Discrimination By age

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Elizabeth Valladares/ Contributing Writer

I’m 20 years old. When you tell someone your age, most people you come across will automatically label you by a stereotype. It’s ironic how some people generalize and emphasize the bad but underestimate the very little good that’s left in our world. The worst part is that the more the good in people is underestimated, the less humanity there will be. Every day we become less and less humane. There will come a point where the loss of our humanity will be catastrophic for global society.

By federal law, age discrimination is prohibited and is subject to fines and/or jail time. There are multiple bodies of law at the local and state levels as well. But if I even begin to tell all these stories of age discrimination while attending college, the workplace, along with people I’ve known and randomly met, I think I would have at least 10 people punished by law. I’ve had so many situations where I’ve been underestimated because of my age that I could’ve written a book by now and that’s only a part of my life. From ignoring my capabilities to not even giving me the right to speak, is there really equality? Are older people threatened by the younger people’s capabilities? Should young people like myself pay the consequences of those who didn’t listen to life advice? Should the older people blame the younger people for their own consequences or should the younger blame their own consequences on the older people? Does appearance matter more than intellects?

A potential job should look at you and ask one thing: How well can you do the job you are being asked to do? It shouldn’t be about how old you are, or how you look, but how efficient you are.