In a way I feel, that this happened to America as a whole too. Let us see this nation as a whole, as a single being. In comparison to other nations of this world America is very young with all the beautiful attributes of young beings. Maybe this is why it has such a belief in the young - whereas old is regarded as bad. Somehow this myth of the young is very strong in America and to tell you the truth - the rest of the world doesn't have it.
Age is something very relative - it is an illusion and depends very much on the individual.
In many cultures the old people are honoured because of their wisdom and their life experience. The exchange of knowledge, the balance between old and young is very important and guarantees a healthy development of society. I just can give you a few examples from my own experience. I knew an old lady - she was an architect whose father was a friend of Lenin. He came often to their house and even played with her.