talk me down off the ledge, please

[OakLeaf]

when someone thinks he or she is speaking to an older person who has no brains.

And there you have it. We're really talking about two separate things here.

The idea that older women are worth less than older men.

And the idea that older people have no brains.

(My personal stereotype, that I do try to fight but still find myself involuntarily holding, is that older people have no manners. But I think that if I had to go around all day with people assuming I had no brains, I'd lose my manners pretty quickly.)