On Twenty One Pilots and Demonizing Old Age

Twenty One Pilots has a song called “Neon Gravestones.”¹ It does link into their DEMA alternate reality game, but that’s not what this article is about. This article is about the underlying commentary the song makes about how our society demonizes old age and glorifies suicide.

The core argument and premise of the song has been interpreted to concern primarily the way that society glorifies suicide, especially through celebrities, but this article will limit its scope to the parts that concern society’s demonization of old age. This is anchored mostly in this part of the song:

Maybe we swap out what it is that we hold so high
Find your grandparents or someone of age
Pay some respects for the path that they paved
To life, they were dedicated
Now, that should be celebrated

The basic idea is that, rather than glorifying youth and seeing old age as something to avoid, we should respect those who have lived long lives, and celebrate their lives—not their deaths. I couldn’t agree more.

This is a strange cultural phenomenon. For centuries—millennia, even—leading up to today, old age was seen as something to be respected, to be achieved. The elderly had countless life experiences that made them very wise. This logic can even be seen in modern popular culture: for example, in Star Wars, Yoda—who is seen as a very wise character—is canonically 900 years old at his death.² But somehow, this logic has become lost on modern society. High school and college are seen as “the golden years of your life!” I have friends who, at 16 years old, joke about “how old [they’re] getting.” It’s terrifying.

This is problematic for a couple of reasons. For one, there’s Twenty One Pilots’ point: it contributes to society’s glorification of suicide. If old age is a negative thing that one doesn’t want to reach, then what’s the point of living a long, fulfilling life? Second, it shuts people out of societal conversations. If young people see themselves as the “smartest in the room,” so to speak, the elderly and even people who might be considered “middle-aged,” in their late 30s through their 50s, are all-too-often excluded from societal conversations because they’re “too old.”

Basically, y’all need to learn some fuckin’ respect for your elders.

Of course, it’s all a balance. Young people—especially teenagers like myself—are also frequently excluded from important societal dialogs because we’re “too young.” Ultimately, everyone’s voice needs to be heard and respected, and everyone needs to be respected and realize we all have a whole lot we could learn from one another.

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