Our American culture swims in “isms,” and we assign values, positive and negative, to them.

For example, capitalism and individualism are good. Racism, sexism, classism, sizeism, socialism, fanaticism, egoism — all bad. Others, including nationalism, skepticism, Americanism are more in the eye of the beholder — positive for some people and negative for others. Buckle up your linguistic seat belt as we are about to hear a lot in 2023 about another ism, ageism.

At this writing, Americans have one declared presidential candidate for 2024, Donald Trump, who is staring down his 77th birthday. We have another presumed candidate, incumbent President Joe Biden, who celebrated his 80th in November. Clearly, neither man can be considered what my father always called “spring chickens,” but is that important, and if so, how important?

The World Health Organization says ageism “refers to the stereotypes (how we think), prejudice (how we feel) and discrimination (how we act) towards others or oneself based on age.”

We all commit ageism, mostly without thinking about it. We treat children differently than adults. We discount the views of many teenagers and young adults, assuming they do not have the knowledge or life experience of adults. And, like it or not, we too-often assume that elderly people are not as competent as they
once were.

I am not as old as Trump or Biden, but neither am I the mother of school-age children and working woman I once was. Increasingly, people I do not know, sales people especially, address me as “Miss Margaret,” something that did not happen in earlier years. I understand that it is meant to convey respect, but to me at least, it feels like a diminution based solely on age.

At the same time, it is true that we all change as we age, certainly physically, and for many people, mentally. That reality is going to be a topic as we head into the 2024 presidential campaigns.

Americans, including politicians, are living longer, and our elected leaders, particularly at the national level, are older than ever. In addition to Biden and Trump, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is 82, and widely considered among the most effective Speakers in American history. U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell, a leader who keeps an iron grip on Republicans in that chamber, will be 81 next month.

These geriatric politicians, like them or loathe them, are clearly competent, their ages notwithstanding. So, what should we demand from all our presidential hopefuls of all ages? At the very least, we must expect health records, not merely a blanket statement from some doctor that “this guy is healthy as a horse.”

We should recognize that generally speaking, we are all healthier if we eat well and exercise our bodies regularly, and that certainly includes presidential candidates. And, because we do not know yet who will throw his or her name in the ring, it is worth remembering that statistically, women outlive men in the United States.

American presidents have not been especially forthcoming about their health. Woodrow Wilson had a severe stroke while in office, and many historians believe his wife became the de facto president for the final months of his term.

Franklin Roosevelt suffered from heart trouble and high blood pressure and was crippled by polio before his presidency, though he was rarely photographed appearing compromised. John Kennedy, our second youngest president and widely seen as healthy and vibrant, actually suffered from serious physical and occasionally life-threatening conditions.

As we move toward the 2024 election, Americans have every right to expect candor about health from all our candidates, especially those who aim to be president. If they are asking for our trust and support, we should expect no less from them.