We have a culture that really de-values age.

[milestogo]

If you're over 50 and still in the work force, you know what I mean. And work is just one dimension. Instead of thinking of older people as wise and experienced, the culture ridicules them as demented and confused. And this is why the younger generation doesn't get Joe Biden. Mistakes are highlighted, and major assets are not even noticed.

[RandomNumbers]

1. Major assets aren't noticed because the framework isn't there to recognize them

Not speaking specifically of Biden here, but my own experience in a technical workforce.

It is very helpful to explain the "why" that something is a problem, or needs to be done a certain way, with reference to a framework the less experienced listeners can relate to. (usually easier said than done, but good to think about)

[Ocelot II]

2. Wait until you've retired. At that point you've vanished off the face of the Earth.

Instead of a gold watch you get an Invisibility Cloak.

[RKP5637]

4. And a cardboard box for housing. n/t

[Diamond_Dog]

6. Especially if you are female

Retired or not, you become invisible after the age of 50 just about everywhere.

[shrike3]

14. Retirement has been great for a lot of people I know.

They are extremely lucky, I know. Most are embarking on "passion" endeavors: painting, drawing, taking photographs; showing that work, winning prizes, making sales. Playing "classic rock" in old guy bands. Astonishing market around here for that kind of music.

In terms of a conventional job, my yes. Lose your job after fifty and your career is over. So sad, that a great last part of your life depends on luck, more often than not. If you made enough during your career to fund a comfortable retirement. If you have a pension (we did). If your house is paid off: ours is. Not because we're smarter than anyone else. We're lucky.

[RKP5637]

3. They view age today as a type of disease. n/t

[Diamond_Dog]

5. TV Commercials like Martha asking about Medicare certainly don't help.

[milestogo]

7. I really, really hate that one.

[Progressive dog]

8. Our culture used to look up to experienced

people, not down at them.

[Jean Genie]

9. Experience doesn't count!

Except if you're Trump. MAGAts seem to believe he is ageless, and will live forever!

[Mr.Bill]

10. The workplace is programmed

to think all new ideas come from young people, and older people resist change.

The fact is, older people adapt to chnge better because they've been doing exactly that for decades.

[Silver Gaia]

11. The only place I know of where it doesn't really matter is teaching,

particularly teaching online. It's not gonna be a high paying career as an adjunct, but it's better than being a checker at Target or a greeter at Walmart. *IF* you still want or need to work, that is. Age is not an issue in an online classroom because, unless you're required to do live virtual classes, they can't see you anyway. Even then, you could try doing just audio live. Online tutoring works about the same way.

But yeah, overall, there's a lot of age discrimination out there. So much for being a wise elder! Our culture is highly youth-based, and that has always sucked, except when we were teenagers.

[milestogo]

13. Well I think that's true to some degree for all online jobs.

Although- somebody in HR knows your date of birth. Even though I work from home I feel like I have to be careful about what I say. I let it slip that I am on Medicare and my co-worker seemed shocked.

[Uncle Joe]

12. I believe it's because the corporate media;

a purely profit driven institution has elevated capitalism over democracy.

In a democracy, a nation takes the peoples' point of view as paramount, this by nature would value experience and wisdom as worthy of consideration.

Capitalism places worth over value, (*rump was worth a lot of money, so he should be President reasoning) whoever the corporate media can sell the most product to or who owns them is the dominant focus. News becomes profit.

As the younger generations climb up the economic scale, with middle age people having already purchased a great deal coming closer to a saturation point and the elderly largely on fixed incomes, it becomes all about following the money.

Our culture devalues the elderly in large part because of the demands of capitalism.

Thanks for the thread milestogo.

[OldBaldy1701E]

15. Older people expect to be fairly compensated.

And we are less likely to fall for the bull spewed from HR and the upper echelons. That makes us 'difficult' and therefore not worth the effort. Especially when there are plenty of fresh out of college kids who have been programmed to give it all for their employer (sometimes for free... see 'unpaid internship'). Also, plenty of service jobs are now set up so that they can be done by anyone with three brain cells to rub together. Older people tend to like using their brains. Corporate would prefer their employees to not think about anything but what they are doing at that moment, which requires little thinking. So again... no go.