One of society’s major weaknesses is that sometimes the wrong statement or ignorance of elders, or of those older than us, is accepted merely because they are older.

In Islam, respect for elders is certainly required, but respect does not mean that everything they say should be accepted as correct. If something is contrary to the Qur'an and Sunnah or sound reason, they can be corrected respectfully.

That is, respect for elders has its place, but it is also necessary to accept the truth as truth and to recognize a mistake as a mistake.