"It's what you learn after you know it all that counts."
-Harry S. Truman
Where have all the grownups gone!!!?
Jeunism is a vocabulary term that I have just learned.. and I thought I had the most magnificent vocabulary of anyone, anywhere. Jeunism is the discrimination against older people in favor of younger ones. This includes political candidacies, jobs, and cultural settings where the supposed greater vitality and/or physical beauty of youth is more appreciated than the supposed greater moral and/or intellectual rigor of adulthood. And it could very well be the stupidest form of discrimination known to exist, as it not only promotes ignorant teenagers but also worships a state of existence that is as flimsy as Waka Flocka's career . At least with adultism you had something to look forward to and the experience that comes with age is always an added bonus that no one can take from you. So contrary to most other forms of discrimination, this behavior is nonsensical from a practical perspective as it is sure to backfire. After all, we can’t stop ageing and so we will inevitably reap the whirlwind.
In the USA, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (1967) prohibits discrimination based on age for employees aged 40–69. Several organizations support rights for older people, for example AARP (founded as the American Association of Retired Persons in 1958), which in 2006 had more than 35 million members, making it one of the largest membership organizations for people aged 50 and over.. The fact that there was even a NEED for such an organization shows how pathetic our society is becoming. We don't even want the 40+ to WORK? In the global economy where companies and businesses have to work twice as fast as they previously did just to keep up with the ever-changing trends and market demands, a new trend has emerged across America. The trend of hiring younger and more energetic people and of relinquishing the services of older employees has gained currency everywhere. Bananas.
Hate to say it, but we are probably going to be stuck here for a while and the side effects could be dire. After all, an adolescent culture almost certainly guarantees unthoughtful decisions. Combined with the negative effects of media reach and media globalization, standardization, we are in for a rough ride and it is going to get a lot worse before things improve.
People I know are SO DISRESPECTFUL to their elders! Especially when we have so much to learn from them. I consider myself wise beyond my years so I feel qualified to point out the flaws of my generation. We are young and arrogant and think we know every damn thing. Many of us sound like candidates for The Young Republicans, except that we select elders to marginalize and dismiss rather than the poor or people of color.
If you are 21-25 (give or take), we can stretch and pretend that you've been an adult for 3-7 years (give or take). Perhaps 10% or so of your grownup years. Presumably along the way, over the next 90% of your adulthood, you'll gain some insight and experience. Perhaps you'll toughen and gentle as a result of desperate hardship. Perhaps you'll learn to hold your tongue instead of blathering and blurting useless insults and accusations at people on a progressive board of "arrogance and stupidity". You may even learn courtesy.Perhaps you'll even learn something about the history of those who are still around who fought in the civil rights movement, the anti-war movement, the women's rights movement. Perhaps you'll learn something about the cultural changes brought in the 60s, and maybe even about your grandfathers and grandmothers who experienced the Depression and WWII.
Hopefully, you'll learn that ageism, jeunism, bigotry, and stereotyping are not progressive and not valuable.
