Nadia Vedadi

8:00 A.M. Class

HUMA 1100
Civic Engagement Assignment
The title of this piece is, Letter from Birmingham Jail, written by Martin Luther King Jr.
In this piece it was written during the civil rights movement. This was at a time that African
Americans were struggling with segregation and the terrible ways that some people were treating
them. These African Americans also had to suffer through negative stereotypes that people
would place on them. All the terrible things that they had to experience made people want to
come together and try to do something to make a difference. This is the reason we had people
like Martin Luther King Jr. step up and rise to the challenge. After being surrounded by hate
receiving and watching it happen this fueled King to desire equality for all.
The main argument in this letter that I saw over and over in this piece was to stand up to
injustice and inequality, but to be able to protest segregation in nonviolence way. In this piece it
calls attention to the negative effects that white people placed on the blacks. At this time blacks
were looked upon as less human and less capable to accomplish everyday tasks. I could compare
this same type of stereotyping to the way we treat our elderly. I liked this piece to compare
because it talks about establishing and maintaining rights for a major group. I enjoyed reading
this letter because the quality was so good, and it embodied the courage to stand up to fight for
what you believe in without showing the same violence back. A counter argument to this piece
in the eyes of the white supremacist or others who though that they were above other groups of
people would see not point in change or making equality happen because they see themselves
above others and deserving of the title.
I choose to be an allies to the elderly. By completing hours of service learning, doing
everything that was asked of me by the facility coordinator. Going into this I was pretty excited,

nervous but excited. I was eager to see what it was really like to be elderly and live in a
nursing home. Here is a little bit of insight into my experiences, and on the certain stereotypes,
cultural privileges, and infantilization of elderly that these people endure on a daily basis.
Our daily lives require systematic categorization, its natural and efficient behavior. To
make sense of the world, we group objects, events, even people based on similar features.
Identifying these characteristics helps us reduce the amount of repeating data we encounter, and
helps us make quick decisions in our fast paced lives, e.g. when we drive we exclude much
information so that we can concentrate on the most important data, like sudden brake lights
directly in front of us. This kind of behavior makes multitasking possible, but leaves us prone to
incorrect and sometimes inappropriate assumptions. If we walked into a retirement home without
the ability to categorize people into residents, staff, and visitors, we would quickly be confused
and over loaded by the complexities.
In my experience our efficient way of processing information can lead to inaccurate
stereotypes: Most of the elderly live in nursing homes; are unable to adapt to change; are bored;
are lonely; live alone; live in poverty; are often irritated and angry; have more injuries than
younger people; have higher rates of criminal victimization. These common beliefs regarding our
assumptions of the elderly can be problematic for those who do not actually fit into these
categories.
Ageism is common place in our society. A few examples illustrate how the behavior of an
older person is described in a prejudiced manner, where the same behavior by a younger person
is explained without stereotypes. When older people forget someone's name, they are viewed as
senile. When a younger person fails to recall a name, we usually say he or she has a faulty
memory. When an older person complains about life or a particular incident, they are called

cranky and difficult, while a younger person may just be seen as being critical. If an older person
has trouble hearing, he is dismissed as "getting old," rather than having difficulty with his
hearing. Children also can hold negative stereotypes about older people. Some young children
equate aging with being sick, unfulfilled, unhappy, or dying.
Older people can also face stereotypes on the job. The most common stereotypes about
older workers are that older workers are less productive, more expensive, less adaptable, and
more rigid than younger workers. Even though its unlikely that interest, motivation, and skill
decline with age, some employers often perceive older workers as resistant to change, slow to
learn new skills, and uncomfortable with new technologies. The stereotype that productivity
declines with age seems to be common place.
Societys stereotyping of the elderly often leads to discrimination. I observed that these
stereotypes present challenges not just for those that are elderly, they soon will be experienced by
all those who are lucky enough to live long enough. Thoughtful and considerate treatment of the
elderly by an individual, can and does make a difference. Knowing that we will most likely live
long enough to experience these challenges can help us keep an enlightened, respectful, and
appropriate perspective.
Not one person wants to be infantilized if they are obviously an adult. When someone is
different, or has a disability, we tend to break our words down, thinking they dont understand, or
give them special treatment thinking they cant do certain things on their own. One thing this
man named Greg told me is that he really disliked it when people would offer to do things for
him. He said Im capable of getting my lunch myself, thats what the wheelchair is for. They
have certain accommodations so that they DONT need to be treated differently, so that they are
able to confidently do the things the average person would be able to do.

Furthermore, from the experiences that I had volunteering I was able to interact with the
elderly and appreciate them more. We were able to recognize the stereotypes, cultural privileges,
and infantilization of the elderly by volunteering and spending time with the elderly. We believe
that this service can affect our community by giving support to the elderly and rightfully
respecting their needs. I believe that this volunteer work has made me appreciate the elderly even
more, since at some point in our lives most of us will see old age and be in the same exact
situation as the people I sought to help and previously stereotyped.