My parents have become insufferable.

I think unfortunately some people do become rude and prejudiced about people as they age. I witnessed this with my late DM. She had always been unfailingly polite and would never be rude about anyone,strangers or otherwise,but I noticed as she reached her late 70s,this gradually changed. She'd make comments about peoples clothes,their weight,and their hair,in a not particularly quiet voice when we were out in public. When I'd ask to keep it down,she'd just retort 'Well,they shouldn't go out looking like a dogs dinner then!'.

My mum is very liberal but has become increasingly judgemental about people and has completely forgotten what it is like to have children. Very quick to judge parents, quite of the children should be seen and not heard variety and has very little time for mental health problems, just thinks everyone should just pull themselves together. Just very quick to judge and say whatever comes to her mind. She is 75. But socially is and always has been very liberal.

I don’t understand this comment? I absolutely adore them, they have always been incredibly involved, supportive and wonderful grandparents. We moved house 3 years ago specifically to a place that was hugely closer to their home so we could see them more, they were like a second set of parents growing up. I’m just saying it’s hard to watch the shift from seemingly wonderful and carefree to bigoted, racist and hateful to minorities. It’s a side of them I haven’t experienced and it’s upsetting have that shift. It’s not about money at all. They are still wonderful to us, dote on my toddler, but conversations are very difficult as we can’t just have lovely general conversation like we used to, so much less laughter and it’s sad

Okay so I must’ve been hallucinating what I saw then. Because some snobby stranger implying I’m stupid on Mumsnet said so!

That's a very thoughtful point. I do agree retired people have more time on their hands and if they're constantly being told things are terrible, they're going to worry about that. To be honest, a lot of things are terrible but older people don't have the filters to deal with terrible things all their waking hours. I don't think any of us do, but most of us are busy with other stuff at least some of the time. It's a bit of a wake-up call not to spend too much time focusing on the bad things that are happening in the world and make space for happy things too.

Well, there is One more obnoxious thing..

@Newusernameforthissif I could like this a thousand times, I would.

😆No

Touched a nerve did I?

I'm not saying everyone who never went to uni lacks critical thinking skills of course FFS.

Critical thinking is a key life skill.
Agreed. Not one taught in university though. That’s a life skill some people never grasp.
Nothing to do with a university education.

@PleasePleasePleaseDontProve Illegal immigration / people on benefits / Reform and Nigel Farage. Essentially focussing around the latest GB news story (which they watch religiously).

The overwhelming majority of the UK thinks that it is wrong for people to come to the country illegally. If you disagree, you're in a tiny minority.

Their latest or ongoing health ailments and how poor, in their view, the NHS is.

If your parents are 60s, then you're likely very young. Just wait until you get older or you have a serious or debilitating medical condition, then you may have more empathy for those who are unwell.

Unnecessary and rude descriptions to describe other people (could be random strangers) or people they know. For example, ‘our fat neighbour has put on tons of weight.’

This is the only thing from your list that's obnoxious.

I think retirement causes this, I hope I never have to retire 😁

I think working keeps people between the hedges.

Tell them to start posting on here. They’ll feel right at home.

The irony!

As you're so clever, you will of course understand that the NHS do give priority care to asylum seekers. Right?

How can truth be an 'awful' thing to say. They believe the crap they read in the trash rags.

Critical thinking is a key life skill.

Dps grandmother is the same, world news channel is always on! She talks to the other church sisters about what medications there all on for the same illnesses.
Migraine being a massive one atm she seems to think they all have Migraines&arthritis!
shes Windrush generation but also dont believe in illegal immigrants! Same conversations constantly 😴 shes 89 but dp speaks on the phone once a week now and visits once every blue moon 🌙( where 50miles away) luckily her daughter's go round daily.

my dad is the same ever since he got with his racist partner they just sit there going on about immigrants and the nhs is prioritising them. it's very tiresome

They probably feel the same. Go NC. Forgo the cash.

Parents not so much but my grandparents are in their 70’s (they had children by 20 and I also have young parents) are just like this now. They used to be wonderful and I never heard anything negative from them, but the last couple of years it’s all about immigrants/benefits/handouts/boats/rape etc. Very racially focused and awful to listen to. They are well off and live more than very comfortably but act as if they are being personally restricted by literally anything going on. I’ve gone from adoring spending time with them to dreading our visits!

They’re just not nice people. It was probably more hidden when they were busy working but the foundation of their thinking doesn’t change solely because of GB news or they would not watch it to begin with.
Mass immigration is a problem too.

Oops, lovely autocorrect again…NHS! OP said the parents complain about everything including the NHS - that’s the only thing my parents don’t complain about!

'My own parents never went to uni, and I don't think really understand how the media tries to sway their opinions.'

Wow. Hopefully they understand how awful you are about them.

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

My parents were 88 and 89 when they died and they weren't like that at all, and I like to think I have followed their footsteps.