My Name Is Lisa

This fictional film documents a thirteen year-old girl dealing with her mother, who suffers from Alzheimer's disease. It won "Best YouTube Short Film of 2007," drawing the attention of millions of people all over the globe.

Lisa's situation really shook me. In some ways, I feel as though a mere teenager has become a sole caregiver. Roles within this family have radically reversed. Who has truly become the parent now? Lisa is the one making a sandwich nearing the end of the film...

Might Lisa's innocent face be hiding emotions she denies confronting? Her mother no longer even remembers her own daughter's name. Is Lisa adequately prepared for the long road ahead of her?

Awareness and knowledge of the disease would at least present Lisa with some tools to deal with the grief she inevitably feels. Disseminating that information to the public remains difficult yet crucial in these upcoming years.

not much just chillin’

In her anthropological study eloquently entitled not much just chillin’ (2003), Perlstein ventures into the lives of middle school students ranging from ages eleven to thirteen. Their secular culture has instilled a drive in them to grow up faster than they should and mirror the behaviors of vied after high school students. She cites, in her opening chapter, a third grader inquiring to his mother: “What if I skip middle school and go straight to high school?” (7); this interaction epitomizes the innate desires of many children his age. Why are middle school children so eager to speed through childhood into their adolescent years, only to slow to a tortoise-like pace, if not an abrupt stop, in this race during their latter stages of adolescence? The fact of the matter is that children are maturing too fast, especially for their parents. By stutter-stepping through adolescence, they can’t possibly prepare themselves for the surreal world of adulthood. Maybe if we as a society took action to prevent this stutter-stepping from occurring amongst youth at a young age, we can facilitate their transition into the adult world.

Adolescence: Is it all fun and games?

Unlike what misleading stereotypes portray, adolescence isn’t merely a care-free stage in life void of responsibility, self-sustainability, and arduous labor; on the contrary it is no joking matter. Dr. Jacquelynne Eccles—professor of Psychology and Education at the University of Michigan—and her team of researchers share this same sentiment on emerging adulthood in their 2003 adolescence research study found in the Journal of Adolescence Research. There, they explicate the importance of adolescence while clearly defining what it is. I agree with their stress on this period in life because it is so crucial in our development into pined after adulthood. This phase of life is an important time when youth interact with motley individuals, undergo a plethora of experiences, and make a slew of decisions that will be forever chiseled into the monuments of their lives. Any slight hindrance in this period can have drastic, deleterious effects on us in the long run. Maybe this is one reason why kidults unwilling to grow up have become increasingly prevalent in contemporary society. Still think adolescence is a transitory period for the weak-hearted?

Change the town, Change your life

Vitality Project!!

Step 1) Pick a town in America (small to medium size)
Step 2) Give the town or brainstorm ideas of how to live a healthier life style
Step 3) Do it!

End Result: Longer life

Dan Buettner, the author of The Blue Zones non-profit group organized a "vitality project" where he and other researchers from University of Minnesota and the entire town Dan chose in Minnesota rebuilt a "new" and healthy town over one summer. The town built new gardens, repaved sidewalks, and labeled names of foods in the market. Small changes in the environment, lifestyle, and group motivation literally helped improve and create a healthy, vitality rich culture in this one small town in Minnesota.

I've come across research about the relationship between the environment and aging/well-being which conjecture the exact results Dan Buettner received in his experiment. It's amazing how small changes truly make a huge difference, as cliche as that might sound. The town as a whole became more health conscious, established a popular culture, and lifted the spirit of young and old to live a healthier life. Maybe we should start a Stanford Vitality Project. yes?

Synecdoche, New York

Synecdoche, New York (2008), directed by Charlie Kaufman starring Philip Hoffman tells a story about a theater directer Caden Cotard, who is consumed by his fear of death as his life around him falls apart. With numerous medical ailments and separation from his wife and daughter, Cotard resorts to his profession in theater and constructs a piece that reflects his inability to confront his reality. In a warehouse, he replicates parts of the city of New York. He recruits more and more cast members and more and more years pass by without a finished product. Caden loses himself in his theater world and the world outside the warehouse, which ultimately leads to his death.

