Ageism and Stereotypes Part A Older man with skateboard on his headPeople of all ages commonly hold negative attitudes about aging. This assignment introduces the topic of aging and ageism by having you examine your own stereotypes about older people. Draw a circle on a piece of paper with the word young in the middle of the circle. Next, write all of the words that come to mind regarding youth around the outside of the circle. Repeat the circle association in step 1 – only this time use the word old instead of young. Then think about the following: What do you notice about attitudes toward younger people vs. older people? In what situations have you felt people prejudge you because of your age? How have negative attitudes affected how you feel or what you do? How have positive attitudes about young people helped you? Did you find any similarities between your young and old circles? Have you ever experienced or known anyone who experienced prejudice or discrimination based on age? (Possible occasions for age discrimination are when applying for a job, renting an apartment, or trying to participate in an activity intended for another age group.) Think about attitudes toward older people. What kind of negative and positive connotations does the word old have? We will never know what it is like to be a different gender or a different race but we hope, however, that we will all know what it is like to be old.