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Ageism in Full Swing [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2024-02-09  

When I first immigrated to the US, I was discriminated against for being a brown young woman, an immigrant from a shithole country whose perceived talents could only be suited for housecleaning or artichoke picking. During the prime of my professional life, I fought sexism, plus racism, working in the semiconductor industry, a male dominated space until today, even though I was more competent than several of my peers. Now entering retirement, I have to fight ageism and I’m still a brown woman. I’m becoming an expert at living with the isms.

Isms are about treating a group of people with a bias that is based on stereotypes and the intellectual and emotional laziness, the lack of curiosity and a closed mind, about people that are not reflected in the mirror. What makes ageism worse is that we all get old, so it is the largest group of humans impacted in America, where youth and image are valued more than what we produce and offer to society. Gray hair and yes, loss of memory, does not mean we have stopped contributing, or that we are less competent at our jobs, or that we can’t run marathons or punch someone in the face that is blatantly and disgustingly showing prejudice. For those of us that have lost strength, can’t or choose to not work anymore, suffer from mental illness, and are otherwise less able, so what? We paid our dues to society and deserve respect. But that’s what isms share, a disrespect for who we are as individuals.

Biden and Trump are not just two different old white men. They are at different ends of the spectrum with regards to ethics, integrity, civic mindedness, experience in dealing with complexity, respect for those around them for adding value to the process of governing, attitude towards women and people of color, and decency. Trump is not an asshole because he’s old. He has always been that way. I’m proud to say that I have a bias against assholes. Are you with me?

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