You just turned 40? Congratulations! You now know *exactly* what it feels like to be 50; only with a decade less ageism to contend with; which will definitely become your increasingly intimate life partner, from here.
I love all the upbeat comments here and agree with every single one of them. At the same time, it's moments like this that can also help us to see the real life impacts of yet unrealized democratic ideals on real people in our everyday lives. This may not have impacted you yet, but from 40, it's a very real aspect of all our work lives, today.
It doesn't matter that the EEOC says ageism is just as illegal as racism or genderism so long as HR continues is institutionalized "don't ask, don't tell" policy toward rampant age based discrimination.
The web is teaming with ways to "don't bring it up, just dress hipper, act younger, be something you're not," anything that absolves employers of responsibility to obey the law.
"One explanation for ageism’s perseverance may be that historically society has perceived age discrimination as more of an economics issue than a question of fundamental civil rights. Ageism has been viewed as different from and less serious than racism or sexism in the work place. This perception has relegated the ADEA to second class status amongst the country’s civil rights statutes" ( EEOC, http://goo.gl/HTC5 ).
So see, it's not really discrimination like racism or sexism because everyone can agree that #OldPeopleSuck.
