Last year, the French photographer Sacha Goldberger photographed his 92-year-old grandmother, Frederika Goldberger, in a Superman costume as “Super Mamika” and published the photographs online.
The Neue Zürcher Zeitung (February 2) was not amused.
“The image of the wise old person who is respected simply for the experience they have accumulated is outmoded. I have no doubt that ‘Super Mamika’ Goldberger had a new lease on life as a result of her grandson’s photo-shooting. Yet there is something unpleasant about the whole thing, because it’s unclear where the occupational therapy ends and caricature begins.
“When it comes to the so-called moral authorities, the problem is a different one. One listens with an earnest expression, nodding in agreement, even if the comments seem old fashioned or fuddy-duddy by today’s standards. We like to pretend that we are listening to the advice of our elders but it’s often little more than politeness. Particularly in politics, it is common policy to use elder statesmen as fig leaves.”
Instead of looking up to old people for their alleged wisdom, it is a much better idea, at a time of their growing demographic strength, to regard them as a market and make lots of money out of them. At a handful of research laboratories on this continent, technologies are being developed to help the elderly maintain their health, independence and quality of life. One of these is AgeLab, at M.I.T., whose products are described in a long article in the business section of last Sunday’s New York Times. Among these are a hands-free, ultrasonic-assisted, parallel parking system developed in conjunction with Ford Motor, anthropomorphic robots and fall prevention sensors you can put in your sock.
Eric Koch’s book, The Weimar Triangle, is available at Indigo-Chapters and in your local bookstore. 
