This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism

Ashton Applewhite is the new Betty Friedan or Kate Millet for the fight against ageism. Like the best feminist texts, This Chair Rocks explodes a lot of the myths about aging and ageism that we all take for granted and accept unquestioningly, especially that there's something shameful about aging--that we need to hide it and pretend to be young as long as possible. Just like women before feminism accepted male assesstment of their value, older people accept the younger society's evaluation of their worth. Those times are changing, however, due to books like this and activists like Applewhite. I especially appreciated her critique about all the celebration of old people doing extreme sports and other "young" activities. This is another way of elevating youth over age--suggesting that the only way to have value in old age is to act young. There's so much in this book it's hard to pick out what messages are the most valuable. You'll just have to read it.
Erica Manfred
Contributing Writer and Technology columnist
Senior Planet

In This Chair Rocks, Ashton Applewhite has given compelling notice that the ageist prejudices so openly tolerated in Western culture will no longer prevail unopposed. She has drawn the outlines of a manifesto for positive change, a philosophy for a movement focused on fighting and eliminating age bias, patterned after movements that have reshaped our cultural attitudes and public policy toward race, gender, and sexual orientation. With an engaging command of language, humor, and a well-rounded historical perspective, she has successfully brought together extensive research, personal experience, and stories from a network of uniquely experienced individuals into a work that is as entertaining as it is informative and persuasive.

Applewhite's arguments for change educate readers to become more aware of the ways in which ageism is no different than other forms of bias against Others Who Are Not Like Us, whether or not they feel personally affected by discriminatory structural ageism in modern culture. Her book helped me make sense of how I have been marginalized and disadvantaged by age-related prejudice in others, but also turned a revealing light on how my own biases involving age probably harmed people in ways that cannot be dismissed simply because they were unintended.

As a researcher who has studied the challenges older workers face in the 21st century labor market, I was particularly interested in the author's treatment of ageism in the workplace. I have found that older workers typically underestimate the difficulty of returning to the labor force after a period away from it, and that success in reemployment tends to come from engaging a variety of supporting resources in addition to their own resilience and life experience. Applewhite has added important evidence that cultural and occupational ageism are a very real contributor to this difficulty. Public policy discourages ageist discrimination in the workplace, but has not eliminated it, and our society's economic vitality suffers as a result.

Beyond promoting empathy, Applewhite has challenged us to act on these insights in our daily lives, based on the reasonable assumption that success against ageism will require the same courageous action that has made all the difference in changing prevalent attitudes about other forms of discriminatory marginalization. In this book the author has offered us a significant, consciousness-raising base of knowledge from which we can together make an important paradigm shift. By advancing our culture's norms toward a more age-blind appreciation of the richness and value of individual lives, beginning with a shift in our own mindsets about age, we can improve the quality of life for every member of society.

John Fruner, DBA
Michigan

In _Cutting Loose: Why Women Who End Their Marriages Do So Well_, Ashton Applewhite said what many knew but wouldn't admit: divorce is not the shattering tragedy it's often made out to be. In fact, many women exit marriages and begin to blossom. For those of us who've watched friends leave matrimony behind, start looking and feeling better, and begin to take off professionally, Applewhite's book was a reality check. One had to wonder, why did it take so long for someone to say this in simple, straightforward terms? _This Chair Rocks_ accomplishes a similar feat of stating the obvious/not-so-obvious in clear, witty prose. Remember being a teenager, hearing that these were the best years of your life, and wincing in horror? Applewhite shows the benefits of getting older: wisdom, sensuality, the pleasure of time-tested, meaningful relationships...Her account is personal but not overly-confessional. Real life lessons and unique insights emerge from the people she interviews. She debunks myth after myth about getting older, putting everything into a meaningful political context. Buy this book, and buy a copy for someone you love who's just turned 70!

Who among us even questions the phrase “anti-aging?” You will when you read this book! Ageism is a prejudice against our future selves, says Applewhite, and the last “acceptable” form of discrimination in our society as we’ve internalized this self-hatred. This book examines our deeply held belief system that “old = bad.” Language, policy, and social norms get scrutinized as she walks us through the stereotypes of aging and what we can do to fight back for, after all, embracing aging is simply embracing living. Wise and wise-cracking, Applewhite’s clear voice sheds a light on ageism in our culture.

This Chair Rocks is a crystal clear call-to-action. By the time you finish it you'll understand why it really is "A Manifesto Against Ageism" that will help catapult age bias onto the “ism” scrap heap. It is also a brilliantly designed blueprint for recognizing and dismantling ageism . . . once and for all. The author challenges each of us to embrace her enough-is-enough mindset which reverberates from cover to cover. Ashton Applewhite’s manifesto should be required reading for every professional in the field, along with everyone else who wakes up a day older because, as she points out, “Everyone is aging.”

