Westerners have no respect for the elderly?? Agreed??

I wouldn't say we've lost respect for them. Not to say that some people view them as an inconvenience because I know some do. But as for them not living under the same roof, that's just American culture. That's the way it's been since people came here from Europe. We've never been a culture where multiple generations live under the same roof. It's always been parents and kids under one roof until the kids are old enough to move out. Once that happens the parents usually stay in the house and the kids begin their own household. It's rare to see grandparents living under the same roof as the rest of the family.

It's really sad how we treat our senior citizens. We're so dismissive of them and often treat them like children! They aren't all senile. There's a lot of wisdom that we don't take advantage of and appreciate. The difference between a 70-year-old and a 40-year-old is the same number of years that are between a 40-year-old and a 10-year-old. There are a lot of years of experience there that we just dismiss. I'd say that usually it's probably retirement age that we start to consider older folks as less "valuable." They've seen a lot and been through a lot and are worthy of respect for that alone.

Nowadays, I think it depends. But we cannot generally say that Westerners have no respect for the elderly. Even here in the Philippines, there are so many people who do not respect the elderly. There are Filipinos who live with their ascendants but they are rude to them that's why many old people prefer to live alone in their own old homes when they are still capable even if so hardly because they don't like to see and hear the disrespect of their own children or grandchildren. If the family cannot really attend to their oldies and they can afford to have them stay in a nursing home if the old folks agree, why should not the old folks live in the nursing home where they are provided with better care? This is better than just the same being abused in their children's homes.

Have spoken to many Singaporeans who don't always like this cultural given. From birth it is taught to respect their elders, when they become adults it is expected also they look after their parents. But what is common is the suppressed wantings apparent in these cultures. Hopes and dreams are squashed in the name of respect for the elderly. There's a fair bit of hitting over the top of the head by the elder, and casting of aspersions of if the younger person does not abide by the cultural expectation. Is there any difference between an Asian adult who does look after their grandmother and despises it and a Western adult who leaves the job to a professional carer because they have dreams to fulfill? Family values differ from one culture to another. Whether those values are right or not perhaps depends on the individuals involved. It's an interesting topic.

I think, if you call the western lost respect for the elderly, you should check it first to your history when the western start to send the elderly to ship them in to retirement village. One thing for sure, if you send your parents to retirement village, be prepare when your children ship you retirement village. Children only follow the parent's step.

I live in the United States and I am ashamed to admit this is true. It also breaks my heart because I have great respect and admiration for the elderly, they have experienced so much that we may never know and there is so much we can learn from them. Plus I fear for the day that I will be "shipped off" and forgotten.

depends on the Westerner, and whether or not they have any cultural awareness. I've been appalled by the behavior of Americans when I travel out of country, but then I've been appalled by the behavior of people who travel to America from other countries who behave badly. I think if we judge all people by the ones who come over as tourists, then there's a good reason for misunderstandings.

no, i think they have respect for elders, but i guess this is why they have been brought up, here in asian countries we respect our parents by taking care of them when they get old, while in western countries, they put their parents into carehomes or home for the aged,because that is their traditions and they grew up with that values. good day

hi there.. well i cannot speak for all the asian nationalities here, but let me just based my point of view from my own country, the Philippines. Its true that most of us still have our grandparents living with us under one roof, i guess we couldnt stand seeing them in an orphanage or an elderly village, because we somehow still give respect to them , knowing that without them, we wouldnt be here in the first place, and i think we are setting this as a good example for the next generations, to give appreciation, love, especially for the elders, because when we got older someday, i think we may want to spend out last breath with our families around. Thanks^_^

Well, I couldn't say the westerners don't have respect for the elderly, including grandparents, parents or others. The culture here is different and everybody believes in having a little bit of space personally. After a certain period of time kids are expected to move out, become independent and make a living. Parents are moved out too when they get old. The upbringing, ways of living, culture, norms..everything is different from that of the other parts of the world. I had this misconception too before I came to live in the US. I realized people living here have family values too, they care for their children and not every American is screwed up the way it is shown in movies. I would say media is the big culprit which gives us a wrong picture. People here care for the elderly but they do it in different ways.

Yes I believe it does...I live in the Philippines and we have respect for our parents and the elderlys..We don't just drop them in a home for the aged we'd rather take care of the people who took care of us when we were young...and we don't talk back at our parents and call them just by their names..I see in some foreign countries children can talk back at their parents and the parents can't do anything about it because the kids can charge them for child abuse...I guess a little spanking to discipline the young is not that bad.

