stupid ageist society

So a couple cast members found out I'm "only" twenty tonight at rehearsal. A bunch of people were going out for drinks afterwards and Amanda turned to me and said "you could probably come too. I think they serve food too," which set off a rumble of "wait, how old are you" comments. Then we were also talking to one of the principles about something and I mentioned I still had two years left in school, to which she replied "Get out! No way!" Apparently it is unthinkable that an ASM of a professional production could be "only" twenty years old. I don't think I look older or anything but apparently everyone thinks I'm approaching middle age! (okay, that's a slight exaggeration).

I don't know why the cast's reaction to my age set me off the way it did. It's not as though they will stop respecting me or treat me differently. If anything they will respect me more because the job I am doing for "someone my age" is impressive. What bugs me, however, is the stigma against socializing with a 20-year old or someone who is still an undergrad. It's not may fault that I am only 20. I can't really do anything about that. I also can't really help having two years left in school, short of dropping my double major and graduating next spring (which would actually be possible...). Age means NOTHING when it comes to your experiences, maturity, and outlook on life. There are certainly stereotypes about different age groups and perhaps even factual trends but they do not apply to ALL people of a certain age! Not all 2 years olds are "terrible" and not all 90 year olds are senile! Ageism can be just as bad as racism and sexism! Obviously I am not psychologically damaged or anything by the reactions I get to being barely in my twenties. I'm simply annoyed that society even cares so much. Maybe its just the fact that I'm a few months shy of being able to legally drink or even go into those 21+ only bars. However, I think its more the stereotypes of college students and young adults. I have a friend who is barely 18 but is more mature and has had more life experience than most college seniors I have met. Obviously her age does not matter, although society might assume she would be immature and reckless.

There, I feel better now. Catharsis accomplished. Seriously, though, ageism is a societal problem which often gets overlooked and I myself have found myself guilty of it in many circumstances. But at least I'm becoming aware of it. As I said, I'm was not harmed in any way but it is just an demonstration of yet another flaw of American society. I'd be interested in seeing how ageism functions in other countries, especially those with different economic and social structures.

That's all for tonight. I finally finished Riddlemaster, which is a great book with lots of interesting themes and symbols. Written by Patricia McKillip, it has beautiful language and images as well as complex characters. The definition of a riddle she introduces is very foreign at first but by the end of the third book, riddling was the glue of the story which made sense, (unlike that sentence, most likely...it's late...). In other words, part of the book focused on teaching us how to answer riddles, the hard questions in life which involve knowledge, wisdom, and most importantly, HISTORY. I loved the book but am glad I'm finished because I am not free to move on to Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince! Harry Potter is a much faster read so probably in the next few days I'll have an update on what books I'm working on. I should probably go back to the Greeks, with a little over a month left to finish before Acting begins!

Goodnight, y'all! Sweet riddling dreams to all!