{"id":6150,"date":"2020-07-14T13:29:26","date_gmt":"2020-07-14T17:29:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.silvercentury.org\/?p=6150"},"modified":"2020-07-15T14:33:04","modified_gmt":"2020-07-15T18:33:04","slug":"the-pandemic-isnt-making-ageism-worse-its-exposing-it-and-thats-a-good-thing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/78.142.243.82\/~silvercentury\/2020\/07\/the-pandemic-isnt-making-ageism-worse-its-exposing-it-and-thats-a-good-thing\/","title":{"rendered":"The Pandemic Isn\u2019t Making Ageism Worse. It\u2019s Exposing It\u2014and That\u2019s a Good Thing"},"content":{"rendered":"

Media coverage of anything aging-related has long been characterized by alarmist hand-wringing. Coverage of the pandemic is no exception, given that some three-quarters of COVID-19-related deaths worldwide are of people over age 65, many occurring in <\/span>nursing homes,<\/span>  where the virus has run largely unchecked. Typical headlines read, \u201cAgeism on the rise\u201d and \u201cPandemic making ageism worse!\u201d Don\u2019t make the same mistake.<\/span><\/p>\n

The pandemic isn\u2019t generating more prejudice, it\u2019s glaringly exposing the ageism and ableism that have been all around us all along. Because ageism is so unexamined, the pandemic is bringing it to many people\u2019s attention for the first time. It\u2019s not ageist and ableist attitudes and behaviors that are on the rise, it\u2019s public awareness and outrage about this type of stigma and discrimination. <\/span>That\u2019s<\/span><\/i> what\u2019s new and here\u2019s what makes it so exciting: we have a historic opportunity to build on that awareness.<\/span><\/p>\n

Yes, there\u2019s been awfulness, but there\u2019s also been swift, fierce pushback: against the <\/span>Telegraph<\/span><\/i> journalist who suggested the virus could benefit the economy by \u201cculling\u201d older Britons; against the Boomer Remover nickname, the handiwork of clueless trolls; against the Texas Lieutenant Governor\u2019s grotesque proposal that grandparents sacrifice themselves for the good of the economy. Supporting this kind of grassroots activism means framing the pandemic, in all its terror and uncertainty, as an unprecedented opportunity to join forces across age, race and class and create a more equitable post-pandemic society.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Media coverage of anything aging-related has long been characterized by alarmist hand-wringing. Coverage of the pandemic is no exception, given that some three-quarters of COVID-19-related deaths worldwide are of people over age 65, many occurring in nursing homes,  where the…<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more The Pandemic Isn\u2019t Making Ageism Worse. It\u2019s Exposing It\u2014and That\u2019s a Good Thing<\/span> ›<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n

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