But Me No Buts

One of the semi-subtle and plenty-poisonous ways to slip ageism into a conversation is with words like “still,” and “even though”—as in, “He’s still writing, even though he’s 76.”

“But” comes into it, too. Recently I’ve come across, “My mother is 82, but she’s really active” and, “She’s 50 but still likes getting dressed up.” (50!)

“Even at my age” is another weird one. For example, this was a total puzzler: “I can still appreciate a good-looking man, even at my age.”

“What do you mean but/still/even?” I want to say …

“Clearly, age is not a factor.”

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