the adult prodigy project

reading

Today was a doozy. I was shedding things, making room, as spring will have you do, when I came across the Summer 2021 issue of Millie, a magazine that started showing up with my subscription to Real Simple, out of the blue. Immediately I saw why I’d kept it around this long: it had a section on ageism.

I was inspired by the bit on Arlinda McIntosh, an embodiment of Creativity, Resilience and Resourcefulness, and I was expecting the same type of high from the article that was waiting for me on the next page, Stacy Morrison’s “Let’s Talk About Ageism“. Instead, I found myself needing to take breaks while reading it. By the end, I just wanted to take to the bed, the world looked so bleak.

If you’re a veteran of this realm, please bear with me. I’m new to Ageismville. First impression: It smells like pure bullshit around here. And apparently, there’s no exit.

Some of what Morrison shared, that had me feeling like I needed to pick my jaw up off the ground, included:

• “56% of workers are pushed out of their jobs once they pass the age of 50, according to a 24-year data analysis of long-term employed American workers conducted by Pro Publica and The Urban Institute. An additional 13% retire under circumstances that suggest their departures were not voluntary.” … Wait. What?

• The ADEA: Apparently ageism in the workplace is so bad, that over 50 years ago, legislation was passed to address it. I’m familiar with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), but the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA)?! We needed that too? And how do you enforce legislation against a bias that is so hard to prove?

• Despite the existence of the ADEA, the EEOC “has seen an upswing in complaints, with those by women, Blacks, Asians and workers over the age of 65 nearly doubling in the past few years.”

Oh, and new vocab alert for all you women out there: Sexism + Ageism (Why am I hearing trumpets as I write this?) = “Sex-Plus” Discrimination. Wow. Okay. Some part of my soul feels dizzy and wants to throw up.

As I said, I just got here. Veterans of Ageismville, please feel free to chime in and comment with any war stories, and/or advice for the newbie. In the meantime, I’m gonna go lay down and contemplate building exits to this shithole, one brain at a time, one neural pathway at a time.

Onward.