We Seem Fine to Let One Form of Bigotry Thrive

Our culture rightly recoils against racism, antisemitism, homophobia, and other prejudices, writes Gary Abernathy in a Washington Post op-ed. But the 66-year-old can't help but notice that another form of bigotry is alive and well in the US—ageism. In "too many cases, the United States, compared with other cultures, holds its aging population in contempt," writes Abernathy. "Too often, 'old people' here are regarded as useless, helpless or a nuisance, left to wind down the clock as they stare out the window, a lifetime of experiences, work, achievement and sacrifice forgotten."

He cites the many memes mocking President Biden's age or news reports about crimes against older women that invariably trot out the word "grandmother," as if that bore any relation to the crime itself. Abernathy dislikes the terms "elderly" or "senior citizen" to refer to people his age, though he wishes his peers would stop using "middle aged" when they're well beyond it. "Older people" is better than the rest, he suggests. Yes, we all should be able to take a joke about ourselves, but "the rampant practice of ageist bigotry should join all the other 'isms' and 'phobias' as unacceptable, especially when it crosses the line from friendly ribbing to cruel attacks." Read the full op-ed. (More ageism stories.)