us against the world

TED演讲让我们⼀起终结年龄歧视！

《让我们⼀起终结年龄歧视》

演讲者：AshtonApplewhite

不是时光流逝使衰⽼变得如此艰难，是年龄歧视。年龄歧视让我们和未来的⾃⼰、他⼈针锋相对。艾什顿·阿普洛怀特

呼吁⼈们战胜恐惧，⾏动起来，反对最后⼀种社会习以为常的偏见。她说：「衰⽼不是⼀个需要解决的问题，也不是⼀

种需要治疗的疾病。衰⽼是⾃然的、有⼒的、终⾝的进程，它将我们联结在⼀起。」

演讲原⽂

What'sonethingthateverypersoninthisroomisgoingtobecome?tofusarescaredstiffatthe

sthatwordmakeyoufeel?sImostworriedabout?Endingup

nIlearnedthatonlyfourpercentofolderAmericansarelivingin

nursinghomes,wasIworriedabout?utthatmostofus

iaratesaredropping,lepidemicisanxietyovermemoryloss.

Ialsofiguredthatoldpeopleweredepresdbecautheywereoldandtheyweregoingtodiesoon.

Itturnsoutthatthelongerpeoplelive,thelesstheyfeardying,andthatpeoplearehappiestatthebeginningsandthe

'scalledtheU-curveofhappiness,andit'sbeenborneoutbydozensofstudiesaroundtheworld.

Youdon'veisafunctionofthewayagingitlfaffectsthebrain.

SoIstartedfeelingalotbetteraboutgettingolder,andIstartedobssingaboutwhysofewpeopleknowthethings.

Thereasonisageism:rienceitanytimesomeone

assumeswe'retoooldforsomething,insteadoffindingoutwhoweareandwhatwe'recapableof,ortooyoung.

-ismsaresociallyconstructedideas--racism,xism,homophobia--andthatmeanswe

makethemup,prejudicespitusagainsteachothertomaintainthestatusquo,

likeautoworkersintheUScompetingagainstautoworkersinMexicoinsteadoforganizingforbetterwages.

Weknowit'ulditbeOKtoweightheneedsoftheyoung

againsttheold?Allprejudicerelieson"othering"--eingagroupofpeopleasotherthanourlves:otherrace,other

religion,angethingaboutageism:feedsondenial--ourreluctanceto

'sdenialwhenwetrytopassforyoungerorwhenwe

believeinanti-agingproducts,orwhenwefeellikeourbodiesarebetrayingus,simplybecautheyarechanging.

Whyonearthdowestopcelebratingtheabilitytoadaptandgrowaswemovethroughlife?Whyshouldagingwell

meanstrugglingtolookandmovelikeyoungerversionsofourlves?It'mbarrassingtobecalledoutasolderuntil

wequitbeingembarrasdaboutit,andit'nerwegetoff

thishamsterwheelofagedenial,thebetteroffweare.

Stereotypesarealwaysamistake,ofcour,butespeciallywhenitcomestoage,becauthelongerwelive,the

?,wetendtothinkofeveryoneinaretirement

homeasthesameage:old--

imaginethinkingthatwayaboutagroupofpeoplebetweentheagesof20

and60?

Whenyougettoaparty,doyouheadforpeopleyourownage?Haveyouevergrumbledaboutentitledmillennials?

Haveyoueverrejectedahaircutorarelationshiporanoutingbecauit'snotage-appropriate?Foradults,there'sno

othem,andwecan'tchallengebiasunlesswe'reawareofit.

Nobody'sbornageist,butitstartsatearlychildhood,aroundthesametimeattitudestowardsraceandgenderstartto

form,becaunegativemessage?

'ssadtobeold.

yofrecentBestPicturenominationsfoundthatonly12percentofspeakingornamed

characterswereage60andup,eoplecanbethemostageistof

characterswereage60andup,eoplecanbethemostageistof

all,becauwe'vehadalifetimetointernalizethemessagesandwe'

acknowledgeitandstopcolluding."Seniormoment"quips,forexample:Istoppedmakingthemwhenitdawnedonme

thatwhenIlostthecarkeysinhighschool,Ididn'tcallita"juniormoment."

rkneedoesn'thurt,andit'sjustasold.

Weareallworriedaboutsomeaspectofgettingolder,whetherrunningoutofmoney,gettingsick,endingupalone,

tneverdawnsonmostofusisthattheexperienceofreachingoldage

thavingavaginathatmakeslifeharder

'sxism.

