When I was in Social Work graduate school in the 1990s, I noticed fellow students, who loudly condemned isms like racism and sexism, exhibiting ageism in their casual comments and jokes about getting older. Perhaps I was more aware of that ageism because I was decades older than most of them.
… might seem like a logical extension of yesterday’s post, if logic is something you value.
I also value this opportunity to explore what we value and devalue in our culture, including older people. During the last few months, I have
heard and read many jokes about older people, focusing on lack of ability, attractiveness, and other things we value,
defended the benefits of growing older to groups of younger people expressing nothing but fear about aging,
been told by an otherwise culturally sensitive younger person that “people of my generation” think and act a certain way, and
experienced my own internalized ageism, as I struggle against devaluing myself for looking and growing older.
What do I value about my photos from yesterday?
I value our home, so I took this photo yesterday of a water stain on the ceiling. We want to watch that stain, so our home doesn’t decrease in value as we and our home age.
My friend Jenn values pugs and I value Jenn, so I take pug-related photos and send them to her.
I value cats, so I took this photo at the supermarket yesterday evening. I also noticed a Life Magazine about Dogs and remarked to my valued boyfriend Michael that the Dogs Life Magazine cover did not promise a feature on “DOGS vs. CATS.” Michael — who values dogs and cats and who doesn’t value conflict — had nothing to say about that.
I took this photo because I value expressing joy, and I assumed I would be able to use that image very soon. Sure enough, people I value shared some good news within the hour and I sent that image in an email.
I value great people and I value puns, so I knew I could use this in today’s blog post, no matter what the topic.
I value myself and other people, even when we’re procrastinating. As is usual for me during this time of the year, I am procrastinating completing my taxes, because I value doing almost anything else more.
I value all the meals Michael makes for me, even leftovers, because they are so delicious!
I value this video I found on Youtube by searching for “what do we value ageism”:
