Ageism, Governments, and the Healthcare System in Times of the Covid-19 Worldwide Pandemic

Analysis by Maria Mouzannar, Staff Writer

April 1st, 2020

The constant interplay between people, markets, and commodities, in today’s almost unanimously consumerist world, is the broadest yet greatest example of the unavoidable reign of capitalism in our era.

Capitalism has not only created these consumerist obsessions that people -even the ones who seem not to possess the means- are inflicting on themselves, but also, it also seems to me that it initiated the dynamics of consumerism between governments and their own citizens.

Modern forms of governments, regardless of their type, whether they fall on the economic left or the economic right, have some sort of “agreement” with their own people or citizens, resulting in a relationship of protection, security, and duty to ensure the best possible conditions for all beings living under that state, regardless of any criteria that might be the root for differentiation, namely sex, race, religion, age, cultural beliefs, or origins. But to me, it looks like governments have also been consuming their own citizens, and that, based on specific criteria.

Not to get too lost with all different types of governments, how they rule, and the promises they have made to their citizens, I want to focus on western economies and systems, who are characterized by the international discourse and media, as always being “a step ahead” of other societies, and simply highlight how they seem to be failing a sizeable part of their people.

I found it quite interesting that even in the times of a worldwide pandemic, or should I say, specifically in the critical times of a pandemic that has now reached more than 872,000 cases worldwide and circa 43,500 deaths, systems and government have proven to be more attached to income generating bodies more than ever.

Powerful influencing states or unions, namely Holland and the United Kingdom, stuck between taking measures of “herd immunity” (whereby states would allow for high percentage propagation of the virus, as it seems that it will be occurring seasonally, and thus allow for people to develop immunity towards the virus, even if that would mean quite high death rates), or calling for strict lockdowns. But the problem, according to many medical experts, is that in order to adopt the herd immunity strategy, vaccines must exist, and around half the population should be vaccinated; which happens to be quasi-impossible as a 100% success rate vaccine will most likely not be found before May/June 2020. (But then again, since it would mostly hit the old, the ill, or the less advantageous classes, why care so much?)

The relationship between the mishandling of the Corona Virus worldwide, and governments seizing chances at reinforcing a nation of young people helped me establish the conclusion that governments are putting the older people at the bottom of the priorities of governmental policies, such as the ones regarding the virus.

My perception of all of this may be seen as too extreme, as I might seem to lack the crediting for hospitals, medical facilities, pandemic specialized organizations, along with all the donations and money that went to research for potential cures to be found, all the younger and older doctors, nurses, and medical experts that put their lives on the line for their countries; doing their best to save as many lives as they can. I am not dismissing all that, nevertheless I am saying that when responsibility starts accumulating in the hands of small individuals - citizens- because of the failure of the international and national healthcare systems, a healthcare system designed to generate money almost more often than to fulfill its basic function of ensuring health and protection for humans, is alone a cause for requisitioning and reconsidering what we had settled for as a healthcare system.

All of that resulted in a lack of availability of hospital beds, tests, and cure for everyone: and this is also where, once again, why not prioritize the youth, as the old have already gotten the chance at experiencing life and making the most out of what their nation has offered them, and already served their function in societies?

Comparing all these actions and measures of modern-day governments, and the treatment of citizens based on their age, I find it quite interesting to draw a comparison between today’s societies and the pre-industrial ones. Those in which a person of age was considered to have sacred knowledge, for a person of age took the primordial role as the head of their communities: the old used to be one to whom respect must be paid, as they constitute a body of wisdom and sagacity.

The overthrowing of the pre-industrial mode of living to the modern one has also dragged with it a shift in the importance given to different age ranges. The respect and importance that seems to be given to people in modern societies are directed towards potential or future income generating bodies. Today, being old seems to be disadvantageous in almost any field or situation: too experienced, too old, too perfect a candidate.

It is commonly thought that seniors are not only of no potential to generate income anymore, but also appear as a burden to their governments and to the medical sector, with the exemption from the taxes, the retirement incomes – basically using public services but not generating income and taxes to the state in return anymore.

Overall, it is quite unfortunate that it may have had to come to a global pandemic for the world to talk about such issues, but the ageism and the unfair treatment that the elderly are receiving from many governments around the world is not an issue that should be kept silenced anymore.