I cannot recommend this book enough, it is a must read for anyone who is aging (read: everyone). Wit and compassion abound as Ashton's presence leaps from the page, you get the feeling of having a stimulating conversation more than reading. (To get an even more engaging experience get the audio book you will not be sorry) Ashton clearly defines and illustrates not only what agism is but what it is doing to us and our culture. Thankfully Ashton doesn't stop there she goes on to tell you what you can do about it. A remarkable manifesto and a desperately needed counter balance to the rampant anti-aging industry. Bravo.

The most hopeful & inspiring book I've read in years. I keep reading sections of it to my friends. MUCH to discuss. I find myself returning to it repeatedly. Applewhite's book is a game-changer, and written in such an engaging style. Proof that radicals CAN have senses of humor. Not to be missed.

"This Chair Rocks" may be the most important book that you read ever. I mean EVER in your life...because it will change how you feel about your life and living and aging and how you see all of the above. It's also the BEST gift you can give to anyone and everyone you know so they too can open their eyes, hearts, and minds. THIS BOOK ROCKS!

Ashton Applewhite has not only created the quintessential guide on how to confront the incessant age prejudice that is rampant in our youth oriented culture, she also infuses her writing with a sense of humor as she shares her personal journey to becoming "an old person in training". This the most comprehensive book about ageism out there. It is not just a book about old people, it is a must read for anyone who believes in the kind of inclusive society that appreciates the contributions of all its members. The Radical Age Movement has adopted This Chair Rocks as our go-to source as we continue our goal of confronting and eliminating age prejudice in today's world. Read the book and join the movement. Alice Fisher, Founder, The Radical Age Movement

Ashton’s message has been one I have carried and shared from my own bully/pillow pulpit most of my adult life. This Chair Rocks gives me a bigger voice and I am THRILLED to be a part of this adventurous movement to reframe aging. This book is indeed a manifesto, destined to change the paradigm of aging - for the better. Buy one for yourself and for anyone else you know that is a day older today than they were yesterday.

I received this book as a 24th birthday present just in time to thwart using the excuse of "I'm too old for that," a phrase I have been hearing more frequently among my peers. Applewhite has created a light hearted yet focused philosophy on how to age with grace, acceptance, and fun. This manifesto so eloquently outlines how to accept age and still enjoy life, I no longer question that our fist meeting was at a dance party listening to house music past midnight. Recommended for all ages.

It's about time someone addressed the lost opportunities that ageism creates. Ashton Applewhite makes the case for every one of us to really 'own' our hardest earned resource--the experience we've gained that only time can give--thank you Ashton!

First--this book was okay. It was a sound exploration of ageism which did get me thinking quite a bit. I had taken a class in ageism in college and it is an issue that interests me as a social justice activist. I am always curious about new movements and perspectives on anti-oppression work. What I found most invigorating was the author's focus on internalized ageism, and while I have some ways to go before I might be considered an "older" as the author terms it, I feel more confident and prepared for the process. It also hit quite close to home as my mother is in her mid-60s and has a great deal of anxiety about ageing; I feel better suited to being an ally to her, and I may actually get this book for her. However, I have serious hangups with the author's subtle misogyny and ableism. Although the book draws heavily on disability theory (as ageism is so entangled with ableism), she frequently employed very ableist language (calling things or people "stupid" or "idiotic" and so on). She also made reference to porn use being "normal" for men, as though pornography--an institution of extreme violence against women--is something we should shrug off. In her attempt to rescue men from the "dirty old man" stereotype, she completely dropped the ball in recognizing how patriarchy privileges older men considerably in a system that disadvantages young women who are regarded only as sex objects. I felt the lack of intersectional analysis in this regard extremely off putting, though the author did carefully acknowledge that aging is an unequal process along race and class lines.

Inspirational, fun and funny while taking ageism seriously! Working for an organization that is trying to change the conversation about aging in our community, this book has provided ideas and examples to use every day. It's also sparked great conversations among friends and family. Thanks, Ashton!

Ashton's phenomenal book is THE definitive source on the rising scourge of ageism and its societal consequences. She gives very practical advice on how we can change the conventional wisdom that growing old means giving up ...and she does it with spirit, a sense of mission, and with a good dose of humor! Get this book!

Wow. Just read intro. I'm hooked. Congratulations and warm gratitude from the Future that is better because of your efforts. I'm 46, and Living an adventure! I'm happy to join the "olders", love raising a 12 year old "younger."