By and large, we in the U.S. do a very poor job of looking after elderly.

We consider ourselves fortunate if our parents and grandparents have saved enough money to retire in Florida and spend the rest of their days under the sun.

We are less fortunate if we have to ship them to a nursing home and then contend with the guilt of intentionally shutting them out of our lives.

We even go so far as to find rationalizations for our less than adequate ideals and conduct. A perfect example of such a rationalization can be found in Fern Kupfer’s (against who I would be committing an injustice if I failed to mention the fact that she is one of Iowa’s most talented writers) nonfiction work, Before and After Zachariah. Therein she casts doubts upon the charges I have made above:

“We blame nursing homes for the pain as if they are the cause for senility, for invalidism, and we romanticize about other cultures who ‘care for their own,’ not seeing the gnashing of teeth caused by two generations of women in a shared kitchen.”

Kupfer is correct in her assertion that many of the pains associated with old age are not preventable. A loss of dignity is sure to accompany many victim’s of Alzheimer’s, no matter where they might end up. I cannot see, however, how this could possibly mean that we are not obligated to help preserve what dignity remains.

In addition, Kupfer is correct in her implication that many cultures which revere the aged more than our own are often more overtly sexist than our own. But this implication seems to be of little relevance in regard to how we as Americans should treat our elderly. Her deeper implication seems to be that allowing our parents or grandparents to live with us might cause conflicts which could be avoided, disrupt our routine and cost us precious time. In other words, it would cause us discomfort.

Unfortunately, our society fosters an attitude among its members that looking out for one’s own best interest is a virtue.

Get your June or Ward. Get your house, car and other things. Get a good job which pays good money. Have your Wally and Beaver. Exterminate all uncomfortable thoughts. And, of course, do not allow Grandpa and Grandma Cleaver to clutter up those pictures of the nuclear family placed upon the fireplace mantel. Be nice and be bourgeois, but leave no room for personal discomfort.

The situation of older Americans is beginning to look more dire as politicians in Washington D.C. get ready to slash government spending on Social Security, Medicaid, etc. Older Americans who have not been nearly as successful as Ronald Reagan in achieving the American Dream (being a millionaire) may very soon be caught between the callousness of their own families and their own government.

The reigning political wisdom in Washington D.C. seems motivated by a determination to put older Americans in as much jeopardy as possible.

On the one hand, it encourages the further growth of the selfishness which has already created a society where older citizens must extensively rely upon the government for financial assistance. Americans have been nurtured within a capitalist environment and find it difficult to transcend considerations of personal comfort and discomfort.

On the other hand, Washington’s wisdom has it that we must reduce the large amount of assistance which the government provides for older Americans.

Older Americans have been provided with needed assistance for a number of years through policies implemented by our moderate party. The social climate was, however, one which persistently discouraged virtues such as compassion and feelings of familial responsibility. Now the tide has changed and our conservative party has the upper hand. The social programs of the moderates are on their way out, while the selfishness nurtured for years by moderates as well as conservatives appears to be here to stay.

What of our parents and grandparents? What of us?

Tyler Wayne Roach is a senior in philosophy, English and religious studies from Des Moines.