Young people should be more considerate towards the elderly

Argumentative Essay Practice 13 Question: “Young people should be more considerate towards the elderly.” What are your views? Step 1: Defining your key terms Young people: ages 18-29? Teenagers? Students? Make sure to give an idea which exact group of people you are referring to when you say “young people” Elderly: By standard definition (from governments, etc.): it is people who are 65 years and older – but in broader ways, elderly can be also regarded as people who are more senior than you Considerate: Don’t have to define what it means to be “considerate” in full – but think about what are the ways to be “considerate” to others? Giving up seats on public transport? Being polite to others? Thinking about the welfare and interests of others? What it means to be “considerate” for you will eventually show up in your examples. More: Does the question imply that young people now are not as considerate as they should be to the elderly? Step 2: Setting your conditions – do we have to set conditions at all? Ask yourself: 1. Is this an absolute question? (Are there absolute terms such as “definitely”, “always”, “constantly”, “will”, etc.) 2. Does it require that you set conditions for when something would happen? 3. If no, let us consider some questions about this. These questions will guide you in formulating your arguments, putting in insight into your conclusion, and think about how you want to start your introduction. Q1) What are some infamous incidents that has happened recently that might have prompted someone to ask this question? Are more people being inconsiderate to the elderly? - Toa Payoh coffeeshop case: couple slamming elderly man who asked to share a table? - Cases of financial abuse by children in old age becoming increasingly common - 2013 neighbour abusing elderly in lift lobby - Woman pushing down elderly cyclist Q2) What reasons do you think teenagers might have when they are inconsiderate to the elderly? Do you think they do it on purpose? - Many times the extreme cases of violence done to elderly seem to be a result of personal issues such as psychological and emotional instability - Being inconsiderate could be unintentional and because of ignorance

- However, there are cases that such inconsideration is deliberate and done despite knowing how much it will hurt the elderly Q3) Should all elderly persons be respected regardless of how they treat younger ones? Should we respect someone else simply because they are older than us? - Many would agree that respect needs to be “earned” from others – we deserve respect by treating others kindly first - As the saying goes “Do unto others as others unto you” – one should not inflict pain/cause harm to others when we don’t want it to happen to ourselves - There are admittedly certain elderly persons who are extremely rude and offensive to younger people, or others in public and they do not absolutely deserve respect simply because they are old - However, we should not respond to such offensive behaviour with equally harmful and inconsiderate actions: learning to give in, tolerate and even ignore will allow us to be the bigger person here Q4) In what ways will it help Singapore if we become more considerate and gracious, especially to the elderly in our country? - Elderly will definitely live in a better, more accepting environment without fear of being bullied, insulted or beaten up - Elderly are less likely to be able to defend themselves when things get violent - Being more considerate and gracious to the elderly will help us treat others (non-elderly) better as well, transforming Singapore into a better society - Kindness and graciousness will go a long way in improving our quality of lives and the way we interact with others Q5) Do treating elderly with consideration something we should do only in public when everyone’s watching? Is treating them with respect only applicable to our own parents/relatives/family? - It is only right that we learn to treat all elderly, and better still, every individual with equal respect that they deserve - Being considerate to the elderly is not only applicable to the seniors at home, our parents or grandparents  but to the elderly even in public areas (buses, trains, etc.)

Step 3: Brainstorming for ideas Yes, young people should be more considerate to the elderly No, young people deserve as much respect from elderly too 1. We should be more considerate to the elderly because they would make up a huge proportion of our population in the future  Singapore is an ageing population and the percentage of elderly is likely to hit 20% in the near future  When so much of our population is comprised of these elderly, it is quite likely that chances of social interaction with these elderly will be high  One has to therefore learn to be considerate to these elderly, whether is it in public or private spaces so that they can feel accepted in their own country 2. We should respect our elderly because they have made significant contributions and sacrifices to our country, and even to us  These elderly have worked hard when Singapore was still a new and young nation in the past  They are the ones who have sacrificed their lives, time and invested energy into creating the comfortable Singapore today  These elderly deserve to be respected and treated with consideration today because of their efforts in the past  We are enjoying the rewards of their hard work and the least we can do to show our appreciation is being kind to them 3. We should be more considerate to elderly because this helps us set the right examples as role models for the younger generation in the future to follow  By treating the elderly with respect, consideration and kindness  we demonstrate by example what is the appropriate way to treat them  When we disrespect the elderly, our inconsiderate actions are significant influences on the attitudes of the younger generation towards elderly as well  Our disrespect will shape their indifference, uncaring or rude attitudes/behaviour towards us in the future  Understanding this in our own interest decades later: aren’t we giving them a chance/an excuse to treat us inconsiderately as well?  Examples of being considerate? 1. Respect should be earned, not be granted simply based on one’s age  However, Singapore’s strong Asian values on filial piety and respect for elders meant that it remains generally unacceptable that we are inconsiderate towards them  By virtue of their age, it is often expected that we respect these elderly because seniority holds special priority in our societies  It is still important to note that there are times when our respect may be reciprocated with unkind behaviour and attitudes 2. The elderly must also learn to appreciate and be respectful to the younger generation without abusing their positions as seniors in the society  After all, every individual deserves the basic form of respect and consideration that should be granted to them in their interactions with others  Being an elderly individual does not and should not grant them special exclusion from this obligation to treat others in a considerate manner as well

1/22/2018 More seniors being cheated by their kids, Singapore News & Top Stories - The Straits Times http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/more-seniors-being-cheated-by-their-kids 1/3 More seniors being cheated by their kids PUBLISHEDJAN 17, 2016, 5:00 AM SGT Social workers say the financial abuse cases reported are just tip of the iceberg Theresa Tan Senior Social Affairs Correspondent (mailto:theresat@sph.com.sg) Social workers say it is important to raise awareness of financial abuse so that the elderly can learn how to safeguard their money.PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PR