Posted 02/18/2009 - 04:45:54pm by Terry Nagel in Promoting Encore Careers in the Media
Let's face it: The images of older Americans on TV aren't often appealing. They are portrayed as doddering, forgetful, unattractive and incoherent - or, worse, they are altogether missing from the screen. How long has it been since an intelligent, mature woman appeared in a starring role on TV, like Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury) of "Murder, She Wrote"?
A Yale study cited in 2005 in the Journal of Social Issues found that the older Americans view television, the more negative their impressions of aging become.
How can we promote positive images of older individuals, preferably in encore careers, on TV? Is it time, as someone proposed at the recent Encore Careers Summit for a show called "Geezer Apprentice"?
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Who are you calling a 'geezer'?
I found this email interesting, but, most likely, not for the reasons you may think. First, I think that the images of seniors has been changing a great deal on tv and in film mostly because some of our favorite great actors/actresses are changing them. Jane Fonda in Monster in Law, anything with Julie Andrews or James Garner, Clint Eastwood, Goldie Hawn, Susan Sarandon, Jack Nicholson, the list goes on...they don't play the bent over, codgers we saw decades ago. While it's true there aren't enough roles for older actors, it's better than it was and getting better in different venues -- not the blockbuster serials, but the small independent films.
The other snag I have is the name 'geezer apprentice'. What we found in developing and producing shows the past 2 years on RL is that mature adults don't think of themselves as old. It is younger people who label them old or senior or geezer or whatever label someone uses to identify them by age. It's very similar to Black neighbor or Jewish friend or female executive...the mere labeling is the discrimination. This is a problem inherent in Encore Careers' message as well as any endeavor working to create more opportunities for those in their second half of life...no one fits into this category, easily.
One more thing...
The Yale study and other like minded studies, conversations, etc. fed into John Erickson's determination to create RLTV. He hopes to counter the superficial views of aging in the media today. It's interesting how very few media outlets are interested in carrying stories about those in the second half of life, part of this is because the folks making the decisions at the networks, studios, etc. are usually in their 20s and 30s..sometimes 40s and have very little empathy or knowledge about aging. They see aging as something 'out there' and objectify it, it's why advertisers (who are the main culprit in all this) don't want to advertise on shows that contain stories or info on Boomers and beyond...it's truly old thinking and it's the advertisers that need to be awakened to this change in demo -- much more so than the folks making creative decisions...Hollywood goes where the money is.
Can-do-gooder attitude
Your header, "Geezer Apprentice," is especially ironic this week, when The Donald is getting the finger jab and a judge saying, "You're bankrupt." And for the third time, no less.
More to the point of the television show is that it misses several points. One, on which I quoted Marc Freedman in my final issue of Aging Today (January-February 2009), is that encore careers will prevail but for more prosaic reasons and for a broader (often less affluent) group than these producers are looking for to sustain an entertainment vehicle. Nurses, teachers, nonprofit managers--those are some of the areas needing people who are looking for more fulfilling endeavors. If you build it for older workers, they will come. That makes sense. Those fields need to respond by welcoming mature people in the community and designing employment opportunities with the flexibility to attract, train and supervise them.
My second response to the announcement about the program is that these people are going to present a new stereotype of corporate types with lots of option money and a can-do-gooder attitude. What's realistic is that people are struggling now. Quit your job to run a llama farm? These people are living in 1999, not 2009. I got lucky with an "encore" opportunity, but the genuinely exciting new challenges came with health insurance. As for Donald Trump, maybe owning casinos in Atlantic City was his encore career. But somehow, I can't see him joining Kaiser to save on premiums and copays.
It's already happening!
Someone is already creating a show about boomers pursuing encore careers!
Here's the message a received today:
HI! I'm casting a new Show and was wondering if you knew any one--here's what we are looking for!
Calling All BABY BOOMERS!
MSN and Reveille - producers of "The Office," "Ugly Betty," and "The Biggest Loser" - are casting a new online series that will feature inspiring stories about people that have finally made the leap from dreaming about a change to making their passion a reality! If this sounds like YOU or someone you know, then we want to hear from you!
Have you ditched your inactive, corporate nine to five job to follow your real physical passion such as becoming a surf instructor, rock climber or marathoner? Have you decided that a unique lifestyle change such as running a Llama farm, opening a floral shop or a small catering company has inspired you more than crunching numbers behind a desk?
Are you pursuing the active lifestyle that you finally realized you are so passionate about? Did you decide to shake the dust off your life and are now starting your "second act" by actively embracing the sort of new experiences you would never have considered, even when you were younger? Have you made your dreams of getting the most out of your life a reality?
If you are a healthy and active "Baby Boomer" (45-65) individual/couple who has recently made a conscious decision to take positive steps towards reinventing your life, then we are looking for you!
Please send a short summary of your experience along with a recent photo to: lexishoemaker@aol.com
thanks so much-
Lexi Shoemaker