by Franco Ponti

Created on: April 26, 2008

On Becoming the Invisible Man

A curious thing happened to me on my last trip to the market - I discovered that I was becoming invisible. It happened most imperceptibly and completely without warning. As I was checking out at the register, I addressed the young woman behind the counter, yet received no response. Thinking that it was a simple case of absentmindedness, I moved down the aisle a bit where I encountered a young man bagging my groceries. An attempt to strike up a conversation with this person was not only ignored, but he began to converse with the cashier while I was in mid-greeting - the very same person who just moments ago had dismissed my casual remarks. Feeling a bit perturbed, I decided to look the cashier in the eye as I gave her my method of payment. Nothing. There was neither a hint of acknowledgement, nor even an expression of apathetic nonchalance. As I walked out of the store, I attempted to make eye contact with several people whom I happened to meet on the way to my car. Again, I garnered neither a hint of acknowledgement nor even a passing regard. I was becoming invisible.

According to the United States Department of Health and Human Services' Administration on Aging, there were 37.3 million people in the U.S. at or above the age of 65 in 2006. By the year 2030, that number is expected to grow to 71.5 million - one fifth of the total population of the United States. On a global scale, the number of people 60 and above is also rising exponentially. According to the World Health Organization, they numbered 600 million in 2000. By 2025, their ranks are expected to swell to 1.2 billion, and to over 2 billion by 2050. The children may be touted as the hope of the future, but their elders will clearly be the tenants of that timeframe.

Whenever a society chooses to move any of its segments into the fast lane - be they politics, sports, social interactivities, economics, medicine, or entertainment - much of their subtle nuances tend to get lost in the wake of perceived progress. Unfortunately, these nuances often translate to those segments of the population who are unable to keep pace with their companions due to a refocusing of aspirations, or simply because of the inevitable ravages of time. When this overall human advancement is driven by the dictates of a reactionary mindset, the results create an environment that is rife with people doomed to experience the stigma of social invisibility.

Although this pattern is universal in nature, some

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>