Some people are born with this awareness, and so have longer to develop the capacities that will serve them well later in life, capacities such as the ability to keep making new friends, to value internal resources, and to be able to let go, says writer and medical sociologist Anne Karpf. Less than 1% of America’s population lives in long-term care facilities, but as of December 31, 2020, they accounted for 38% of US COVID-19 deaths. They spend a lot of energy sustaining the illusion that the old are somehow not us. Applewhite, armed with research and in the company of scholars, bust other myths too, such as: “Society will be swamped by all these old people!” and “An older population will bog everyone else down in caring for the sick and the frail,” and “Olders are a drag on the economy,” and “One generation benefits at the expense of another,” and “Social security bankrupted! We are not lesser. Reprinted with the permission of Celadon Books, a division of Macmillan Publishing, LLC. In 2008, I heard geriatrician Joanne Lynn describe herself as an Old Person in Training, and I’ve been one ever since. Resources are not inherently scarce; the United States spends almost as much on its military as all other nations of the world combined. Ashton Applewhite once held these beliefs too until she realized where this prejudice comes from and the damage it does. What are we waiting for? At the heart of the matter is a deeper one: why do we avoid discussing and dealing compassionately with cognitive decline? A mandate of the disability justice movement is to stand in solidarity with other marginalized groups, as the Black Panthers did in 1977 by bringing supplies and cooked meals to the over 100 disabled protesters who occupied the San Francisco H.E.W offices for almost a month, and as the Black Lives Matter movement is doing now by supporting the rights of transgender and Indigenous people. My new talk, “Still Kicking – Confronting Ageism and Ableism in the Pandemic’s Wake,” debuted earlier this week at n4a, the national conference of Area Agencies on Aging—to rave reviews, yay! Becoming an Old Person in Training bridges the us/them divide and loosens the grip of that exhausting illusion. The critical starting point is to acknowledge our own prejudices…Acknowledging bias is an uncomfortable task and an ongoing one, as I’m reminded on a regular basis. Racist? Let’s get one thing straight, aging not a bad thing! As she writes: "Aging is a natural, lifelong, powerful process that unites us all. There are plenty of ways to clue readers in the rare event that it’s relevant to the story. What’s the good news? We were young once and living in the world we inherited, and we’re getting older day by day, living in that same world, slightly altered by our own doing! “a prejudice against our own future selves, as Todd Nelson and many other age scholars have observed, and has the dubious distinction of being the only “ism” related to a universal condition. Two stories in the same week — one about a 42-year-old nursing student running for homecoming queen and another about a 91-year-old mayor swindling River Falls, Alabama, out of $201,000 — got me thinking about it. Here’s my latest newsletter. London’s Groucho Club was founded as “an antidote to stuffy gentlemen’s clubs,” and when they invited me to be their book club’s featured author this month, I said you bet. “If someone assumes that we’re “too young”: ageism cuts both ways, and young people experience a lot of it. Last week the New Yorker magazine published an article describing the senior senator from California “seriously struggling” with cognitive impairment, titled “ Dianne Feinstein’s Missteps Raise a Painful Age Question Among Senate Democrats .” It’s the misguided belief that being non-disabled is “normal” and that leading meaningful, desirable lives means staying youthful, able­-bodied and able­-minded. For example, if we write about a ‘senior citizen’ or ‘older person’ who takes her first skydive, does the story have more impact if the subject is 70 or if she’s 99? Painstakingly because Applewhite takes the time to expose ageism in all the ways it manifests in our culture, the damage it inflicts, and ways to change course. It’s lazy, though, and utterly unreliable, and arguably impertinent. The media loves ’em, but placing them on pedestals distracts from the social and economic factors that shrink the worlds of most older and disabled people. It is the natural process of life. We’re ageist when we feel or behave differently toward a person or a group on the basis of how old we think they are…Ageism isn’t a household word yet, nor a sexy one, but neither was “sexism” until the women’s movement turned it into a howl for equal rights”(8). Make your voice count. We have a right to know that our elected representatives are capable of carrying out their duties. [ii] Residents are now dying at three times the rate they did in July.