Ageism: We are our own worst enemy

In 1969, Butler (1969) first coined the term ageism to confront prejudice by one age group toward other age groups (pp. 243). As with other isms, such as racism and sexism, ageism leads to bigotry and discrimination, though it is a very distinct beast in that, for the most part, other isms refer to those different from ourselves: distinct, mutually exclusive, and impervious groups. Conversely, age is a fluid social construct in which we are all intimately bound as we move through the lifespan, transitioning in and out of different age-groups. Unlike other isms, individuals negotiate shifts from the in-group of youth to the out-group of old age. Yet we are all immersed, largely unconsciously, in this ubiquitous but too often unrecognized ism that needs to be named and challenged