This video was filmed on January 8th, 2013 as part of the National Geographic Live! lecture series at National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, D.C., United States.

Introduction

National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Explorer and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jared Diamond studies how traditional societies around the world treat the aging members of their tribes. He suggests that these cultures have much to teach us about the treatment of our elderly in modern societies. Diamond's field experience includes 22 expeditions to New Guinea and neighboring islands to study the ecology and evolution of birds, the rediscovery of New Guinea's long-lost golden fronted bowerbird, and other field projects in North America, South America, Africa, Asia, and Australia.

Outline

• Traditional tribal societies and the opportunity they present for modern societies to learn from them (start-5:16 min.)

• Overview of how tribal societies treat their elderly (5:17-6:19 min.)

• Treatment of the elderly: the negative extreme (6:20-8:18 min.)

• Treatment of the elderly: the positive extreme (8:19-9:19 min.)

• Two reasons why treatment of the elderly differs: usefulness and a society's cultural values (9:20-9:33 min.)

• Usefulness: what the elderly can contribute to society (9:34-12:06 min.)

• Society's cultural values: impact (12:07-13:09 min.)

• The low status of the elderly in the United States (13:10-13:57 min.)

• How modern society has impacted the status of the elderly (13:58-16:24 min.)

• How to improve the usefulness of the elderly in the U.S. and increase their cultural value (16:25-17:35 min.)

• Conclusion: what we can learn about the treatment of the elderly from tribal societies (17:36-18:51 min.)

Strategies for Using Video in a Variety of Learning Environments

• Have students preview several of the videos and choose the one they find most inspiring. Have students describe in writing a conversation they might have with the speaker(s).

• Freeze the video on a relevant image. Have students observe details in the still image and jot down predictions of what the full video might address. Discuss students’ ideas before and after watching the video.

• Pose an open-ended question before students watch the video, and have them discuss their ideas before and after in small groups.

• Have students determine what they think the key message of this video is. Was the speaker effective in getting his or her message across?

• Show a short clip to engage students during class, and then have students watch the full video at home and write a paragraph responding to the content or a question you give them.

• Have students note statements that represent facts or opinions, including where it’s difficult to tell the difference. What further research might help distinguish facts vs. opinions? How might the speaker’s viewpoint compare with others’ viewpoints about a topic?