Sometimes I yearn for the olden days, when life was simple. A morning newspaper, an evening newspaper. Some radio stations. A handful of news magazines. Three TV networks – and if you wanted to watch the evening news you could only watch one because they were all on at the same time.
Nowadays anybody can write, edit, and publish news. You can consume as much as you want whenever you want. However, this can get confusing. I’ve decided that the easiest way to process all the noise is to believe it all.
If I can hear it. Apparently, I hear lots of it:
Say what?
Overall, the baby boomers had 31% less hearing loss than their parents.
I knew Mom & Dad weren’t playing those Benny Goodman records loud enough.
And not much of it:
Rock music takes toll on boomer hearing
Richard Salvi, director of the University at Buffalo Center for Hearing and Deafness, says many baby boomers have already lost much of their hearing and developed tinnitus -- ringing in the ear -- due to many years of listening to loud rock music.
As far as life in general, it’s going to be horrible:
Uh-oh. We’re in trouble…
You haven’t experienced cognitive dissonance until you receive a brochure encouraging you to spend thousands of dollars a year for long-term care insurance as you prepare to “defy” old age.
It Gets Worse
By Ted C. Fishman
Jacoby sees a new ageism that doesn’t just stigmatize old people for their years, but blames them for physical ills that no lifestyle adjustments or medicine can yet forestall.
And wonderful:
Boomers should avoid ageism in themselves
Dr. Robert S. Stall, a University at Buffalo clinical assistant professor in medicine and a specialist in geriatrics, says baby boomers should avoid self-prejudice … Aging boomers have a lot to expect in terms of health and well-being, Stall says.
I’ll leave you with some other studies that will confuse you even more – or not, if you believe everything as I do:
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Update 3/3/11: Interview with Susan Jacoby in AARP Bulletin
