The Age of Anxiety: Political Media, Dementia, and the Boomer Fear

The Age of Anxiety: Political Media, Dementia, and the Boomer Fear

In Michigan living rooms—from Flint to Saginaw to small towns up north—older Americans watch political news that feels less like reporting and more like a public trial of aging itself. Every stumble, verbal slip, or moment of confusion by national leaders is clipped, replayed, and mocked. For older viewers, this coverage is not abstract or partisan. It is personal.

This investigative audio essay examines how constant media focus on age and cognition quietly harms older adults, especially in aging, post-industrial communities. Drawing on research in psychology, aging, and media studies, it explores fear of dementia, stigma, loneliness, and how political spectacle fuels anxiety, withdrawal, and disengagement from democracy.

As Michigan approaches critical elections, this episode asks a deeper question: What happens to a democracy when aging itself is treated as entertainment—and dignity is the cost?

#TheAgeOfAnxiety
#InvestigativeAudio
#AgingInAmerica
#MediaAndDemocracy
#MichiganPolitics
#BoomerGeneration
#CognitiveHealth
#PublicWellBeing

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