The Older Citizen
As a society, what are common ways in which we talk about older people?
In social theory, discourse refers to units of communication that make up broader societal meanings, interpretations, and systems of thought. While aging has meaning as a physiological process with associated impacts on one’s body, mind, and experiences, concepts like aging, later life, and old age are also constructed through social discourses and meanings. These constructions then come to inform what we expect of our own futures, what we see in ourselves and others as older people, and how we experience and approach the life-long aging process.
One common, often political or philosophical, construction of aging frames older adults as one segment of a broader society, a citizen base with distinctive needs, desires, and challenges. Some political narratives frame older citizens as vulnerable and therefore deserving of assistance, while others may portray this group as feared or empowered political base. The interests of older citizens have also been distinguished by other social positions such as their gender, race, and class.
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Essay on Old Age, 1780
Call Number: C7287
Historically, old age has been constructed as a stage of life characterized by physical decline and waiting for death – an inevitable burden to be borne. However, resistance to this sentiment has also appeared in public discourse for centuries and was critiqued and refuted by the Marquise de Lambert (1647 – 1733) in her Essay on Old Age. Born Anne-Thérèse Marguenat de Courcelles to an aristocratic family in Paris, the Marquise became a prominent salonnière in her 60's, hosting well-known philosophers and acquaintances to write and share their works in her home. She often wrote and shared her own brief essays, including Counsels of a Mother to her Son (1726) and New Reflections on Women (1727) as well as essays critiquing unequal distributions of wealth, materialism, and false virtue.
In the displayed essay, she critiques the neglect of older citizens, decrying old age as a “season given up to pain and vexation,” noting that women bear the brunt of impoverishment and psychological isolation associated with old age: “Throughout their lives, we have given men all the assistance necessary to perfect their reason and to teach them the great science of happiness...We do this work only for men. For women in all ages, on the contrary, we simply abandon them to themselves."
Following the death of her husband in 1686, the Marquise found herself near impoverishment due to legal disputes over the inheritance and management of his estate. This experience informed her arguments around the need for improvement in women's financial and political voice, options, and circumstances, which would in turn, she argued, improve their experience of old age.
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Agrarian Justice, 1817
Call Number: Howey C3634
While old age has often been viewed as a period of decline in relation to health, enjoyment, and social connection, older adults, as citizens of democracies, have also been constructed as political problems to be solved, particularly in relation to the issue of maintaining their sustenance and livelihood. Historically, older adults have been discussed alongside other frequently destitute or dependent populations such as "the infirm" and "the blind." While such constructions can position older adults as vulnerable, frail, or in need, policies have also been informed by positioning of older citizens as being among the "deserving" poor, provided that they have contributed to the economy and other goals of society in productive and valued ways. As the U.S. became an independent nation and navigated either maintaining old or creating new approaches to governance and citizenship, providing for the livelihood of older citizens continued to be of notable concern.
French Revolutionary and American founding father, Thomas Paine (1737 – 1809) wrote and first published Agrarian Justice in 1797. This, his last major political pamphlet, argued for the creation of a program to tax landowners in order to provide pensions to adults over the age of 50 and to “the lame and blind.” This argument was based on the philosophical idea that uncultivated and inherited land was “the common property of the human race,” and thus property holders were not entitled to land ownership without also contributing to the livelihood of non-property owners. While his proposal was not realized through policy at the time, similar lines of thought would inform later enacted pension programs to support older citizens.
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Townsend Plan pamphlet, 1934
Call Number: RH C9264
As the general public began to live longer and healthier lives due to medical and technological advancements, the issue of economic security in later life remained a consistent public health concern during the early 1900’s. As many older adults struggled financially to weather the impact of the Great Depression, physician and businessman Dr. Francis E. Townsend (1867 – 1960) established his role as an old-age activist. In collaboration with his employer and real estate agent, Robert Clements, Townsend submitted a letter to the editor in a local newspaper, arguing for the establishment of the Old-Age Revolving Pension Fund. The fund would be supported by a 2% national sales tax and would provide $200 per month to each adult age 60 and older provided that they: 1) were retired, 2) were “free from habitual criminality,” and 3) spent the money within 30 days, in order to stimulate the economy.
Townsend’s letter inspired a swift and strong advocacy effort, inspiring the establishment of the Townsend organization which distributed and promoted the plan in the form of pamphlets, cartoons, and newsletters. While President Roosevelt critiqued the plan as being unworkable, he was prompted to introduce the Social Security program due to political pressure created by Townsend activists. Townsend supporters critiqued the program for offering low monthly pensions relative to Townsend’s proposal and mandating labor under the Social Security program in order to earn their payments.
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Silver Haired Legislature guidebook & nametag, 1981
Call Number: RH MS 1548, Box 2, Folders 18 & 44
Over the past century, aging and later life has continued to evolve in many ways spurred by such changes as increased longevity, diversity, and social roles of older adults as individuals and citizens. Older political advocates offer their own constructions of aging as well, aiming to use their experiences, voices, and political power to inform policy development. There are many mechanisms through which older adults have and continue to advocate for issues pertaining to later life and aging, such as through non-profit and volunteer organizations, lobbying efforts, community-based organizing, and by holding political office.
In the state of Kansas, there are several notable long-time advocates who consistently informed political movements related to the interests of older adults. One such individual was Mildred Harkness (1918 – 2004) who held several notable positions, advising state government committees, serving in the non-profit sector, engaging in organized advocacy efforts, and participating in community-led efforts through her church and civic roles.
Harkness acted as a member and President of the non-profit organization Kansans for Improvement of Nursing Homes (now known as Kansas Advocates for Better Care) which continues to advocate for improvements in long-term care services and supports provided to older adults. For several years, Harkness also served as a member of the National Silver Haired Congress, which mirrors state-level Silver Haired Legislatures (SHL). The SHL was first established in Missouri in 1973 and expanded to now include branches in more than half of the U.S. states. Modeled after the U.S. Congress, this elected body of volunteers age 60 and older solicit, propose, and advocate for political priorities to their state and national legislators each year.
Harkness also served as a delegate to the White House Conference on Aging multiple times and maintained a rich correspondence with many other aging-focused advocates in the state of Kansas and across the country. Her collected documentation of state and national meetings around aging-related advocacy reveals common issues of interest over time, such as quality medical care, Medicare and Medicaid coverage, prescription drug costs and accessibility, financial security and pension programs, programs to mitigate isolation and loneliness, and combatting elder abuse and neglect.