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Salient. Victoria University Student Newspaper. Vol. 37, No. 7. April, 17 1974

Where do our values lie?

Where do our values lie?

Dear Sir,

The article in last week's Salient "Pensioners Protest" seems to indicate clearly just where the values in New Zealand society lie.

In a society with an economy based on profit, people are of interest only in so far as they can contribute to the profit making process, when this is no longer possible they are thrown aside. The neglect of the aged by family and by society in New Zealand is to my mind a good reason upon which the present capitalistic outlook in New Zealand should be reviewed. The aged in this case, are in a situation that is economically imposed.

At present in this country is a world expert on Geriatric Medicine, Professor M.R.P. Hall, who within his statements quoted by Canon Arnold in the Evening Post, Saturday, April 6, mentions two important points.

Firstly that"....the needs of the elderly.... (are)....dependent upon the structure of the community," and that"...neglect of the elderly often arose from prejudice to old age."

Here I think lies the crux of the whole issue, the structure of our society forces the elderly to retire and offers them from 65 onwards no real place in society, because where profit is the revered value in any society, anything unprofitable whether it be a machine or a human being is disposed of. Thus the prejudices in New Zealand today towards the elderly, resulting in their neglect, can be expected.

Society must be changed then, if we are to ever become responsible towards the aged, A statement by Michael J. Savage in the 1930s, shows that New Zealand possibly has the humanitarian heritage to one day bring this change in values and society about:

"Social justice must be the guiding principle and economic organisation must adapt itself to social needs."

Rosalie Smith