Age-old question of bias

Should language that offensively stereotypes older workers - terms like wrinkly or coffin-dodger, for instance - become as taboo as words like sodomite or coloured? Silly as this question may sound, versions of it are highly likely to crop up in HR departments in the next few years as policies are r...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inPersonnel Today p. 8
Main Author Overell, Stephen
Format Trade Publication Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Sutton Reed Business Information UK 15.02.2005
Subjects
Age discrimination
Employment policies
Equality
Language
Older workers
Personnel policies
Severance pay
Stereotypes
United Kingdom > UK
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Summary:Should language that offensively stereotypes older workers - terms like wrinkly or coffin-dodger, for instance - become as taboo as words like sodomite or coloured? Silly as this question may sound, versions of it are highly likely to crop up in HR departments in the next few years as policies are rewritten in the light of forthcoming age discrimination legislation. On the one hand, it serves nobody to be too sensitive about ostensibly light-hearted terminology. Besides, ageist words seem harmless partly because they are so irredeemably naff; they carry none of the violent hatred of queer or Paki. On the other hand, prejudice is a denial of individuality, and age is no marker of competence. What is jokey in one context can quickly be switched into a nasty tool for demeaning someone in another.
ISSN:0959-5848