What’s the worst case of ageism that you’ve witnessed?

There was a particular person I knew back in the day who lived in Australia and was a branch manager at a relatively small company. As you may know, an anti-ageism law in Australia forbids asking the interviewee’s age. Once, we were talking, and he started telling us this story about how a certain senior shocked him to his very core. There was an opening for a position in his branch, and he had to interview 40 people to find and hire the right person for the job. One of the applicants was an older man who acted very professional and was well-put.
My friend, the branch manager, didn’t ask about his interviewee’s age and continued interviewing him like every other person. Their conversation was going smooth, and the interviewee tossed around an age-related topic, and my friend asked about his age. The senior person answered him without awkwardness, and the interview naturally moved on to other issues before finishing off and shaking hands. My friend told him that he’s enjoyed the interview and would give the interviewee a call if a second meeting was necessary. However, my friend was surprised by the interviewee’s insistence to visit him that day. My friend eventually agreed, even though he cleared himself up by stating that he was in charge of making the final decision to hire or reject the applicants.
The interviewee entered the room, revealing the truth about his actual age and how he doesn’t get many chances to work in a new and professional workspace without raising questions about his capabilities and how hard it is to get hired and find interviews to attend. He then insisted on withdrawing his application for the job as an act of self-punishment.
My friend appreciated the honesty and said the age doesn’t define anything, so he kept his application to review. This older interviewee acted this way because he had experienced ageism in the past. This story sums up most of the experiences seniors go through to get hired, which is sad, given that they generally know a lot and can help lift the experience levels in a workspace.