Mumsnet paused a “boomer” thread this morning, and…

That’s interesting because I certainly swear a lot. Don’t younger people? I lived through the 60s but was a child, so too young for sexual liberation.

Dire Straits, though. Always. Queen was fabulous but Knopfler rules.

How contradictory. That's the very opposite of "Keeping up with the Jones".

I find it extraordinary (but I really shouldn't) about how much some younger women resent and despise older women (see the Grace Campbell thread in FWR).

They're going to get such a shock when they hit 50 - or even forty going by the way some of them think.

Interesting, although speaking as one born in the early/mid 60s, it would never be an expression I use. My parents, definitely. If they were still with us they would. Be late 90s whatever generation that is

My boomer husband likes Led Zepp, Metallica, Marillion, Queen, Black Sabbath - lots of other metal bands I can't remember - the bands that were big in his teens and 20s.

We have pretty similar tastes although I am more one for pure 80s pop nostalgia than he is. We both agree that music more or less died round about Y2K 😆

Isn’t this just the difference between ‘most X are Y’ and ‘most Y are X’.

MNers rightly defend the right to say most violent thugs are men, and don’t take kindly to being told that’s sexist becuase most men aren’t violent thugs. They don’t even take kindly to being told that most men aren’t violent thugs, which is (fairly) seen as obvious and irrelevant.

If it’s not an -ist when it’s about being a violent thug, why is it an -ist when it’s about counting coins slowly?

If there’s a stereotype it should be men and women who lived through the sixties and sexual liberation and are more likely to be found listening to Queen than Max Bygraves. And who often swear like sailors 😬

'Keeping up with the Jones' - the aspirational semi-generation that came between the mid 50s and 60s when idealism was regaining a hold and people started looking to the future again (as I remember learning about it when I was doing politics and economics anyway).

I think you're right, this thread quoted is just one example. It's cruel and goady and relies on the worst kind of stereotypes.

Been a lot of nasty goady threads on here of late and Mn are doing nothing to stop them. Am right on the cusp of deleting my account but waiting to see which threads pushes me over the edge.

Me too...especially as I discovered I am one! 😄

Highly unlikely.

I think you're right.

Yes, agreed. Why is it called Jones, by the way?

Re Boomer - it's so weird to be lumped in with what is definitely a different older set of people who mostly retired ages ago and bought houses in the 1970s

FullMetalCapacity

I've said "my mum is a boomer" irl to indicate what generation she's from, but not on MN because I'm not posting about a problem with my mum!

I appreciate everyone's different but I'd find it odd to have described my mother - or whoever - as a boomer. I'd have said her age or she's in her 60s or 70s.
Nor would I call my daughters millennials or myself GenX - if asked, I'd just give their/my age.

Afaics, "boomer" is nearly always used in a perjorative way and so, as language develops, it's becoming ageist because it's hard to think of circumstances where it's used positively.
(The second paragraph is just general, not intended as part of my reply to FullMentalCapacity.)

Ridiculous comparison. You can’t seriously think middle aged people suffer anywhere near the level of issues and discrimination as people with disabilities.

Go away with the sodding ageism

Ageism is completely tolerated on here. @mnhqnever do anything about it

Me too

Yes I think that is fair.

I've said "my mum is a boomer" irl to indicate what generation she's from, but not on MN because I'm not posting about a problem with my mum!

If they're posting on MN and mentioning the generation it's usually to be ageist, but that doesn't mean the name of the category is ageist in itself.

Like saying "private school kids" itself isn't pejorative when describing kids that go to private school, but is often used in that way to generalise.

I am Gen X and use 'boomer' neutrally. My husband is a late boomer so I will describe him as such if 'social generations' are relevant to the topic.

I think it's comments such as 'OK boomer' that are ageist - it's the ageist equivalent of the misogynistic 'Karen' - instantly dismissing a viewpoint due to someone's demographic.

It was relevant in this case: it's usually elderly people who count their coins at tills and sometimes I have been dying inside waiting behind the lady who looked for her reading glasses and slowly placed one coin after the other...

I think it's more like calling someone "a snowflake" rather than "a millennial".
I don't think I've ever seen "boomer" used as a description without it being in an unpleasant context.
Nobody says "My boomer neighbour is really helpful" or similar.