Abstract

The purpose of this study is to identify the social causes of the younger generation’s growing disgust toward the elderly in Korean society. Generational conflict is likely to occur in any society, but it becomes a serious social problem if that conflict turns into disgust, as is the case in Korean society today. Though the elderly as a group are diverse, the younger generation tends to see them as homogenous and expresses disgust by generalizing negative perceptions of particular seniors to the group as a whole. The first social cause of the young generation’s hatred toward the elderly is the negative perception of physical aging. Physical aging causes slowness in judgment and action. Physical aging leads to atrophy of the appearance, and a strong trend has emerged in Korean society of rejecting the atrophy of appearance due to aging. As a result, the elderly are likely to have a negative image due to their appearance. Another social cause is found in the language use, attitude, and behavior caused by the embodiment of historical values and experiences of the elderly. The language, attitude, and behavior of the elderly, who are familiar with traditional hierarchical order and Confucian culture, but who have had little opportunity to learn civic consciousness, prompt disgust from the younger generation, which has been socialized by notions of democratic relations, horizontal culture, and civic consciousness. In addition, as negative images of the elderly are rapidly shared through social media, a common tool of the younger generation, such hatred is allowed to spread. A final social cause of antipathy towards the elderly is the feeling among Korean youth that they are being alienated from fair competition and the labor market. The outpouring of this anger leads to disgust.