I have written this mini-glossary for terms that need to be understood in order to define youth discrimination throughout society. To learn more, visit The Freechild Project Glossary.
- Adultcentrism is the practice of regarding adult, including their opinions, interests and actions, above young peoples’ opinions, interests and action.
- Adultization is the elimination of childhood and adolescence by schools, marketers and parents in order to promote order and eliminate the “inconvenience” of youth.
- Adultism is the practice of favoring adults before young people. This happens every where, all of the time: Schools, lawmaking, movies and music all reflect adults’ interests and perceptions. Even young people can unconsciously share adults’ perceptions of young people.
- Adultocracy is the collection of obvious and unobvious tools adults use to impose their authority, domination and superiority over children and youth.
- Commercialism is the manufacturing and distribution of objects and traits that were formerly free to young people, particularly in the forms of education and culture.
- Consumerism is the process of identifying, training and transforming young people into complacent consumers rather than dissatisfied citizens.
- Criminalization is the formal and informal process that makes young people or their specific actions illegal, particularly when young people or their actions were legal in the past.
- Decoration happens when young people are used to make a situation look sufficient, often without their consent or knowledge.
- Demonization is a process for making young people evil in order to justify attacking them in the forms of character assassination, legal action and to get rid of their civil liberties.
- Discrimination happens whenever someone makes a decision that does not include other people. Everyone discriminates all the time, and that is not always bad.
- Ephebiphobia is the fear of youth.
- Gerontocracy happens when older people control an institution or government at the expense of all other age groups in society.
- Gerontophobia is the fear of older people.
- Infantalization happens whenever a person is made unable or assumed to be incapable of something because of their age, presumed development, or education.
- Juenism is the favoring of children and youth over adults.
- Manipulation occurs when adults exert influence over young people in order to gain for themselves.
- Militarization is the process where young people and the procedures they participate in become overtly manipulated or controlled by the military or administered in a military fashion.
- Neoliberalism is the process of making private formerly public entities in order to introduce market values to young people at the expense of collective benefit.
- Paternalism describes the notion that by “protecting” children and youth, adults are preventing young people from harming themselves.
- Pediaphobia is the fear of children.
- Standardization is causing young people to conform to any standard or norm, particularly those administered by adults.
- Tokenism happens whenever young people are included in order to make it appear that young people are participating; occurs exclusive of meaningful participation.
Learning the language is the first step to stopping discrimination against youth. Learn more throughout The Freechild Project website!
