Why is ageism socially acceptable?

[Lord Halifax]

Why do so many young people consider ageism more acceptable than racism, sexism and homophobia? Like skin color, biological sex, gender identity and sexuality age is also an inherent quality you can't change and isn't responsible for, but it seems to be perfectly okay for even the most woke types to use people's age against them, use ageist slurs and dismiss other people's opinions because of their age.

[dead0man]

because kids are ignorant and old people are racist, and both of them whinge too much

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Because age, unlike being of a particular race, gender, or sexuality, is something that all people experience and therefore it's commonplace to base how we judge or perceive a member of society based on that, a prominent and also justified example being the law.

I'm kind of sick of the "ok boomer" meme when it's used dismissively although boomers do tend to have a style of humor that younger people tend not to find funny and that is commonly evident in comic strips based on their content ("muh kids on their phones", "I hate my spouse"), and especially their drawing style. It was also partly spawned as a response to the dozens upon dozens of old journalists complaining about dumb things like why young people aren't as enticed by bougie things like country clubs as much as they used to be.

[SWE]

Because everyone older or younger than me is terrible

[RINO Tom]

Hot take ... ageism toward younger people should be 1,000 times more acceptable than ageism toward older people.  The latter is completely tasteless and void of class.

[Crumpets]

Hot take ... ageism toward younger people should be 1,000 times more acceptable than ageism toward older people.  The latter is completely tasteless and void of class.

I'm of the complete opposite opinion. Young people are still trying to figure out how everything works and how to control their emotions, yet we often hold them to the standard of someone who is of our own age, all while denying them the ability to participate in large parts of society. I have zero issues with calling out old people for behavior that they should know is unacceptable, especially when corporate boards, the government, and really all organizations with significant power to impact people's lives are disproportionately filled with older people.

I'm assuming your post was more about straight up harassment and abuse, however, and I think we should all agree that is equally unacceptable regardless of who is the target.

[Mr. Smith]

Hot take ... ageism toward younger people should be 1,000 times more acceptable than ageism toward older people.  The latter is completely tasteless and void of class.

Glad you aren't in the education sector.

[Big Abraham]

Hot take ... ageism toward younger people should be 1,000 times more acceptable than ageism toward older people.  The latter is completely tasteless and void of class.

I'm of the complete opposite opinion. Young people are still trying to figure out how everything works and how to control their emotions, yet we often hold them to the standard of someone who is of our own age, all while denying them the ability to participate in large parts of society.

Depends on how "young" we are talking about. 16-18 year olds? Yes, I'd agree with you. People in their mid-twenties and older don't fall in the same category, however.

[Del Tachi]

Hot take ... ageism toward younger people should be 1,000 times more acceptable than ageism toward older people.  The latter is completely tasteless and void of class.

I'm of the complete opposite opinion. Young people are still trying to figure out how everything works and how to control their emotions, yet we often hold them to the standard of someone who is of our own age, all while denying them the ability to participate in large parts of society. I have zero issues with calling out old people for behavior that they should know is unacceptable, especially when corporate boards, the government, and really all organizations with significant power to impact people's lives are disproportionately filled with older people.

I'm assuming your post was more about straight up harassment and abuse, however, and I think we should all agree that is equally unacceptable regardless of who is the target.

On a personal level, you shouldn't really criticize anyone unless you've "walked a mile in their shoes" before.  We've all been younger than we are right now (so we have some context for what younger folks may be thinking/feeling), but no one can ever claim the experience of being older than they currently are

[Santander]

Hot take ... ageism toward younger people should be 1,000 times more acceptable than ageism toward older people.  The latter is completely tasteless and void of class.

It depends on the kind of ageism we're talking about.

Discriminating against politicians because they're too old? If they're mentally sharp, there is no legitimate reason to hold their age against them, and to attack someone on it like Castro did against Biden is classless. The same thing would apply to businesses hiring for most jobs, as long as the person is physically and mentally capable of performing their duties.

For other things, ageism against older people is perfectly justified. Countries discriminate based on age for immigrants, because it's in their national interest to do so. Youth-oriented programs and groups should not be obligated to open up membership to people of any age. There is nothing wrong with a company having a mandatory retirement age.

[John Dule]

Hot take ... ageism toward younger people should be 1,000 times more acceptable than ageism toward older people.  The latter is completely tasteless and void of class.

I'm of the complete opposite opinion. Young people are still trying to figure out how everything works and how to control their emotions, yet we often hold them to the standard of someone who is of our own age, all while denying them the ability to participate in large parts of society. I have zero issues with calling out old people for behavior that they should know is unacceptable, especially when corporate boards, the government, and really all organizations with significant power to impact people's lives are disproportionately filled with older people.

I'm assuming your post was more about straight up harassment and abuse, however, and I think we should all agree that is equally unacceptable regardless of who is the target.

On a personal level, you shouldn't really criticize anyone unless you've "walked a mile in their shoes" before.  We've all been younger than we are right now (so we have some context for what younger folks may be thinking/feeling), but no one can ever claim the experience of being older than they currently are

Actually, I identify as being 67.