I don't agree. It's very difficult to generalize. Not all the Westerners have no respect for the elderly. I believe in the saying that in every forest, there is a snake. And that there is an exception to the general rule.

Well!Iam from Iam from India!In India we respect elders a lot.Those who do not respect elders are looked down in our country.Most of us live with our parents even when we enter in to adult hood.Only the roles are reversed.When we were young parents take care of us and when we enter adulthood we take care of them.Most Indian marraiges are arranged by parents!Parents have full liberty in the choise of bride and grooms!Most of the youngsters in our country respect parents view in marraige.Very rarely are the elders left to fend for themselves in our country!I have been to US and have seen several elderly people driving cars and purchasing things on their own.My heat goes out to them when i see them carrying heavy bags of groceries.Very rarely have I seen someone visiting them. Yes i do accept that there is a big difference in attitudes towards the elderly in east and west!

I would not say westerners have no respect for the elderly, what personally i thought elderly are more respected in Asia areas.It is because they and their children usually live together until their endness.That build up a tight relation between each other.Unlike westerners, childrens often leave their parents when they become an adult, so link is not well developed well in them.Therefore, such phenomena appears.

I have also heard that there are a lot of different from my Asian culture to western one. In Asia, all people respect to their adults, the more you are getting old the more respectful you will get deserved. For example: When my grandmother was young, she fed all children and some times with nieces and nephews while my parents were away to work, but after she was getting old and blind, she was fed and looked after by her children or nieces or nephews until her last breath and she was buried in the grave yard. we still respect her and pray her goodness. We like to stay closed together, but sometimes we have a lot of problem when we have kids and children on and on.

I ave to disagree with that. Sure I do not live with my mom, dad or my grandparents .- they all have their own lives and are happy that way. But to say that western people have no respect for our elders - that is just generalising and that is wrong. I have nothing BUT respect for the elder people and I know that most people would agree. Here we are taught that when u are old enough it is time to move out on your own and that has worked in our countrie for centuries and it has nothing to do with a lack of respect!!!

What I see here in America is a shifting of lifestyle. Many Americans now have households where both spouses work outside of the home. This means there is no one at home to look after the children, so the children are usually placed in daycare. By the same token, when their parents become elderly and need constant care, they are also placed in a care setting outside the home, simply because the family is not able to care for them while they work. There is also another issue to consider. Many elderly people wish to remain in the home where they have lived their entire lives. Their children also want to have their own homes. We are not as economically dependent on each other as we used to be. Lastly, many elderly people develop dementia and alzhiemer's disease. These terrible diseases require 24 hour care and medications to control. Many adults do not feel that they are capable of providing the care that their parents with these conditions need. My mother-in-law, for instance, is in a nursing home because she is suffering from the advanced stages of alzheimer's disease.

I am part Asian and I do think that Asians have more respect for the elderly. My mom came to the US in the late 60's and tried for many years to get her mom out of Vietnam so she could live with us. My grandmother finally came to live with us in 1985. If you have an elderly parent who is sick or has health problems I can understand why these elderly people are put in nursing homes or assisted care facilities. I think it is sad though when a relatively healthy elderly parent goes into one of these facilities simply because of a lack of options. In American culture we are too concerned about ourselves we don't stop to think about the people who got us where we are today.

We have different cultures, for them they don't see that as disrespect, the culture is just being passed to the young generation. For us with close family ties, we see that as disrespect since we let the elders alone to the home for the elderly. Maybe not all of them is doing that. In my opinion wether speaking about culture or not, I cannot see my self leaving my parents alone to that institution. Some of us maybe do that for some reasons maybe we don't know. We are responsible of taking care of our parents as they grow old since when we are young they gave all the care they can give to us so we find it disrespectful leaving them to the institution.We cannot judge westerners for their ways, the young generations were just following what they are used to. For us living with our old parents, if you love them you keep them. My point of view and conclusion on this, it is for me inappropriate to leave your parents away from you unless they decided to be left to the institution.

should it depend on the family or the people? i mean we should not generalize things with matters like this. In the Philippines, these people's culture goes hand in hand with strong family ties. Yes, they provide shelter, food and medicine for their elders but this does not mean that every old person in the house gets the respect they wanted. whereas, if the western culture of sending their elders to homes for the aged and provide the things they need, then it is as much as equaled the things elders in the Asian countries got. Now, the difference lies if an old person is being taken cared with outmost genuity and it doesn't mean that only a blood kin can do that.