[iii]. Becoming an Old Person in Training makes it easier to think critically about what age means in this society and the forces at work behind depictions of older people as useless and pathetic. Here’s a different way to think about it: The pandemic isn’t making ageism and ableism worse, it’s exposing what’s been all around us all along—and giving us a historic opportunity to build on that awareness. Applewhite, Ashton. Aging and disability are not the same. On this episode of Intersectionality Matters, Kimberle Crenshaw is joined by two timely voices -- Ashton Applewhite, author of This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism, and J.R. Fleming, Executive Director of the Chicago Anti-Eviction Campaign -- to discuss how ageism, and its varying intersections with race, class, ability, and gender, is materializing in the fight against COVID-19. This excerpt from my book ran on TED’s “Ideas” page under the title Rather than identifying as old, young or middle-aged, be an “old person in training” instead. That’s not ageism, it’s ableism. A couple of parting quotes from Applewhite’s manifesto to further entice you to read and share it: “It’s harder to unlearn than to learn, especially when it comes to values. Perhaps it’s because I’m creeping closer to turning 60 that I finally decided to read it, or perhaps it’s because I’m creeping closer to 60 that I kept it at bay for so long, collecting dust on a shelf for the better part of a year. It’s doable. My new talk, “Still Kicking – Confronting Ageism and Ableism in the Pandemic’s Wake,” debuted earlier this week at n4a, the national conference of Area Agencies on Aging—to rave reviews, yay! “A social compact for longer lives would opt for integration over age apartheid, in the form of affordable, multi-generational housing, adequate and accessible public transportation, and universal compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Age becomes just another attribute, like being a good speller or a Filipino or a Cubs fan. Those assumptions are biased and misinformed. Nursing homes with a significant number of black and Latinx residents have been twice as likely to be hit as homes whose populations are overwhelmingly white—no matter where they are, how big they are, or how they’re rated. The oppression is reflected in and reinforced by society through the economic, legal, medical, commercial, and other systems that each of us navigates in daily life. That means we make them up, and they change over time. Ashton Applewhite is a leading voice in an emerging movement dedicated to dismantling ageism and honoring age as a vibrant and necessary aspect of diversity. Person first, as retired psychotherapist Bill Krakauer discovered when he started taking acting classes. Maybe that’s because the unknown breeds unease or because predicting the future is more difficult than reminiscing or because the task holds less appeal in a youth-centric society. . “Age is often relevant to certain stories as well. “discrimination and stereotyping on the basis of a person’s age. But you sure wouldn’t know it from the way the media and public health advisories turn the vast and varied 60+ population into “the [frail/vulnerable/dependent] elderly.” And it’s not the real reason. I claim my age at the same time that I challenge its primacy and its value as a signifier. We all face stigma, and we’re all biased. What are we waiting for? That struggle is essential if we want to create a world in which people can find meaning and purpose at every stage of life”(Applewhite 241). The brouhaha that followed centered on whether or when Senator Feinstein ought to step down, a legitimate question. There is no mention of age or ageism. But what 2020 brought home for me was that being anti-ageist means supporting every movement for equal rights. She blogs at ThisChairRocks.com, and has written for Harper’s, the Guardian, and The New York Times. It undoes the “otherness” that powers ageism (and racism and nationalism). She’s been invited to speak on stages around the world including the United Nations and the TED stage. It begins as a distaste for others, and in the case of age (as opposed to race or sex), it turns into a distaste for oneself”(16-17). Only the well-off can pursue this goal, which segregates us, sets us up to fail, and fills us with needless dread. Why should age be any dif­ferent? I stop looking at them like young people, and they stop looking at me like an old guy and we’re all just people.”