Robert Butler defines ageism as “A process of systematic stereotyping of and discrimination against people because they are old…” I never really had heard to this term before but I definitely see this in our society everyday. People in our culture think that elders are weak, frail, forgetful etc. and these characteristics definitely aren’t the case with all elders. Some older people can do things on their own and some older people need assistance but why do we view them as a burden on us? Everyone gets old so why would we discriminate someone just because of his or her age. It doesn’t make much sense to me. These are our societies oldest people that have lived through the many major events and have seen so many different things so why not take their wisdom rather then view them as a burden. I think ageism has developed more and more over the years because our youth today don’t spend much time with elderly people. I know in past centuries people would always see and talk with elders because communication used to be a key aspect in society but now with cars, phones, tv’s etc. people don’t need to be out socializing to stay entertained. The wisdom from our elders is basically being lost because there’s no one there to even listen. We not only owe these elders but we also owe ourselves to listen and dissect their knowledge because I can almost guarantee you will feel enlightened. I don’t consider myself an ageist because I’d like to think I respect older people and take time to listen to them and the stories they have from all that they’ve experienced during their lifetime. No use discriminating against these fascinating people that have lived through so much history, show them the respect they deserve.
I think we have a lot to learn from the older adults in our society. As you said they have lived through a lot of major events, and their wisdom is invaluable to us. People are always saying children are our future, but the elderly are our past and our culture.
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