespersons, musicians, authors, even blog-writers, will be lauded in paeans, likely to begin: “At an age when most of his/her contemporaries are dozing off at inopportune moments (blogger’s note: o.k. so what?) he/she is busily engaged in…..”

Of course it is not just the famous who can and should be portrayed in an “equal opportunity” manner. Simply by not having the white-haired extras doing stereotypical activities, any more than African American women are no long portrayed mostly as maids, the point is made.

A caveat: hopefully this movement will not go to a place where all older people MUST be portrayed as healthy, active, accomplished, etc. It’s got to be o.k. to age as nature intended, to be frail and diminished in so many ways; I do not believe the intention was for the process to be ludicrous or demeaning.

So pay attention to what I am saying, just as if I were a wise elder.


* An aside: why do we refer to Barack Obama as “black,” when he is actually bi-racial? #