How old are you? Do you know somebody just half your age? Do you trust your own knowledge, your experience, yourjudgment, more than you trust that younger person’s? For your sake, let's hope so. Priscilla Long's new book, Dancing with the Muse in Old Age, delivers a litany of examples, anecdotes and statistics giving us good reason to view all ages through this same principle.
Despite most positions of ultimate responsibility in business and government being occupied by older adults, ageism pervades most of our culture. Note how many of us twist our language every which way to avoid calling ourselves orour associates old. In the introduction to her book, Long notes “Some [of us] insist that the word elderly and elders isrespectful, whereas the word old is not. Others make up terms, such as olders…”
Finally, in business the truth comes on the bottom line. If “NEW” on the packaging of soap, breakfast cereal or patent medicine is expected to increase sales, it becomes obvious that a large segment of the population holds a negative view of old. Priscilla Long is working to change that.
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