Battleangel | Personal

It’s a valid question these days. As you get older, and more to the point, more aware, you realize how drastically our self-perception has changed over the last couple of decades. Of course it should be nothing new to someone who is extensively well-read in behavioral science, but as always reading about it and experiencing it are altogether two different things.

Ageism and specifically jeunism (the preference for young people over older people) is a form of discrimination that is on the rise these days. And it could very well be the stupidest form of discrimination known to exist, as it not only promotes ignorant yobs but also worships a state of existence that is as flimsy as the mayfly. At least with adultism you had something to look forward to and the experience that comes with age is always an added bonus that no one can take from you. So contrary to most other forms of discrimination, this behavior is nonsensical from a practical perspective as it is sure to backfire. After all we can’t stop ageing and so we will inevitably reap the whirlwind.

Watching Swedish television and listening to the radio, I am constantly reminded of this phenomenon. They start to talk of focus groups and the media channels that once stood for quality and seriousness are reduced to whimpering shadows of their former selves. Suddenly sensitive to any change in the meteorological patterns of cultural and social structures they start to chase target audiences instead of letting the audience come to them. This obviously only compounds the problem, adding fuel to the jeunistic fire. Sure, there are always going to be a few token old folks around, but the televised media in particular is increasingly becoming a skimpy act, coupled with skimpy clothing and skimpy intellects. Nowadays we have a Eurovision program for children, just to name one among many such examples, not to mention childrens’ game shows. And then there are the adults who at least to some degree dress up as lolitas (and whatever the male equivalent of a lolita is). Not content with looking the part, the also have to resort to a seriously annoying childish demeanour.

So why is this phenomenon happening in the first place? Well, part of explanation is of course simply human nature. We’re social and designed to categorize the world around us, form groups and contend for scarce resources. Any form of discrimination or racism are dark sides to those very natural processes. Is is perhaps likely that this is a “normal” reaction against adultism that reigned for the better part of the last century? A pendulum effect as it were. Maybe, but I believe there the explanation is to be found in commercial and sex-driven culture where the youth cult plays an important part. Not just in terms of sexual attractiveness but also because of the gigantic new target audience that just opened up for marketeers. A target audience that not are consumers in their own right but also influence parents and will one day grow up to become consumer adults. Though in this case they’re likely to remains children for their entire lives and this splendidly serves the purpose of market forces as the child mind lacks the ability to make rational choices and, lets be frank, hold on to money. So if your purpose is to get people to buy a new iPod or cell phone every year, this trend couldn’t be more convenient.

With all these forces building in the same direction, sometimes unwittingly, we are probably going to be stuck here for a while and the side effects could be dire. After all, an adolescent culture almost certainly guarantees unthoughtful decisions. We need only look at the United States to see a society mired in the problems that come with jeunism. Here we can observe the more insidious side of jeunism, as behavior and mentality are affected but physical age of the politico for instance would suggest that jeunism isn’t at all present. But again, if you can’t look the part, you can still act the part. Combined with the negative effects of media reach and media globalization, standardization, we are in for a rough ride and it is going to get a lot worse before things improve.