#YEAR11PROBLEMS

Discrimination against young people

When someone says ‘ageism’, we immediately think of an old age pensioner being discriminated against. And we’re not wrong to think of that, but we are wrong to assume that ageism spans from sixty years old onwards.

Right under your nose, you have been a victim of ageism: remember that time you weren’t allowed in a newsagents because it’s only one ‘child’ at a time? Remember that time you and your friends were made to pay before you had your meal in a restaurant? Remember that look someone gave you because you pulled up your hood? All of these things are discriminating acts against us young people, but because we’re young, it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter how we feel or how we’re judged because in a world typically dominated by white, rich, adult males, young people are once again forgotten about.

Perhaps one of the reasons young people wish to be older is because of the stereotype given to us without warning or validation. If we’re having a bad day and leave the house in a hoodie and tracksuit bottoms, we’re labelled as a danger by adults; as someone who they should cross the road to avoid.

What’s worse is being treated differently in shops and restaurants, though. There is nothing more embarrassing than walking into a shop and browsing all while someone is watching over you like a hawk. It’s degrading and insulting but it’s something we all have to live with, sometimes without even realising.

While there is currently no way of stopping ageism immediately, I believe that there will one day be a world where we aren’t discriminated against. That will be the day that the world is dominated by right-thinking individuals (of all races, religions and genders) who believe and invest in us young people.

See you next week.