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When retirement means celebrating days of jubilation
How we see seniors in our midst shapes how we think of ourselves. Words matter, and that’s why I’m ‘le ling’ and ‘warga emas’.
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By 2030, one in four Singaporeans will be 65 or older.
PHOTO: ST FILE
Chung Yin Wah
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“We are LKKs. You know, lau kok kok,” said one of the people at our post-exercise breakfast. Hokkien for “old and stiff”, and apparently now an acronym to boot, the term raised the hackles of fellow seniors around the table, and a spirited discussion ensued about us being seniors and not LKKs.
Words matter. They can uplift, inspire and empower, or demean, stigmatise and limit. Words can impact perspectives and influence how we think of ourselves. Think of the phrase “silver tsunami”. Do images of rampant destruction and doom come to mind, not just for seniors as we grow older, but also of seniors as a burden to society?
