Ageism: Prejudice Of Senior Citizens

The word ageism means anyone over 60.Ageism is a form of prejudice where people are categorized based on their age. There are more differences in development in late adulthood than in the other stages. At

Like sexism and racism, ageism is discrimination, a deep and profound prejudice against the elderly. Elderly individuals constantly face negligence because of Ageism. In this society of isms, racism, sexism, and ageism; these things create labels, stereotypes, and categorizes people, by shape, size, color, and age. The elderly in their later years should be able to have a peaceable life and be treated with dignity and respect. However, pretty much anyone over the age of 50 is a target for an attack of an attitude of ageism at some point. The Greek, the Native indigenous group and Koreans are few of the cultures that adore, admires and respects the elderly in their community. As baby boomers are growing old and ageing out of the workforce,

Ageism is a form of discrimination. Ageism is being prejudice against someone because of their age. Normally you will see this form of discrimination against the elderly, but this can happen to anyone at any age. You will normally see this type of discrimination in the work place. You will find that it is harder for on older person to find a job, because

“Ageism has been called the ultimate prejudice, the last discrimination, the cruelest rejection,” Stein (unpublished). We as a people have defeated for the most part racism and sexism, but we have allowed the third great “ism” to remain unchallenged. “This widely practiced prejudice has gone on for generations and is known as ageism,” (Palmore, Erdman, Ballagh (1999). By definition, according to Webster’s Dictionary, it is discrimination against person’s of a certain age group. Ageism includes both positive affect and a negative connotation with any given age group. It is predominately seen as a reflection on the elderly. Positive aspects of ageism on the elderly include medical care, discounts and tax

Ageism is prejudice against a group who is of old age and discriminated against solely based on their age. This group is usually men and women whose age is 40 or older. It has a great influence today. Society at times views older men and women as a liabilities and or incompetent to perform tasks that younger individuals can perform accordingly

Ageism is known as a prejudice or discrimination based solely on one’s age. Similar to sexism and racism, ageism involves holding negative stereotypes about an individual based on them being a different age. Gerontologist Robert N. Butler was the first to use the term ageism when he was describing the discrimination against individuals within late adulthood. In modern day the term

The term "ageism" was coined in 1969 by Robert Butler, the first director of the National Institute on Aging. He used the word to describe the process of systematic stereotyping of people because they are old. Ageism is a term that is similar to other ‘isms ' in society, such as racism and sexism. "Ageism allows other generations to see older people as different from themselves; thus they subtly cease to identify with their elders as human beings" (Butler, 1975). All people, including the young as well as the old, can be discriminated against based on age. Today ageism is more broadly defined as any prejudice or discrimination against or in favor of an age group (Palmore, 1990).

Ageism is becoming a major problem. The elderly population is predicted to double in the next eight years, having the effect of older people in the workforce, medical patients, and community members. This causes younger people to be around older people more often causing them to make generalizations. There has been an increased effort to stop age discrimination. Ageing is a natural occurring thing so most people in their lives will be affected by ageism. For one to fully understand ageism, one must know the definition, stereotypes, and the effect of those stereotypes.

In the case of older adults, common ageist stereotypes might suggest that any individual older than age 65 is mentally and physically incapacitated, even though the overwhelming of the older adults are not (Plassman etal.,2007). Stereotypes are defined as oversimplified, exaggerated beliefs about a group or category of people. Stereotypes may be positive or negative, usually negative, which often distort facts. For instance, overgeneralizations surrounding older people and the aging process is old age begins at 60, old people are unproductive , and old women are a burden to everyone are amongst a couple stereotypes older people face. Members of society have been socialize to belief that age can be mark or measure. The dilemma with attempting to measure age is it is subjective to each society. In attempts to categorize members of society by age people often use chorological age, functional status, or life stage. Chronological age is used in our society as the basis for determining many social roles (voting, driving, marrying, holding public office, for eligibility in social programs (such as social security, AARP membership, or Older American Act), and for inclusion in research about aging (Morgan, Kunkel, 2011:7). Chronological age measures age by major life transitions in society. Thus, categorizing people as

Ageism is “discrimination against older people.” (Webster’s, 2003) The words age and racism combined to define this prejudice. There are studies that show one in every five workers in the United States are over fifty-five. Around sixty percent of workers state they have experienced ageism in the workplace. (North, 2013)

I really enjoyed the lecture on Ageism; it was very interesting and educational. I was surprised with the 20 True or False question on what is your aging I.Q. We do have different concept about elderly or older people, however after watching the lecture I have learned more true understanding about ageism. Ageism is when you judge people based on age. Unfortunately, I was surprised when this can be called as prejudice and stereotypes. I use to receive elderly jokes through email, which was really hilarious but didn’t think as being prejudice or stereotypes.

Ageism is the discrimination against an individual or group due to age. While ageism is a real problem, many people tend to ignore it because it is so often practiced, people don’t even realize it is happening. The forms of ageism range from the very obvious to the more discrete, almost unrecognizable discrimination. While ageism is evident in all age groups, it tends to be more dominant among the elderly and teenagers or young adults.

As people live longer, the population of old people keeps rising. With increased population, the tendency of discriminating against the old people chips in. In the modern world, myths are spreading concerning older people. People have been made to believe that being young is good as compared to those who have aged. The fact that many families now live away from their old people and visit them once in a while make them tend to believe these myths. These myths and stereotyping influence the way we treat and associate with the old generations (Blaine, 176). To understand old people, one needs to stay with them to expel this stereotyping. Stereotyping against age as compared to other classification is normally unnoticeable and not challenged (Nelson, 5). More often than not stereotypes associated with old people are negative.

When I was back to China, I once believed that only the older people used stereotypes, because they are bigot and stubborn,without knowing it ,the way I think about the older is one of those many bias, we all have our own point of view to see this world either positive or negative ways. If I never meet a new group people, the first impression I get is always from the social media, people can easily use stereotype to make jokes about others in the movie or in the talk show, the stereotype could be transmissible, sometimes even make yourself to believe it, oh i'm Asian, I'm supposed to be good at math. The way to avoid that is to communicate with the people you met, to learn their culture. sometimes could be unavoidable, but try to not judge

Ageism, or the prejudice and discrimination associated with a person 's age, has become a widely researched topic among scholars over the last few decades. The deficit model of ageing characterizes old age as a pathological condition in which individuals undergo physical and mental decline (Allen, 2011). Growing old has developed into a major social problem in Western culture, and most individuals accept the stereotypes and stigma related to ageing. Companies, often phase out older employees by hiring young individuals who are perceived as being less of a risk, and more of an asset to the company. The exclusion of older individuals is especially prevalent in industries related to media and professional sports. Media, favors young individuals because they convey an image of beauty, vigour, and energy. Similarly, professional athletes are often forced to retire early, due to the recruitment process of professional sports teams. The objective of this study aims to uncover ageism in the dance community, because dance combines beauty and athleticism, two traits that are considered to decline with age.