[AGA]

Because age isn't immutable. You may not have control over it, but it will change. This is why it is considered more acceptable to discriminate against the young than against the old.

[Santander]

Because age isn't immutable. You may not have control over it, but it will change. This is why it is considered more acceptable to discriminate against the young than against the old.

Sexual orientation isn't immutable, either. Or gender, for that matter.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Actually, I identify as being 67.

Why not 69?

[RINO Tom]

I just want to be clear that I think ALL ageism is classless and condemnable.  I just think that treating a young person who acts like they know more than they do negatively because of it is WAY more understandable than treating someone from an older generation poorly because they, say, maintain some attitudes or habits that were once the norm.  We're all going to be out of touch oldies someday.

[dead0man]

today's Woke Army probably thinks they will always be "with it". 

I used to be with it, but then they changed what it was. Now what I'm with isn't it, and what's it seems weird and scary to me, and it'll happen to you, too.

[Figueira]

Hot take ... ageism toward younger people should be 1,000 times more acceptable than ageism toward older people.  The latter is completely tasteless and void of class.

I'm of the complete opposite opinion. Young people are still trying to figure out how everything works and how to control their emotions, yet we often hold them to the standard of someone who is of our own age, all while denying them the ability to participate in large parts of society. I have zero issues with calling out old people for behavior that they should know is unacceptable, especially when corporate boards, the government, and really all organizations with significant power to impact people's lives are disproportionately filled with older people.

I'm assuming your post was more about straight up harassment and abuse, however, and I think we should all agree that is equally unacceptable regardless of who is the target.

On a personal level, you shouldn't really criticize anyone unless you've "walked a mile in their shoes" before.  We've all been younger than we are right now (so we have some context for what younger folks may be thinking/feeling), but no one can ever claim the experience of being older than they currently are

Actually, I identify as being 67.

ONE JOKE

[Senator Incitatus]

Because it is correct and unlike other forms of discrimination, has faced no broadside propaganda campaign.

[Figueira]

Hot take ... ageism toward younger people should be 1,000 times more acceptable than ageism toward older people.  The latter is completely tasteless and void of class.

I'm of the complete opposite opinion. Young people are still trying to figure out how everything works and how to control their emotions, yet we often hold them to the standard of someone who is of our own age, all while denying them the ability to participate in large parts of society. I have zero issues with calling out old people for behavior that they should know is unacceptable, especially when corporate boards, the government, and really all organizations with significant power to impact people's lives are disproportionately filled with older people.

I'm assuming your post was more about straight up harassment and abuse, however, and I think we should all agree that is equally unacceptable regardless of who is the target.

On a personal level, you shouldn't really criticize anyone unless you've "walked a mile in their shoes" before.  We've all been younger than we are right now (so we have some context for what younger folks may be thinking/feeling), but no one can ever claim the experience of being older than they currently are

That's true to some extent, but there's a limit to how far that goes. I was 15 once, but that doesn't mean I share the experience of every 15-year-old in existence. And it's still not OK to "criticize someone" for something they can't control. And some ageism is actually better described as "generationism" for lack of a better term--I certainly don't know anything about what people younger than me are experiencing right now.

Ageism is one of those things that's very much a two-way street. It's not like racism where one group is clearly privileged over another.

[darklordoftech]

Because age, unlike being of a particular race, gender, or sexuality, is something that all people experience and therefore it's commonplace to base how we judge or perceive a member of society based on that, a prominent and also justified example being the law.

People haven’t experienced being older than they currently are.

[buritobr]

Is it acceptable to say that Joe Biden should not be the president because he is 78? Only if you proove that he doesn't have enough health. Otherwise, it would be discrimination like sex, sexual orientation, religion and color.
Considering the other extreme: the law says that the minimal age to be the president is 35 and this age is OK. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez will be 35 in 2024 and I see no problem in her running to president. Alexander, the Great, passed away when he was 32, and he was ruling an empire that went from Macedonia to Persia.

[Santander]

Is it acceptable to say that Joe Biden should not be the president because he is 78? Only if you proove that he doesn't have enough health. Otherwise, it would be discrimination like sex, sexual orientation, religion and color.
Considering the other extreme: the law says that the minimal age to be the president is 35 and this age is OK. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez will be 35 in 2024 and I see no problem in her running to president. Alexander, the Great, passed away when he was 32, and he was ruling an empire that went from Macedonia to Persia.

Alexander was a hereditary monarch, not an elected leader of a republic. A better comparison would be the Founding Fathers, many of whom were very young, but they were basically the alt-right of their time.

[buritobr]

Is it acceptable to say that Joe Biden should not be the president because he is 78? Only if you proove that he doesn't have enough health. Otherwise, it would be discrimination like sex, sexual orientation, religion and color.
Considering the other extreme: the law says that the minimal age to be the president is 35 and this age is OK. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez will be 35 in 2024 and I see no problem in her running to president. Alexander, the Great, passed away when he was 32, and he was ruling an empire that went from Macedonia to Persia.

Alexander was a hereditary monarch, not an elected leader of a republic. A better comparison would be the Founding Fathers, many of whom were very young, but they were basically the alt-right of their time.

George Washington, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson were 57 when they became president