“Like racism and sexism, ageism is not about how we look. It’s about what people in power want our appearance to mean. Ageism occurs when a group, whether politicians or marketers or employment agencies, use that power to oppress or exploit or silence or simply ignore people who are much younger or significantly older.”

– Ashton Applewhite, This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism

As we address JABA’s second Value of Inclusion, an area that is often overlooked is age.  Ageism exists.  We looked at ways to Defy Ageism last spring.  But we can never talk about it too much.

There is a lot in this quote to think about.  Do we and others make assumptions based on someone’s age?  This can cut both ways.  Is someone too old for the job?  Is someone perceived too inexperienced for the job because they are young?  And the point is, do we make that judgment based on our unconscious bias?  We don’t even realize that our first thought is based on “how someone looks”!

Have others set the stage, those in power, those who influence, to tell us what they “want our appearance to mean”?  The key is how do we take that power away from others, and defy ageism?  How do we change the unconscious bias of ourselves and others regarding what the appearance of age means?

It is what is true for any “ism”.  We need to let each individual present themselves, without judgment from us.  And experience what that individual brings forward.  That is how we disallow age as a factor in deciding what any of us can do, or could be allowed to do.  As the population skews older, and there are as many people over 60 as there are under 18 in our region, it is important that we embrace what every age and stage of life brings to the fabric of our community.

Thanks for reading the quote and thinking about what it means to you.

Marta Keane, JABA CEO