I don't recall the wise ever looking at things "askance." Perhaps they are just observing things that don't fit their scheme of things, and therefore, are not considered to be wise. Unfortunately, these elderly are not of the current generation and therefore just don't agree with what the current generation is proposing, good or bad.
While Debtors prisons no longer exist, many people continue to be persecuted for crimes related to poverty or inability to repay money owed to municipalities. This practice remains in an injustice that needs to be rectified.
A detailed study of the origins of the New Alienation. The author labels it normative or postmodern ennui and traces its rise to cultural power over the last two centuries.
Ron