It''snotthepassageoftimethatmakes

belsarehardtoreadorthere'snohandrailorwe

can'topenthedamnjar,weblameourlves,ourfailuretoagesuccessfully,insteadoftheageismthatmakestho

naturaltransiti'tmakemoneyoff

satisfaction,butshameandfearcreatemarkets,swrinklesare

ugly?sperimenopauandlowTandmildcognitiveimpairmentare

medicalconditions?Thetrillion-dollarpharmaceuticalindustry.

Themoreclearlyweetheforcesatwork,theeasieritistocomeupwithalternative,morepositiveandmore

atural,powerful,lifelong

processthatunitesusall.

Changingthecultureisatallorder,Iknowthat,howmuchthepositionofwomenhas

changedinmylifetimeortheincrediblestridesthatthegayrightsmovementhasmadeinjustafewdecades,right?

tothinkofitasabinary,maleorfemale,andnowweunderstandit'gh

timetoditchtheold-youngbinary,snolineinthesandbetweenoldandyoung,afterwhichit'salldownhill.

Andthelongerwewaittochallengethatidea,themoredamageitdoestoourlvesandourplaceintheworld,likein

theworkforce,conValley,engineersaregettingBotoxedandhair-plugged

beforekeyinterviews--andtheareskilledwhitemenintheir30s,soimaginetheeffectsfurtherdownthefoodchain.

stereotypeaboutolderworkersholdsupunder

iesaren'tadaptableandcreativebecautheiremployeesareyoung;they'readaptableandcreative

ies--

Weknowthatdivercompaniesaren'tjustbetterplacestowork;tlikeraceandx,ageisa

criterionfordiversity.

Agrowingbodyoffascinatingrearchshowsthatattitudestowardsagingaffecthowourmindsandbodiesfunctionat

talktoolderpeoplelikethis(Speaksmoreloudly)orcallthem"sweetie"or"younglady"--

it'scalledelderspeak--theyappeartoinstantlyage,withmorepositive

feelingstowardsagingwalkfaster,theydobetteronmemorytests,theyhealquicker,th

brainsfullofplaquesandtangles,dtheyhaveincommon?Anof

t'sthebiggestobstacletohavinganofpurpoinlatelife?Aculturethattellsusthatgetting

'swhytheWorldHealthOrganizationisdevelopingaglobalanti-ageisminitiative

toextendnotjustlifespanbuthealthspan.

Womenexperiencethedoublewhammyofageismandxism,'sadouble

standardatworkhere

einforcethisdoublestandardwhenwecompeteto

stayyoung,ywomaninthisroomreallybelievethatsheisalesr

version--lessinteresting,lessfuninbed,lessvaluable--thanthewomansheoncewas?Thisdiscriminationaffects

ourhealth,ourwell-beingandourincome,efurthercompoundedbyraceand

byclass,whichiswhy,everywhereintheworld,thepoorestofthepoorareoldwomenofcolor.

What'sthetakeawayfromthatmap?By2050,oneoutoffiveofus,almosttwobillionpeople,willbeage60andup.

What'sthetakeawayfromthatmap?By2050,oneoutoffiveofus,almosttwobillionpeople,willbeage60andup.

olderpeoplereprentavastunprecedentedand

,capitalismandurbanizationhavepropelledagebiasintoeverycorneroftheglobe,from

Switzerland,whereeldersfarethebest,toAfghanistan,

theworld'scountriesaren'tmentionedonthatlistbecauwedon'tbothertocollectdataonmillionsofpeople

becauthey'two-thirdsofpeopleover60aroundtheworldsaytheyhavetrouble

three-quarterssaytheirincomedoesn'tcoverbasicrviceslikefood,water,electricity,

theworldwewantourchildren,whomaywelllivetobeahundred,toinherit?Everyone--

allages,allgenders,allnationalities--isoldorfuture-old,andunlessweputanendtoit,ageismwilloppressusall.

Andthatmakesitaperfecttargetforcollectiveadvocacy.

Whyaddanother-ismtothelistwhensomany,racisminparticular,calloutforaction?Here'sthething:wedon'thave

maketheworldabetterplacetogrowoldin,wemakeitabetterplaceinwhichtobefrom

somewhereel,tohaveadisability,tobequeer,tobenon-rich,nweshowupatallagesfor

whatevercaumattersmosttous--savethewhales,savethedemocracy--wenotonlymakethateffortmore

effective,wedismantleageismintheprocess.

enttoendageismisunderway.I'minit,andIhopeyouwilljoinme.

'sdoit!Let'sdoit!

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