Adultism

"Like sundown laws of the old South requiring black people to leave town before dark, youth escort laws requiring young prople to be accompanied by an adult over the age of twenty-one years or depart malls before 7p.m. aim to regulate the presence of members of the subordinate group to suit the needs and preferences of members of the dominant group.  These laws determine when and under what circumstances youth, the target group, can be in the presence of adults, the dominant group, reinforcing and highlighting adult power and the powerlessness of youth.  Rooted in the adage of a not-so-long-gone era, "Children are to be seen and not heard," youth escort laws reflect absolute adult power over young people along with societal attitudes of disdain and lack of respect for youth (Adams p.533)."

Welcome back...When I first read these words I was vividly reminded of when I was a kid and you were never allowed to sit around or even talk to the "grown folks".  As a result, I couldn't wait to be grown!  Now that I am an adult, I can see how that treatment can negatively impact kids.  One day, I told my own daughter to get out of grown folks business and that remark somehow triggered a split in our relationship that has taken years to get through.  She recently told me that she felt from that moment own that she didn't fell able to share with me on an adult level because I was alwys reminding her that she was a kid.  She is an adult and I realized that I  had carried the treatment I received as a kid into my own parenting style.  I was able to apologize and because I still have a 15-year old, I'm better equipped to make sure she feels like she can speak and when she does, make sure she feels like she's heard. 

The way society has set up the divide between youth and adults has caused a massive gap which seems like it will never be bridged.  Although discpline and structure are necessary for children, must it always be done in such a way as to make it seem like it's because we're better than them.  We treat older people no different.  When I was growing up, the older people were to be respected and almost revered.  They garnered a respect that as a kid I couldn't see they deserved.  Now I know differently.  It is not about the age, it is about the person's wisdom and experience with life that I should respect.  In my Communities and Organizations class, my group has been doing a needs assessment on the  low-income older population.  What I've seen so far is that people somehow forget that this population exists and also needs resources, support, and care just like all the other disadvantaged population.  Because most receive a monthly Social Security check or SSDI, they are not eligible for any other public services.  This fixed income is just barely enough to pay their mortgage or rent so many end up using food banks and other community resources like Meals On Wheels to make ends meet throughout the month.  Not only is it a shame but it should be a crime that in the United States we have children and older people going to bed hungry.

So, what I have learned as an adult?  First, the older you get, the more your body and mind needs rest.  Children are people, too and should be treated as such.  The older people do deserve the respect of everyone and we should all feel obligated to care for them.  Discrimination is discrimination, whether it's race, gender, sexual orientation, or AGE.  I'm proud to have lived as long as I have and gained the knowledge that I have but if it comes at the expense and sacrifice of others, it loses some of its luster.


Until next week....