. She also notes the values most admired in the industrialized world — high personal and economic productivity — do little to help us age. This means culture change: mobilizing against the dual stigma of age and disability, starting between our ears. Author and activist Ashton Applewhite has been recognized by the New York Times, National Public Radio and the American Society on Aging as an expert on ageism. Had Feinstein not run for reelection, she could be going through this difficult transition out of the public eye. Obviously, the subject’s age belongs in obituaries and profiles of child prodigies but I believe its reflexive inclusion in other stories is nothing but a bad habit. Even as the population ages, dementia rates are falling, significantly, and people are being diagnosed at later ages. And because it’s all one struggle. I claim my age at the same time that I challenge its primacy and its value as a signifier. It acknowledges the inevitability of oldness while relegating it to the future — albeit at an ever-smaller remove. When we question ourselves and others, we’re all forced to stop and think. “I don’t mind telling my age, but I know on the job it can cause you a problem, so I always say I’m 104.” Ha! Ageist and ableist assumptions—that aging is awful and disability is tragic—harm every older and/or developmentally disabled person, no matter their age or place in the world. She continues, providing a broader, more inclusive scope, from the intersectionality of ageism to our complicity in it: “All ‘isms’ – ageism, racism, sexism – are socially constructed ideas. Ignoring the overlap between ageism and ableism leaves stigma unchallenged and rules out collective activism. It’s also the sustainable, ethical, and joyful path, and I’m glad to be on it. The necessary alternative—imperative, even—is to educate ourselves about cognitive decline, and learn to talk about it openly and accurately. (Can we get rid of the word lazy since it seems like a cover for disappointed, deflated, sad, bored?). It takes root in the denial of the fact that we’re going to get old. But hindsight is 20/20, and denial—cruel, dangerous, and enabled at every turn—is the default. “I don’t mind telling my age, but I know on the job it can cause you a problem, so I always say I’m 104.” Ha! There are tons of excellent books, articles and movies to. How basic is that? Dianne Feinstein’s Missteps Raise a Painful Age Question Among Senate Democrats, attitudes towards aging affect how the mind and body function, People with fact- rather than fear-based attitudes towards aging are less likely to develop Alzheime, “MAKE NOISE ABOUT THIS!” – Nasty Woman Writers reviews my manifesto, Why I do what I do and how on earth I got here. What’s a better question to be asking about Senator Dianne Feinstein? Speak up, too, for older people with disabilities, who have much to learn from younger pwd about adapting, identity, and pride. She is an author, speaker, and activist, who has been recognized by the New York Times, National Public Radio, the New Yorker, and the American Society on Aging as a leading expert on ageism. Older people and people with disabilities. After a while it quiets down. Let’s process that one again, “And when people aren’t visible, whether ghettoized or homebound, whether by choice or reluctantly, so are the issues that affect them”(192). Why should age be any dif­ferent? One of my favorite sections of the book is where Applewhite addresses the potency of  intergenerational living. "It is a natural, powerful, lifelong process that unites us all." “Speak up not only for your own disability, but for invisible disabilities, and disabled people of color as well,” urges activist Alice Wong, the author of Disability Visibility. It’s not something you can or should try to avoid! In terms of it being a necessary part of the “who” of a story, race is no longer an obligatory part of the “who” — unless the story is about race relations. Just as realizing the potential of the disability justice movement means joining forces with age activists, being anti-ageist means being anti-ableist. The list could go on forever, because it’s the natural order of things. [i] More than 120,000 long-term care workers and residents have died, “This Is Why Nursing Homes Failed So Badly,” by E. Tammy Kim, New York Times, Dec 31, 2020, [ii] Less than 1% of America’s population lives in long-term care facilities, The COVID Tracking Project, Atlantic magazine, Dec 31, 2020, https://covidtracking.com/data/long-term-care. It connects us empathically with our future selves. One out of four American adults has some type of disability, Black Panthers did in 1977 by bringing supplies and cooked meals to the over 100 disabled protesters who occupied the San Francisco H.E.W offices for almost a month, We’re all Old People in Training, whether we know it yet or not, This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism, A short riff on hearing