The issue of ageism may not be on the minds of most college students, but Thursday it will be the main discussion of a talk at the Women’s Center.
Jan Griesinger, co-director of Old Lesbians Organizing for Change, along with Ruth Murray, a member of the group, will be speaking at a Women’s Center Brown Bag luncheon, Thursday.
“I think because of our society we look at it
being youth oriented,” Murray said. “If you’re a teenager then you don’t think much about ageism.”
The presentation will involve an informal discussion, looking at greeting cards that target old age, open forum comments as well as possible small group discussions.
Griesinger said that ageism is an important topic that affects women especially.
“One thing that often gets said is ‘you don’t look 34’ and our reply is ‘What does 34 look like?’ They’re saying something that comes out of some value system that they never thought about before,” Griesinger said. “Looking younger is always better.”
Susanne Dietzel, director of the Women’s Center, chose Griesinger to speak at the luncheon because of her impact on different communities and the subject matter.
“We were browsing speakers and she came to mind. She's a long term visitor and supporter of the Women’s Center and she’s a notable community activist,” DIetzel said. “We felt that would be a great topic for everyone to talk about.”
Griesinger said that ageism is not just an issue of appearance, but also an issue of treatment toward the elderly.
“We think the damage to old people is that you started feeling like ‘maybe I’m not worth anything, maybe my opinions are not worth anything. Maybe I shouldn’t advocate for myself because maybe I’m not remembering what happened,’ ” Greisinger said. “It can be very damaging for old people.”
The luncheon will help give young people tools to understand and possibly combat ageism. The organization wants to help change people’s language when it comes to age.
“I think basically that people, no matter what age they are, they all have value and they shouldn’t be looked upon as being useless,” Murray said. “Just because you’ve added years to your life, you are still a useful and worthwhile person.”
je726810@ohiou.edu
If You Go:
What: Brown Bag Lunch & Learn: Old Lesbians Organizing for Change
When: 12 p.m., Thursday
Where: Women’s Center, Baker University Center 403
Admission: Free
