E*****Y

You are probably thinking, "E*****Y, what is that, a curse word I don't know?" Well, it's a new "curse word" that is apparently becoming unacceptable in society to use due to an increase in political correctness. So, what is this new forbidden word?

Elderly.

Gasp, I can't believe I used that word.

All kidding aside, this is actually something that is happening. As the baby boomers get older, which truly started in 2011, there are becoming more and more people at the retirement age and older. These people have become offend by the use of the terms like "elderly" or "senior" because the terms have connotations with being sad and inactive. In today's society with people having longer life spans they are more likely to stay active in their later years; so, they don't want to be associated with terms such as sad and inactive. While this is a fair point, that does not justify claiming the word "elderly" is unacceptable.

However, this point of view is gaining support as groups make changes to reflect this mindset change. For example, the American Association of Retired People officially changed their name to simply AARP as to no longer use the word retired, which can also be seen as offensive. Another change in the population has been to change companies that provide elderly care or senior care to providing in-home or companion care.

Photo By: LCCR&LCCREF

This issue of what to call people over the age of 65 years old has been discussed more and more as the media, through advertisements, politics, and other groups, have tried to figure out what to group this range of aged people as while not offending them.

One of the main reasons I think this concept is absolutely ridiculous is based on how we have always viewed the elderly. Throughout most cultures and time periods the elderly have been revered as wise and the ones at the top of society. Why should we change this now and do we even have the right to do so?

Most people have a goal in life to achieve something that allows them to leave a legacy behind and to achieve things throughout their life. Reaching retirement used to be a sign that at least some of these goals were achieved and as an "elderly member of society" you achieved some level of wisdom and status. If we remove terms like elderly and retirement, we also remove the idea of completing a goal and to some extent seeing your legacy played out.

Photo By: Patrick Doheny

An interesting concept was brought up in an article from the Telegraph about how we call older people "senior citizens" but don't refer to those under the age threshold as "junior citizens." Personally, I think this is a good. I think you should only get a title of "senior citizen" once you have reached a certain point in your life, similar to the idea of retirement and legacies. There is no reason to have a title before this point because honestly it doesn't matter you are ultimately working the goal of senior citizen where you can enjoy an easier life.

Another point brought up in the Telegraph was that 80% of older Americans have been victims of ageism, where they were assumed less capable due to their age. The explanation for this was terms like elderly, "sweet, little old ladies," and seniors all of which apparently represented the older folks as weaker.

Come on.

A term like these, that most people associate with grandparents they adore or people have already done a lot for society does not make them weak. In fact, it makes them seem stronger as younger citizens go to them for advice.

I don't understand how people can think just because the elderly are heading towards the end of their life this makes them weak. At the end of life is when people tend to fight the most.

So for once, let's stick to what the status quo has always been- call older people elderly. I see nothing wrong with it. In fact, I see it as a honor.

It is silly that, as all political correctness has a tendency to do, we have created an atmosphere in which the term elderly is apparently seen as weaker and is therefore not an okay word to use when talking about or to older people.

So, what do you think, do we need to change what we call the elderly?