impairment, face masks, and being a good ally, Breonna Taylor, a Black EMT, was murdered in her bed at 26 years old. Many olders refuse to use wheelchairs or walkers, even when it means never leaving home, because the stigma is so great. There’s a regrettable human tendency to think about this in zero-sum terms: I can only manage one role! Here’s a look at some of the ground it covers: And a thing of beauty ! I may be jumping onto podiums instead of out of airplanes, but I’m not running away from aging. “So here are these bunch of kids and they see an old guy, right? The critical starting point is to acknowledge our own prejudices…Acknowledging bias is an uncomfortable task and an ongoing one, as I’m reminded on a regular basis. Baum, Caroline. What’s the best answer to “How old are you?” Tell your questioner the truth — and then ask why it matters. Precisely what Senator Feinstein now faces—because of her own denial, because her friends and colleagues colluded in that denial, and because an ageist and ableist culture gives them cover. As an Old Person in Training, I see the 90-year-old me as withered and teetery but also curious and content. When I experience this, I turn it around to an appreciation of this stage of the life span, one where there is no shortage of ambition, joy, and beauty, if we chose to see it, as we do in the other phases of life. Like all discrimination, ageism legitimizes and sustains inequalities between groups, in this case, between the young and the no-longer-young. It robs the caricatures of crone and geezer of their power and frees us to become our full — our ageful — selves. Wow, all that ugly negativity. For a number of reasons, none of which are healthy, we’re a society hell-bent on segregation which hinders our quality of life in so many ways. Ashton Applewhite urges us to dismantle the dread and mobilize against the last socially acceptable prejudice. I am not comfortable with the roles and stereotypes associated with the age of the body I was born into,” he wrote. Ageism and ableism— seeing older and disabled people as less valuable members of society— legitimize their appalling abandonment. Yes. Currently, I blog at This Chair Rocks, speak widely and am the voice of Yo, Is This Ageist?. Like all discrimination, ageism legitimizes and sustains inequalities between groups, in this case, between the young and the no-longer-young. It robs the caricatures of crone and geezer of their power and frees us to become our full — our ageful — selves. Also, since she covers so much territory in This Chair Rocks, I was forced to select only a handful of her illuminations and arguments, so do yourself a very serious favor and read the book! Becoming an Old Person in Training is a political act, because it derails this shame and self-loathing. We know that attitudes towards aging affect how the mind and body function at the cellular level. A terrific special section of today’s New York Times is devoted to the 30th anniversary of the passage of the Americans With Disabilities Act. Indignity. I don’t write them very often, no spam, and it’s easy to unsubscribe. Copyright © 2019 Ashton Applewhite. Just as realizing the potential of the disability justice movement means joining forces with age activists, being anti-ageist means being anti-ableist. The sooner this lifelong process is stripped of reflexive dread, the better equipped we are to benefit from the countless ways in which it can enrich us. It’s part of the ‘who’ in reporting,” Barclay responded. People with fact- rather than fear-based attitudes towards aging are less likely to develop Alzheimer’s—even if they have the gene that predisposes them to the disease. People age well not by avoiding chronic illness and disability but by adapting to them. That struggle is essential if we want to create a world in which people can find meaning and purpose at every stage of life”(Applewhite 241). What if he’s only 24, but reading the story we might think he’s 60?”. That has to change. That’s why I’m delighted to announce the release of Ageist? “My body’s age is not my age. It should not be shameful. She is an articulate and committed voice for an important cause: challenging the demoralizing shadow that … The necessary alternative—imperative, even—is to educate ourselves about cognitive decline, and learn to talk about it openly and accurately. This is the sort of book that insists on copious pages of notes and oodles of colored sticky flags; so bear with me if I’m quotation-heavy, because no one speaks to ageism better than Ashton Applewhite, said to be “the most prominent anti-ageism activist today”(Baum). That’s what’s going on when people grumble about lazy Millennials or complain that “kids are like that”(9). 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