Episode 22:3 Ashton Applewhite on Fostering Intergenerational Connections to Combat Ageism
Episode description
In this episode of the Glowing Older podcast, host Nancy Griffin interviews Ashton Applewhite, author of 'This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism.' They discuss Ashton's journey into understanding ageism, the current state of awareness, the importance of policy, and the intersectionality of ageism with other social issues. Ashton introduces her initiative, YODA, aimed at fostering intergenerational connections to combat ageism.
About Ashton
An internationally recognized expert on ageism, Ashton Applewhite is the author of This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism and a co-founder of the Old School Hub. She speaks widely at venues that have included the United Nations and the TED mainstage, and is at the forefront of the emerging movement to raise awareness of ageism and make age a criterion for diversity. In 2022 the United Nations named Ashton one of the Healthy Aging 50: fifty leaders transforming the world to be a better place to grow older.
Key Takeaways
- OldSchool.info is an anti-ageism clearinghouse—a central repository of tools and resources for the emerging movement against ageism.
- Ageism is a pervasive issue that affects all aspects of life. We are all biased, but we can control our attitudes about aging.
- The first step in any social change is awareness, because most bias is unconscious and we can't challenge something when we don't even know exists.
- Building intergenerational connections is vital for combating ageism. The YODA initiative (Youngers and Olders Dismantling Ageism) aims to connect younger and older generations as a tool to end ageism.
- Older people resent younger people for having more social and cultural visibility, and young people resent older people for having more political access and moreeconomic clout. Both are true.
- Fear divides us and people make money off fear. When people are divided, they tend to not come together to change ways of thinking or the ways institutions work.
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Check out Ashton’s TED TalkRead This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism, review and share!