What are your thoughts or experiences with age related discrimination in modern society?

I have been surprised and delighted just enough by the young and the old to leave me open to avoid succumbing to such stereotypes. When people have applied stereotypes to me, they usually discover to their chagrin how wrong they were and how foolish they ended up looking. I don’t get angry, I get even and in the most polite way.

I hate it when I see ‘age discrimination’ applies to older folk, and not the other end of the age worker. I don’t think it’s fair.

One time, when i was 30, a coffeehouse owner wouldn’t hire me because all her other workers were teenagers. I didn’t like it, but I was glad she was honest. So I moved on.

I also remember being aged 15 and having to pay adult prices at the theater but not being allowed to see R rated movies without an adult present.

As for what is commonly referred to as “age discrimination” against those 50 and older, I have no doubt that it occurs, but have never seen it, probably because I’m not old enough yet.

In certain respects yes I think age can play into stereotypes. Lets face it at 19 I am in a different place in wisdom and life entirely than that of a 30+ year old. I differ in my place in life from a 16 year old. We are all at different places in life at different ages. However I do not agree that the number representing your age reflects on your maturity level or ability to do something. For instance at the age of 19 I am usually judged as being in my 20’s because of the way I carry myself in terms of how I articulate myself, my intelligence, and my maturity. My sister however is usually mistaken for being younger than what she is, the way she acts at 16 is nothing how I acted. I have always been more mature, and able to interact with those who are older than me.

What I hate is when the number representing your age or even the appearance of being young or old is used against you. For example, if a security guard or cop sees two young looking people (lets say between the ages of 16–20) just sitting in a car doing nothing they are very likely to come up to the vehicle and ask you what you are doing. If they were two older looking people say like 30 or older they are less likely to ask you what you are doing.

Kids and young adults even in there early twenties are always looked at as being up to something, or not understanding anything. Now I know I don’t know everything there is to know and that I have many more mistakes to make in my life I see that every day I get older, but I do not appreciate as being looked at as a child when trying to converse with those older than me. Older people tend to shrug off or assume that what a young person says sometimes is basically bologna and that we know nothing. However in many cases we could know something that the older person does not, I feel like they just don’t want to be proven wrong by a kid. I see this a lot with college kids. We are seen a lot of times as arrogant for knowing things, I do not know why that is but I see it a lot. I guess it can be intimidating when a young adult knows more about something than an older person does.

Now not to be bias I will give my piece on the older generation. For those of you that fit the category of 30+, I feel bad for you. I do not mean this in a bad way, but I do see how younger generations treat older generations. I can not count the times people my age have made cracks about people being old. Anytime an older person instructs or criticizes a younger person the response is always negative. It just seems people my age do not always respect the fact that structure is necessary. If two kids are making a ruckus and an older person says to quite it, the terms “cranky old bitch” come to mind. I do not understand why younger generations think that because older generations do not enforce bad behavior, are just old and cranky and need to mind their own business. I can admit that younger generations can be down right disrespectful and rude, and because of that the stereotypes take shape.

I think we all need to take a breather and just remember to give consideration to all of those around us, and to not be so quick to jump to the stereotypical conclusion.

I do recall that until I turned about 30 (39 now), I was not really taken seriously in the field of education. People would constantly talk about how young I was and it seemed that my ideas were dismissed due to my lack of experience and age. Now magically I garner respect. It’s totally different.

In the job market it can go either way. I’ve seen young people turned down for jobs because although they have the education, they don’t have the experience and may be thought of as possibly irresponsible. And older people turned down because they aren’t young enough and or pretty or handsome enough to attract customers.
I think it goes both ways.
The job market wants that rare gem. Someone who is young, with years of experience and energy who is attractive and educated and yet will work for low pay. So basically about 30 good looking, educated but desperate for cash. But not so desperate that they will sell dope on the side to make up for the low wages. Preferably someone who likes to work and still lives at home and mom and dad are paying their college tuition and they have no kids or wife that they have to put on a medical plan.

I’ve been told to not tell people how old I am now, or to allude to any memories of national or international events I have from before 1995, which means do not talk about the Carter Administration!

My appearance really doesn’t match my chronological age, and some people do react strangely when they realize that I’m not 24. I’m also sure that when I redo my resume, I’ll be taking off my professional experience from before 1998. I’m almost 41.

There was a time when I was usually the youngest employee in a business and I was always self conscious of being passed over for people who “needed it more” than me (being a whelp with no family or debts) but those days have passed and I’m now often one of the oldest people in the building though few people suspect it to the point I don’t tell my age because then people get nervous around me. The discrimination I run into now is being passed over or talent being overlooked because focus is on much younger talented girls that will work for less.

I think ageism is alive and well in our society and will have to be addressed in the coming decades as the population will shift to a morr elderly one. I was almost not hired for my job for being ‘too young’ and boy do they regret it now.