Robert Butler (1975) was one of the first writers on ageism and defined it as “a process of systematic stereotyping and discrimination against people because they are elderly. . . . The elderly are classified as senile, rigid in thought and manners, old-fashioned in morality and skills” (p. 35). Ageism is a form of oppression of older people by young people and adults. Ageism intersects with classism and sexism to produce differences in the distribution of retirement resources for older adults. Women of all ethnic groups live longer than men and generally have fewer economic or health resources than men in older age. Women, the poor, the working class, and people of color often pay fewer Social Security contributions and therefore have fewer benefits. Middle- and upper-class seniors are more likely to have pensions or 401K plans to use for retirement. Ageism intersects with heterosexism in that same-sex partners cannot collect survivor benefits which are limited to “spouses.” Just as racism and sexism are based on ethnicity and gender, ageism is a form of systematic stereotyping and discrimination against people primarily because they are older. It takes shape in stereotypes and myths, in subtle evasions and in discriminatory practices in employment, housing, health care and other services that older people need. The fact remains that the elderly are invisible to society. They often feel ignored and are not taken seriously. Their invisibility also extends to emergencies, as in the case of the World Trade Center, when many elderly people were abandoned in their apartments for up to seven days before medical teams arrived to save them. Another case of their invisibility is Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. Ageism is perpetuated in film and television in that......middle of paper......2004). Research note: Ageism in Canada and the United States. Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology, 19, 41-46. Thornton, M., & Luker, T. (2010). Age discrimination in turbulent times. Griffith Law Review, 19(2), 141-171.Thorsen, S., Rugulies, R., Lengaard, K., Borg, V., Thielen, K., & Bjorner, J. (2012). The association between psychosocial work environment, attitudes towards older workers (ageism) and planned retirement. International Arc Occupational Health, 85, 437-445. doi:10.1007/s00420-011-0689-5.Vitman, A., Iecovich, E., & Alfasi, N. (2014). Ageism and social integration of older adults in their neighborhoods in Israel. The Gerontologist, 54(2), 177-189. doi:10.1093/geront/gnt008.Yilmaz, D., Kisa, S., & Zeyneloglu, S. (2012). College students' views and practices of ageism. Aging International, 37, 143-154. doi:10.1007/s12126-010-9097-5.