How Ageism is Hurting the Old and Young

Too old for the job? Too young to lead? Author and activist Ashton Applewhite wants to abolish ageist mindsets and for age to truly be seen as just a number. 👵🤝👶 Special thanks to This Chair Rocks.

Too Old, Too Young” -- Are We All Guilty of Ageism ?


How old are you? If that sounds intrusive or just purely rude, the writer and activist Ashton Applewhite says that’s because our culture is full of messages that say getting old is a setback. She says aging is often posed as a disease that can be cured if you’d just buy the right pill or procedure to “fix” it. But Applewhite calls aging a process that begins the moment we’re born, and explains why being older is something we should embrace rather than fear of breaking stereotypes.


“Too old for the job,” Too young to lead…" That’s called ageism — discrimination on the basis of one's age. Ashton Applewhite, author of “This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism” -- is on a mission to change the way we think about aging. Employment discrimination, biased health care, media caricatures or invisibility, ageism can take many forms in our society. “Economists call it the attractiveness penalty. This double whammy of ageism and sexism.”


As millennials emerge as a dominant force, generational change has become a central dynamic in the 2020 presidential campaign. Ageism is a central issue for women in particular trying to fight for their rights in this social phenomenon through activism. 64% of women say they’ve been the target of or witnessed age discrimination according to an AARP 2018 Report. By 2050, 1 out of 5 people — over 2 billion people — will be age 60 and up based on a study by UNDESA.


Applewhite is calling for what could become the next #MeToo — a radical movement against ageism. Ashton Applewhite also blogs at thischairocks.com and yoisthisageist.com


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