Even Biden said he was “too old”, sounding the alarm about age discrimination

In a year that saw escalating concerns about the fitness of older national leaders, culminating in President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the presidential race, aging experts say the phenomenon is spreading through American culture largely unquestioned.

The pressure on Biden to withdraw may have more to do with changing perceptions of his abilities than how many times he’s orbited the sun. But from headlines to memes, the phrase “too old” — used by the president himself at the Democratic National Convention on Monday night — has become a byword for ageism.

Gerontology advocates and scientists say the public’s view of older people is often based on unfair assumptions about what numerical age means. This stereotype is as unfair and incorrect as generalizations about race or gender — but somehow remains acceptable. It equates chronological age with poor health, which in turn fuels people’s fears about getting older.

Yet even those who see ageism as rampant see opportunity.

“I personally think that unless you’re aware of (age discrimination), you’re not going to do anything about it,” said Tracy Gendron, a geriatrician and author of “Unveiling Ageism.” She added, “I’m hoping that maybe this will be a catalyst.”

In a year that saw escalating concerns about the fitness of older national leaders, culminating in President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the presidential race, aging experts say the phenomenon is spreading through American culture largely unquestioned.

The public is not uniformly skeptical of octogenarians like Biden. From politicians to business leaders and pop stars, many older figures are widely recognized as they continue to campaign, invest and rock out. But gerontology advocates and scientists say public perceptions of older people are often built on unfair assumptions about what numerical age means, or that a slower body equates to a slower mind.

People who study aging say the phenomenon is gaining increasing attention in public debate.

Pressure to pull Biden out of the race, for example, may have more to do with changing perceptions of his abilities than how many times he’s orbited the sun. But the term “too old” has become a byword for ageism in headlines, memes, political polls, comedy shows and social media. Indeed, Biden himself endorsed it in his Democratic convention speech on Monday: “Now I’m too old to continue to be president.”

Experts on aging say being “too old” is a stereotype that is just as unfair and incorrect as generalizations about race or gender. It’s just that race and gender discrimination are universally unacceptable, while age discrimination is “The last acceptable prejudice.” It equates chronological age with poor health, which in turn fuels fears about aging.

Yet even those who see ageism and its close cousin, “ableism,” rampant prejudice against disability, see opportunity in the present moment.

“Personally I think unless you see (age discrimination) you don’t do anything about it,” Tracy GendronVirginia Commonwealth University geriatrician and author “Exposing ageism.” “So the positive side is that it raises awareness of the ageism and ableism that is rampant throughout society.”

Monitoring conversations with six professionals who study the physical, psychological and social aspects of aging reflect Dr. Gendron’s frustrations and hopes.

Ageism, at least, is an increasingly common word. But Dr. Gendron said: “The whole conversation around politics has really taken us back a step or two. Because you see so much talk about ‘too old’.”

Paul Kleyman is a journalist. Monitoring age discrimination In the media The start of the decades-long surge in ageist rhetoric can be traced to “legitimate concerns” about the health of the late California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, which “turned into medically unfounded speculation about other older members of Congress.”

“Those of us who are concerned about unaddressed ageism in American culture, the narrative load since the beginning of 2022 has reached a trigger point that we haven’t seen before. Biden’s debate (performance) was like a match to me that lit a fire,” he said.

For some, this shift means ageism has become more pronounced, but not necessarily more pervasive.

“I’m not sure ageism itself is increasing. I think we’re focusing more on a problem that’s always been there, and Biden’s weakness exacerbates it,” “This chair is amazing” Writer and activist Ashton Applewhite.

How unchallenged ageism harms the public conscience

World Health Organization 2018 Report View ageism as a pervasive global problem – “socially accepted and often not taken seriously”. Its impactThe World Health Organization says the phenomenon has negative economic impacts, including increased health costs and lost jobs, and can damage the public conscience among both older and younger groups, causing them to internalize negative age beliefs.

The American geriatrics community has recognized this and has been working hard in recent years to “Redefining” aging Positively.