This seems like an extreme depiction of a mid-life crisis story. Being separated from your family, learning you might die, burying yourself in your artwork, and losing control of your self in this inevitable downward spiral...

It seems as though his fear of death seeped into every part of his life that pertained value and life to him. To what extent does one's fear of death inhibit one's ability to live? Is this an accurate portrayal of a mid-life crisis?

Social Networking or Social Necessity?

Supposedly, social networking websites such as Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and the like make it easier for people to stay connected with their friends; they provide additional means of communication. According to this recent article from the Washington Post, however, social "networking" has now become a social MUST. The article details the stories of several young people without such connections and the severe social ramifications of that. Not having a Facebook or MySpace account makes you, as a modern adolescent--GASP--different than 85 percent of your Millennial peers. People may shun you because you are oh-so unconnected. You may be ostracized. You may be teased. Or people may think you have extreme fundamental opposition (moral or otherwise) to such sites.

Sheesh. It sounds like we are talking about a momentous political issue. Like infinite youth trends before it, the use of social networking sites (or, more specifically, the lack thereof) serves as another way for young people to be ostracized. The irony is striking: some people think you can't be real friends if you're not "friends" on Facebook. And what kind of friend is that? I for one would much prefer my best friend, who--OH NO!--does NOT have a Facebook account at my bedside in the hospital if I were in a car crash than one of my Facebook "friends" who I haven't spoken with in years or didn't know all that well to begin with. But maybe that's just me. Hopefully, social networking doesn't become merely another form of exclusion...there are already too many forms in today's society.

May-December Gone Wild

Old men dating younger women...it is an extremely commonplace occurence in today's society. Actually, forms of it have existed throughout virtually all of human history (12 year-old princess brides, anyone?). Many people assume that the young women are in it for the money, and the old men are in it for other benefits. While this is probably often true, Something's Gotta Give, starring real-life ladies' man Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton, explores the "why's" and "how's" of May-December relationships (of both the older man-younger woman variety and vice versa). Why do older men want to date younger women, besides the most obvious reasons? Is it really a fear of commitment? And why are societal stereotypes of unmarried older men (suave bachelors) different from those of single older women (as, pardon the term, "old maids")? This movie, while on the surface simply another romantic comedy (albeit with very accomplished actors), provides a lot of insight on the age factor of romantic relationships. Plus, it really is hilarious.

Euthanasia and the Right to Control Death on Film

While this film is definitely on the serious side, it is a must-see when it comes to movies that deal with age and aging. Starring Javier Bardem (from Vicky Cristina Barcelona/No Country for Old Men fame), The Sea Inside is the true story of a Spanish paraplegic who campaigns for 28 years for the right of euthanasia, which was illegal in Spain at the time. This film raises questions on aging, like should we be allowed to take aging into our own hands and determine when we die? How does paralysis/terminal illness affect the way we age and the way we die? The movie reminds me especially of Kim's topic of the way society expects men with terminal illness to act. This is a beautiful film, and I believe this film won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film a few years ago.

Origins of the Quarter-Life Crisis, Film Edition

Mike Nichols famous 1967 film The Graduate with a young Dustin Hoffman gave us an early glimpse of so much that now consumes our culture: not least, the roots of the cougar (here's to you Mrs. Robinson) and the quarter-life crisis.  At the end of the day, a more conventional and authentic romance replaces the movie's central, aberrant relationship between Hoffman's character and the seductress, Mrs. Robinson.  But there is no conventional answer to the nascent quarter-life crisis as society awakens, perhaps, from the slumber of what poet Robert Lowell called the 'tranquilized 50s.' One hears more and more talk of the quarter-life crisis--indeed, at least two individuals in our research group are taking up the topic--but to what extent is Hoffman's life our own? Perhaps we are just more vocal than unique in our little quarter-life crises.  We can, after all, blog about it!

