Ageism and Adultism

       In class today we were able to share differnt experiences we have had with adultism. I had no idea what adultism was before class and before the readings. Talking to others in class and talking about my own experiences showed me that I have so much in common with so many people in class! We have all had similar experiences. What I saw as normal, now i see very differently. As a child I considered my mom treated me normally, like she was "suppose" too. Now i see that there are no rules to how a parent has to treat the child. These rules are all constructed by society. I even noticed myself treating children younger them me how I was taught to treat them. I know now I will be more careful in how I treat others and notice when people are treating others unfairly.
     The reading was really interesting. I have to admit I was really confused with adultism. I kept asking myself, "Is this bad? My mom did this. I do this. What is wrong with this?" This is proof that we are taught to act certain ways that seem normal to us. Another part of the reading that really caught my attention was the part about the police paying so much attention to younger kids, especially minorities. The stop them to question them and search them more often than anyone. All I could think of was the Trayvon Martin case. He was simply walking home with candy and a drink. And because he looked suspicious, he was murdered. The other part of the reading that really got to me was the discrimination against the elderly. I know that the elderly are discriminated so much but it just hurts me so much to see this! It was hard for me to read the section on elderly abuse. I just cant understand how the people that are the most knowledgeable amongst all are treated so badly!I also found it interesting to read the section on the cultures fear of growing old. I had no idea about this. In my opinion, I was always happy about growing old. Seeing how happy my grandparents are I always looked up to them and wanted to be like them. But now I see why we should be so scared. The older population is treated so badly I see why its scary. This is my area of interest so I know that I will try to make a difference. Growing old with so much experience should be a happy time to reflect on accomplishments, not to fear for abuse and discrimination.
     Although the readings were a little tough this week, it just makes me reflect on why I chose to become a social worker and why I want to make such a change and impact on people.