The word du jour is "systemic". We are bombarded with systemic racism, systemic white privilege and even systemic police brutality. My contention is that these are minor compared to ageism which is the phenomenon of discrimination and prejudice against the older age group.
There are so many instances of seniors bearing the brunt of discrimination. Let's look at that pesky little coronavirus. Who is most imperilled by this invader? It's those over the age of 65. Eighty per cent of the deaths are in those over 65. To make matters worse, those unfortunate enough to be in aged care facilities are segregated from the rest of the world, including their own families. There have been so many instances in which family members could not even visit their loved ones in the final stages of life.
Then we have discrimination due to what can only be called political malpractice, mostly notably committed by New York Governor, Cuomo. He signed an order that all Covid-19 positive cases be moved from the hospitals to their respective nursing homes. This resulted in the devastating death of thousands. The Associated Press noted a comment by one New Yorker that, "It was the single dumbest decision anyone could make if they wanted to kill people." What was Mr Cuomo thinking? Worse still, there is no accountability and certainly no regret from Mr Cuomo.
As a senior, I take offence when a young one feels that they have to give up a seat to me. I realize that they are being courteous. But are they doing so because they have a built-in bias that been programmed in their psyche that an older person is frail, unfit, and overly susceptible to injury? That is a generalization just like putting a label on any other group.
Seniors are often ignored like they are a nuisance, often even by their own family members. It is a form of "cancel culture" that is so in vogue today. No one wants to be cancelled, and as a senior, I refuse to be cancelled. I am reminded of that 60s English TV program, The Prisoner and that famous line that is spoken by actor Patrick McGuigan, "I am not a number I am a free man."
On a serious note, the tragedy for many seniors is that they have spent their last days during the pandemic, dying alone, without family or friends present. Many of these people were part of the "Great Generation", who grew up during the Depression and who fought in the Second World War. We should have unique thoughts for these people and their families.
I suggest a new meme: Senior Lives Matter (SLM) It's time for seniors to get out there and march, and make their voices heard. Too much has been focused on BLM. There are many more seniors than there are blacks. There are actually benefits to protesting. You get exercise, you're focused on an issue and in the days of Covid-19, you can be out in the sunshine which is a disinfectant against the virus.
Any group can feel aggrieved, but where does it end? Blacks, conservationists, whites, Asians, Jews, seniors, Millenials, university students and others not named, can feel victimized. The idea is not to play the victim role but to get on with living life in a self-empowered way.
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