America must check its ageism at the ballot box

Of all the toxic “isms” we’re trying to purge from our society, ageism is one of the most stubborn.   

Most of us recoil at racist or sexist remarks. But ageist attitudes just don’t seem to generate the same disgust. The American Psychological Association even calls ageism “one of the last socially acceptable prejudices.” And it happens on the older and younger ends of the spectrum.   

As someone who entered politics at 20 and has always advocated for more opportunities for young politicians, I got used to pushing back against age-related bias targeting younger people.  

Now that I have the opportunity to lead a multigenerational organization, I am seeing firsthand how this bias can be aimed at older people as well. And never more so than in our current political climate, where ageism seems to follow President Biden everywhere he goes. 

Here’s what I know: External changes that come to a person as they age — a slower step, a softer voice — conjure assumptions and stereotypes that may have no relationship to the passion and ideas inside. The same goes for the number of years the person has lived. 

If I tell you I know a 92-year-old actor, a certain picture may come to mind. Then what if I tell you the person is Rita Moreno? Suppose I talk about a 93-year-old on my organization’s board of directors. Does it challenge assumptions if I reveal the person is civil rights activist Dolores Huerta, who is still marching, speaking, rallying and working as hard as ever? 

Benjamin Franklin was one of our country’s oldest founding fathers during the American Revolution. And yet he was one of the most modern thinkers of them all, supporting the abolition of slavery long before the idea gained traction.   

Similarly, I could tell you a prominent right-wing activist is making his name today for, among other things, declaring that women should not be allowed to work or vote. That person is Nick Fuentes. He’s 25. 

It’s just not true that young people or politicians have a monopoly on new or innovative ideas, or that older ones are automatically hidebound or reactionary. I see it every day. 

And that’s why it’s frustrating to see, over and over again, the ageist attacks against Biden.  

The president has led one of the most forward-looking agendas in our history, in which new technology, sustainability and equity have been cornerstones.   

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law aims to create high-speed internet access across the country. The American Jobs Plan prioritized sustainable energy, and in the last week, the administration announced its largest investment in decarbonization to date. The administration has made it a priority to chip away at centuries of racial inequity in our economy and in our institutions — especially our judiciary, where he has nominated historically diverse federal judges. 

He hasn’t done this alone, which points to another factor in his favor. As New York Times opinion writer Frank Bruni says, “The administration that a president puts together matters much, much more than his brawn or his brio.” The effective administration Biden assembled reflects his discernment, leadership and core principles.  

Those are qualities that can be possessed by 80-year-olds, 40-year-olds or 30-year-olds. They often ripen with age. And some people never have them. 

The poet Khalil Gibran wrote, “I have seen an old face much lined with nothing, and a smooth face in which all things were graven.” I liked it a lot as a young politician and youth advocate for obvious reasons.  

And I still do, because the essential point is that ageism is baseless whether it’s directed at the old or the young.  

Nobody is going to mistake Joe Biden for a contemporary of Nick Fuentes. And nobody should assume that having a younger body is a prerequisite for having newer and better ideas. There’s too much evidence telling us otherwise.

Svante Myrick is president of People for the American Way.