I Bet You Are Ageist And Don’t Know It

Recently I had to have a small procedure at a hospital. As the technician was doing the prep work, he said to me, “What do you do now that you are retired?” I responded, “Who said I was retired?” I could tell he was surprised by my answer. He explained how he had seen my birthdate on the in-take form and assumed. Then he apologized and told me he will be more careful in the future with all patients.

My experience is an example of ageism, which is defined as a “broader set of stereotypes, prejudices, and attitudes (how we think/feel) about people based on their age.” Age discrimination is “the specific, actionable behavior or policy (how we act) that treats someone unequally because of their age.” In other words, ageism is the underlying belief, while age discrimination is the unfair actions and behaviors based on that belief.

As we age we are amazed that it could happen to us. ~Pir Elias Amidon

Please check out the full article in Forbes.com