HUMANS OF HISTORY

Forward

Sharing My Work with Others

             Although my permanent home is in New York, I have been a full time student for the past two years at the University of Michigan. I have travelled all around the world, from the Middle East, to Europe, to Central America, and throughout the states. One cultural aspect I have not been able to help but pay special attention to is how the elder generation is treated by younger members of each society.

            This observation was not intended; in fact, it has been somewhat of an autonomous function for me over the past few years. Did I mean to notice the respect with which grandchildren treat their grandparents in the middle east and other regions throughout the world? No. Did I mean to notice the fact that elderly care is seen as a burden by the majority of the American population? No. But, have I? Unfortunately, Yes.

            During my freshman year, I wrote a research paper criticizing American Culture for the way we treat our elderly, focusing on the fact that American citizens typically try and escape old age, not embrace it. I contrasted this mental model with that of cultures around the world – China, India, the Middle East, and even Europe. This developed into something more than a curiosity; a mission. It was now my job to raise awareness for this stark inequality, and help change it. 

            My first attempt at this goal involved focusing on an aspect I thought was emblematic of this deep flaw: America’s addiction to plastic surgery. The growing dependency on unnecessary medical intervention to erase the appearance of “fine lines,” or really any semblance of aging, is a testament to the American mindset of “old = bad.” In order to portray this mental model, I set out to write a short story from the perspective of a man truly addicted to plastic surgery. By consulting articles such as “How to Write a Short Story from Start to Finish,” I quickly learned the fundamentals of the genre, and attempted to apply it to my intended plot. What I quickly realized is it can be extremely difficult to write any sort of authentic work, from a perspective that isn’t your own. For this reason, my piece was ineffective in bringing about the change I had originally set out to bring. It was back to the drawing board. 

            My next attempt: a video awareness campaign for the mistreatment of the elderly in the United States, in comparison to other countries around the world. Using iMovie, I compiled pictures of elderly people from all different countries, accompanying each photo with a striking fact about elderly care in that region. In accordance with the advice of “How to Craft a Video Awareness Campaign that Turns Heads,” I kept my video direct, used few words to let the pictures do most of the talking, and did extensive research. This research, in turn, was reflected in the facts I provided for each region. Sources such as “How the Elderly Are Treated around the World,” and “Honor or Abandon: Societies' Treatment of Elderly Intrigues Scholar,” contributed to my stark contrasting of American sentiment of the elderly to that of our surrounding regions. 

            From a practical perspective, there was nothing wrong with the awareness campaign video. It highlighted how the elderly our treated, provided some hard facts for the audience to grasp, and did so in a timely and convenient manner. The true problem was intangible: no one wants to watch a video that leaves them with a heavy, bitter heart – especially my intended adolescent audience. After doing some digging at the Undergraduate Library on campus, I came across “Humans of New York: Stories,” by Brandon Stanton. Through reading his insight into what makes a good photo blog, and why his work is so effective, I decided to change my approach. I created an Instagram page titled “humansofhistory_” dedicated to pictures of elderly people from around the world who I have or intend to interview, and their stories. I created a set of carefully drafted questions to ask each interviewee, and secured my first subject: Yaffa from Tehran, Iran. 

            This website is a compilation of all that I have learned throughout this process. I have included the awareness campaign video, to maintain my message and provide serious data to those who seek it, as well as the stories and photos of my interview subjects. My aim for this photo blog is to draw attention not only to our mistreatment of the elderly in the United States, but to highlight their importance as a generation. To disrespect our past it to disregard our future – something that I am sure no one is society is actively seeking to do. I think by hearing the stories of these figures, and connecting with them on a deeper level, our society will embark on the first steps towards treating the elderly with the respect they deserve.