 By Jim Selman | Bio
There is nothing new about ageism, other than
the fact that there are increasing numbers of people growing older
(which means increasing numbers of examples of age discrimination
against older people). The latest statistics from AARP show formal
anti-discrimination complaints are up roughly 30% in the workplace. I
had some fun with this in my recent blog, proposing we create the
National Organization of Pissed-Off Elders (N.O.P.E.). However, it
isn’t a laughing matter when we see a potentially tragic problem
growing in our society that can be prevented.[ Read More]
Written by eldering at Fearless Aging
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I am perplexed by the fact that companies have been laying off older
workers for years as part of various downsizing projects. I understand
the drive to cut costs. Under normal demographic conditions, laying off
older workers would even make some sense from a strictly financial
point of view, since they generally command higher salaries than
younger workers. The fact is, however, that those same companies are
moaning about shortages of qualified people and the difficulties
they’re having in recruiting really good people. They often resort to
paying more for younger workers or having to hire older workers back as
“consultants” at even higher rates of pay than they would receive had
they stayed on the payroll. Moreover, aside from this financial shell game, corporations are often
blind to their real costs in terms of what they lose when they lose
their mature workforce.[ Read More]
Written by eldering at Retirement
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Germany's problems with ageism just took a different turn last week. Playboy Rolf Eden has his own perspective on age discrimination. The 77-year-old is suing a 19-year-old woman he dated for refusing to have sex with him on the basis that he was too old for her. [ Read More]
Written by eldering at News
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I saw a show on the BBC recently about aging in the UK. There were
several very interesting aspects to the story. First, the population in
nursing homes has changed dramatically in the past 20 years:
previously, most residents were in their 70s and today most are in
their 90s. And most are women—not surprising given World War II and
life expectancy trends. The consensus of experts here is that a combination of healthier habits
and lifestyles, better medical technologies, and increasing access to
healthcare will keep this statistic moving in the direction of more
people putting off the problems we normally associate with geriatric
disorders and living well into our 90s and even past 100. On the down
side, they are also predicting there will be proportionally more people
with dementia (several million by their estimates), as well as
considerable health problems associated with later life relating to
AIDS and other modern viral anomalies.[ Read More]
Written by Jim Selman at Fearless Aging
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There is value in distinguishing ‘politically correct’ ways to speak
about people who might otherwise be ignored in our collective ‘blind
spot’. Such speaking can highlight inequity and discrimination and
raise our awareness of those areas where our actions and our values
don’t line up—where we aren’t walking our talk! [ Read More]
Written by Jim Selman at News
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I just finished watching a CNN International presentation in my hotel
room in Sao Paulo. It was an extraordinary production called “ India’s Generation Next”. What made it special from my perspective is that it
was a genuine conversation of many young people, accented with dialogue
with 5 prominent Indians, including two celebrities from the
entertainment industry, a politician and two prominent business people.
[ Read More]
Written by Jim Selman at News
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I am against trying to ‘legislate’ or ‘regulate’ good behavior. I
don’t think people respond very well to rules that are ‘good for
them’—whether it is anti-smoking legislation, ‘dietary’ packaging, or
sanctions on putting condom machines in high schools. People will, at
best, comply, but the underlying problems and cognitive blindness
persists for decades (if not forever). The result is institutionalized
secrecy, hypocrisy, black markets and lack of transparency in
government and everyday life.[ Read More]
Written by Jim Selman at Retirement
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Age discrimination is probably one of the last forms of negative
stereotyping left—perhaps even the subtlest. It wasn’t so long ago that
color, sexual orientation and gender were in the spotlight. Now, as 70
million of us are becoming the dominant demographic force in the world,
we can begin to see our culture’s bias toward age appearing as overt
forms of discrimination.[ Read More]
Written by Jim Selman at Retirement
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 Happy IDOP everyone! Oh, you didn’t know that the United Nations
implemented October 1st as the International Day of Older Persons 16
years ago? Well, it’s true. Lots of information available online about
the UN Program on Ageing. The opening remark by the Secretary General pretty well sums up what it is all about. "I am only one of 600 million persons in the world over the age of
60. As people across the globe come to live increasingly longer lives,
our entire human family has a stake in encouraging and easing a
productive, active and healthy ageing process. The whole world stands
to gain from an empowered older generation, with the potential to make
tremendous contributions to the development process and to the work of
building more productive, peaceful and sustainable societies." [ Read More]
Written by Jim Selman at Wisdom in Action
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 The BBC recently ran a piece on new anti-age discrimination laws
in the UK. Although anti-age discrimination laws aren’t new in the USA,
the statistics show that, while age is on the same list with sexual
preference, race, gender and the handicapped, the practices that limit
opportunity for people as they age suggests the laws aren’t making much
difference. In fact, since the 1960s, like many western countries,
employment amongst the over 50s in the US has fallen, not risen.
Another BBC report on anti-aging discrimination laws in the US noted
that, as it's becoming increasingly difficult to sustain a working life
as you age, an increasing number of claims against employers on the
grounds of age discrimination reveal a growing awareness of this issue.[ Read More]
Written by Jim Selman at News
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