A particularly cringeworthy example cited was a 2018 campaign called “Dear Young People, Don’t Vote.” The ad campaign was sponsored by Acronym, a Washington, DC-based non-profit. In it, older Americans were deemed to be selfish, uncaring, out-of-touch caricatures who are destroying the future due to their lack of concern about the younger generations. While the ad campaign's goal was worthy: to encourage young people to go to get out and vote, the messaging was both divisive and extremely condescending.
“Advertising that stereotypes older adults and reinforces negative biases is not harmless” says Paul Irving, chairman of the Milken Institute Center for the Future of Aging. “Imagine this ad portraying women, people of color, or LGBTQ individuals in the same way. The response would be angry, and rightly so. It’s high time to call out ageism in advertising.
In fact, research shows that older people with a positive mindset on aging, who feel worthy, happy, and hopeful as they get older, lived seven and a half years longer than those with a negative perspective about aging.
As I mentioned, Tom is 10 years older than me. Sometimes he will make a comment about being old and I will say, “Oh no, you’re not. Don’t say that!” I encourage you to catch yourself when you get stuck in these outdated ruts about how we view ourselves. I also encourage you to PAY ATTENTION to spot these negative stereotypes and REJECT them!