Society must view discrimination on the basis of age not as an isolated issue but rather as part of the United States' economic and social system, Maggie Kuhn, founder and president of the Gray Panthers, told an Institute of Politics (IOP) audience last night.

Racism, sexism, and "ageism" are all linked, and current policies involving the elderly, while ignoring broader economic and social issues have failed to remove discrimination, Kuhn said.

Senior citizens are the ideal people to work for change because "they have nothing to lose," she said, adding, "the old can provide the continuing social analysis America needs."

The Panthers, formed in 1971, have fought against age discrimination across the nation, Kuhn said.

The present "pervasive ageist" attitudes oppress the old and the young equally, Kuhn said, adding that the job market discriminates against old people--especially women--causing fear of getting old.

Because of the isolation the job market imposes on the elderly, few young people can draw upon the experience of old and middle aged people, she stressed.

The misuse of the environment, structural problems of jobs, the flight of capital to the sunbelt, and the Third World, and the threat of nuclear war all demand America's attention, Kuhn said.

She called for coalitions to develop around these and other issues to build a new economic base in the U.S.