In Conversation With... Tracey Gendron

So begins ‘Ageism Unmasked: Exploring Age Bias and How To End It’, Tracey Gendron‘s latest book, a book that at NICA we have not only chosen to support, but to make into our own manifesto of reference. This book will help you recognize how ageism and ableism are endemic in our culture, and how they have become engrained in our thinking.

Understanding the history of ageism will help us all to develop the knowledge, skills, and strategies necessary to disrupt ageism and ableism within ourselves and to help others do the same. This is not an overnight process. It is not as simple as an “ah ha” moment, but not because the concept is difficult to grasp. It is not challenging to recognize that ageism is discrimination based on age. Ageism is hard to “get” because it’s ubiquitous and we don’t have a solid framework for an anti-ageism alternative. The truth is that the roots of ageism can be found throughout centuries of history. It’s a complicated, insidious, imperceptible discrimination that has seeped into our everyday life and normalized the idea that it’s scary and awful to be old. We can’t do better until we know better.

We had the chance to talk about it directly with Tracey Gendron. Enjoy!

You can find out more and buy Ageism Unmasked here.