These experts are concerned about issues including Age segregationFrom solitary confinement to gathering on isolated islands for those over 55; anti-aging – or “fighting against aging” – the health and beauty culture promotes fear of aging and even creates Sephora Kids Anti-wrinkle serum market.

Some focus on fairness issues such as mandatory retirement or certification for older people to drive or work, and all are concerned with how the spread of ageism can become internalized among older and younger people.

Political coverage often ‘missed the mark’ in past year

James Appleby, CEO of the American Geriatrics Society, said politics is at the root of the “ageism explosion” and that he, like his colleagues, spends a lot of time dealing with misunderstandings. “We’re so familiar with (stereotypes) that we never really realize what we’re doing. But for the (gerontology) community, the general feeling now is, ‘Wow, can you believe that some of the reports are so outrageous?’”

The past year has seen a heightened focus on troubled older politicians, including the late Senator Feinstein, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and President Biden, often conflating their actual age with lapses, appearance and health and cognitive issues. With Biden, 81, out of the race, there is evidence that the focus on age is waning. Opened Former President Donald Trump, 78. CNN commentator and former Obama White House adviser David Axelrod said before Biden’s convention speech, “The aging incumbent president is Donald Trump.”

It all keeps aging professionals busy, who repeat their distinctive mantra in interviews and columns: “If you’ve seen an 80-year-old, you’ve seen an 80-year-old.”

The key, explains Ms. Applewhite, the anti-aging writer, is that “the defining characteristic of aging is its heterogeneity… There are as many ways of living to 80 as there are people who are 80.”

Brian Carpenter, a professor of psychological and brain sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, explains that this diversity is missed when people use the term “too old” to reduce aging “to a set of cliches and tropes.” “I think it represents other dimensions that people really care about, which are capacity, cognition, energy, and vitality.”

But he added: “It takes a lot more brainpower to consider a person’s experience, their relationships with world leaders, or their experience handling crises. It’s hard for people to evaluate our candidates based on these more complex, abstract principles.”

Similarly, in political polls, experts say questions that direct voters to consider candidates by age are ageist because they misleadingly equate age with ability. ABC News Early July polls For example, a Langer Research Associates poll asked respondents directly whether they thought one, both, or both presidential candidates were “too old” to be re-elected. Fifty-eight percent said “both were too old.” (Neither the polling company nor ABC responded to requests for comment.)

Dr. Carpenter asserted: “It doesn’t make a lot of sense to pose the question this way, it implies that knowing someone’s actual age is useful, but it’s actually not very valuable when assessing someone’s leadership ability.”

Facilitating deeper conversations

There is a high possibility that Mr. Biden will withdraw. He mentioned Passing the torch “to a new generation…new voices, fresh voices — yes, younger voices” will fuel public policy efforts to define “too old.”

“Should we have an age limit?” Steve Austad“I don’t think so. Maybe there are good reasons for setting up these institutions, but for a lot of people, it’s not fair.”

He added: “I also don’t think this would be a bad national conversation … to serve as an opportunity to confront ageism.”

Dr. Austad said he recently found an example of inconsistency in age limits that was “very interesting” to him: Thirty-two states have mandatory retirement ages for judges, and two states eliminate retirement benefits if judges don’t retire by a certain age. But none of those states has mandatory retirement ages for lawmakers who set those limits.

Geriatricians say that publicizing and clarifying what “too old” really means or doesn’t mean could raise awareness of the societal impact of ageism.

Dr Carpenter says ‘internalised ageism’ among older people Citing Research“It can change their behavior, their cognition, their physical activity, their willingness or desire to pursue certain things in life.”

in turnthe study also showed that cultivating “positive age beliefs” could significantly modify these effects.

Dr. Carpenter and his colleagues worry that ageist messages may also affect the mindsets of young people, who, as they age, may also struggle with the gap between stereotypes and scientific facts. Healthy aging.

“I’m hoping that maybe this can be a catalyst to open the door to a more serious conversation about what ageism really is and how it affects us at every level,” Dr. Gendron said.

This article was written with support from a journalism fellowship from the Gerontological Society of America, the Generational Journalists Network, and the Silver Century Foundation.