Halloween at 80?

When I think of Halloween, a few pictures come to mind. Little kids in superhero outfits trick-or-treating. The smell of fresh fall leaves and candy corn. That scene in Mean Girls where Lindsay Lohan embarrasses herself by dressing up as the bride of Frankenstein.

Somehow, I cannot picture 80-year-olds dancing to Missy Elliot's "Get Ur Freak On" and dressed up in towels, with canes covered in gold lame. However, this is the picture that Susan Dominus portrays in her feature article: "Where 30 is Ancient, 80 is Youthful." Not only is this article a fun snapshot of 80-year-olds partying at Halloween, but it also captures the irony of the East Village--a place where people feel too old to live at the ripe age of 32 and yet the older population has no problem returning to their youth.

Additionally, Dominus touches on the more serious issues of neglect that the older population faces in the East Village, which is due to the fact that most of the elderly residents are living at or below the poverty level. Dominus strikingly criticizes, "The older crowd is not always seen; the elderly may be too frail to get out, or when they are out, they fade into the background, mentally photoshopped out."

The Cat in the Hat on Aging

Again, how fitting!

The Cat in the Hat presents aging oh so negatively. And with that youthful, happy-cat picture of him, who would want to grow up anyways? “The Golden Years” seem to be distant, a time we want to avoid – but can’t. He lists all these things that ‘old’ people cannot do, all these things that will deteriorate, and all sorts of physical problems. He reminds us of what we may inevitably lose when we are old. But in doing so, he has a fighting, spunky approach, saying “The Golden Years can kiss my ass.”

This may suggest that when we age, our bodies may fail, but the intangible attitudes still prevail!

Wise Words from Dr. Seuss

Young cat, if you keep your eyes open enough, oh, the stuff you would learn!
The most wonderful stuff! --Dr. Seuss

I stumbled upon this quote as I was searching Google for things Dr. Seuss related, since I was The Cat in the Hat (Pats in the Hat, rather) for Halloween.

Dr. Seuss’ words here are very applicable to my current research on adolescents’ susceptibility to environmental influences. He concisely suggests that being “young” is a time for learning – learning things from what we see. I have read a lot about how TV shows present a narrow image of females: female protagonists seem to be young, beautiful, and limited to certain occupations. Because young girls are indeed keeping their “eyes open” to this media, they may begin to copy their favorite characters’ behavior and develop sexist attitudes. Our environment seems to be a powerful force that makes us act in certain ways, but research also shows that we do not necessarily become what we see. Teenagers may experiment and take on the appearance of a TV character, but no more than that. Teen girls may dress like Blair from Gossip Girl, but not necessarily become the drama queen that she is.

It’s kind of like dressing up Halloween… we take on a new role, but our inner selves are different from what’s on the outside.

The Sandwich Generation

I've been thinking a lot about Elna Rodenhouse's wisdom for the class this past Wednesday. I thought it was really interesting listening to the perspective of someone with so many talents in such a diverse range of fields. One idea that she happened to mention particularly caught my attention. The "sandwich generation," a term I've come across many times in researching Alzheimer's disease, is often pushed out of the picture given the public attention surrounding the treatment of patients suffering from the disease. Jesse F. Ballenger, a historian and former nursing home assistant, defines the term in Self, Senility, and Modern America as "adult children (mostly women) who were caught in the dilemma of having to care for both their own children and their aging parents" (131). This particular group of individuals is currently targeted for dealing with the rising number of Alzheimer's disease cases.

It has become apparent to me that a balancing of the needs of afflicted individuals and the needs of caregivers is critical to the health of both. How might society attempt to ensure care for both parties? I've pondered educational possibilities...