Why are some of us so mad at the word Senior? We love it in every other use except when it’s referring to those of us 55 plus.
It’s a highly regarded and respected title in government, corporations, small businesses, colleges, and high schools where being Senior or having seniority is sought after and honored. Why does it become a negative word once it applies to us?
Who decided we didn’t like the word and should be called anything other than Senior? The only reason some of us don’t like it is: we’re told we shouldn’t. Instead of Senior we’re asked to use today’s PC terms like older adults, aging adults, people of advanced age, even the latest silly term, seenagers—but we should ask ourselves, Why? After all, we’ve earned the right to the Senior title, so we need to fight for it and own it.
Think about all the things that come with being Senior like experience, wisdom, seasoned skills, lessons learned, and earned value. Aging doesn’t change those attributes, so why would we want to be called anything but Seniors? It’s time to take back our power and stand in it so we can make better decisions for ourselves and others. I believe this begins by not accepting the terms, titles or perceptions out there applied to adults over 55.
Collectively, we can decide and determine how we’re treated, how we’re viewed, how we’re valued—and yes, how we’re termed. We’ve allowed ourselves to become complacent and disengaged from the conversation.
We need to be present on the Senior playing field. Doesn’t matter if it’s for a simple discussion on the latest title assigned to us or major legislation that affects and impacts us, we need to stay informed and our voices need to be heard.
After all, we have a shared interest in the word Senior. We’ve all earned it!