BU Today: Prof. Keefe Uses Her Aging Expertise to Analyze Nikki Haley’s “Grumpy Old Men” Campaign

Nikki Haley’s latest ad campaign targets President Biden and former President Trump, depicting them as “Grumpy Old Men.” The campaign aims to highlight similarities between the two rivals while questioning their mental fitness, but some may view it as ageist. In an interview with BU Today, Prof. Bronwyn Keefe from BU School of Social Work discusses the ethical implications and effectiveness of these tactics in political messaging.
Excerpt from “Is Nikki Haley Guilty of Ageism with Her ‘Grumpy Old Men’ Ad?” by Doug Most:
I am amazed how many people are saying Biden and Trump are too old to be running and shouldn’t be doing this. This makes older people feel invisible, small, and useless. It has an impact on the older adult population that is really detrimental. People who experience ageism have poorer physical or mental health outcomes. We as educators are thinking about this all the time. When children are home and are still young, that’s when you have to start saying to them, ‘This is not okay,’ and discuss these issues.”