We are an ageist society, judging everything by its age. An old car is of little worth, but a vintage car is priceless. Wine gets better with age but people certainly do not, especially if they drive a car. Mind you, young drivers don’t rate very well either, which is one of the few areas where the two demographics align.
Clothes are an interesting one as old is bad until it’s new again, then it’s fabulous … but then it’s bad again.
Music follows a similar path and even the tools of the trade are affected. Vinyl is now very in, but not long ago it was seen as antiquated and cumbersome; now it’s pure. Old songs come and go depending on fads, but, funnily, the biggest money-making musical tours in the world belong to oldies such as The Rolling Stones, Springsteen, The Eagles and Elton John.
We’re obsessed with not looking old when we are old, and looking older when we are young. The difference in attitudes and reactions to being asked for ID is hysterical. An 18-year-old gets offended, but a 30-year-old does cartwheels and giggles. One of my favourites is this conversation:
“How old are you?”
(Insert age here)
(In a surprised tone) “You look good.”
So do you look good regardless of your age or appropriate to your age? Do we need a website to compare ourselves with others our age to see if we look good?
Our sports people are certainly judged by their age. Our tennis players behave badly because they are young and don’t know any better. Does anyone really believe that? We get rid of footballers because they are too old, despite the fact they are better than some of the younger players at their club.
Age to me is the same argument as gender. It’s irrelevant and should not influence the decision-making process, which is something easier said than done, but if the best person for a task is eight or 80 then that person should get the nod. We’re hellbent on stamping out all prejudices, including age.
If you have any news or events, let me know at kevin@howdypartnersmedia. com.au
