Has your parent turned in to a miserable old bigot since retiring?

[Dotdashdottinghell]

Mine has! She used to be quite hip, she went to Glasto and dropped acid in her youth, was good company etc.

Since retirement she's started watching GB News and now talks endlessly about boats, refugees, drains on the NHS, how people should "go back home" etc. Its pretty unrecognisable. She makes comments on same sex relationships even though she has gay friends "thay are different" apparently.

The irony is she just asked me to take her to the local asian supermarket so she could stock up, then turning her nose up to half the stuff in there and making tutting sounds.

I'm at a loss, calling her out just ends up in circular discussions, I'm not going to go NC over it, just want a whinge really. Anyone else's parents getting belligerent and hard to be around?

My parents died in their late 80s, my grandparents in their mid 80s - none of them were "miserable old bigots". I'm retired myself at 64 and I haven't turned into one either. Most retired people where I live are far too busy to be thinking like that. In my experience people don't become bigots, it's usually something they've been all along.

I sometimes think I live in a different world! Having just read some more posts about retired people spending so much time on social media and watching news, it's alien to me. My retired friends spend far, far, less time on MN sm than I do and have busy, active lives. Most retired people tell me they don't know how they found time to work as they are so busy now. I'm retired, and while I wouldn't say I am busy I find the hours fly past (far more than they ever did when I worked), and I'm constantly out and about.

No.
Even more ferociously left wing then before. And she has time to send stern emails to her local MP.

Mine too 🙋‍♀️

In fairness, my dad has always been somewhat bigoted, but since becoming obsessed with GB news, it is like a fervour.

I honestly think it's the combination of his GB news exposure, and his lack of any other interests or activities.

I blame GB news rather than his age. Even my mum, who was always very gentle and accepting of others, is now regurgitating the bile she's overheard on GB news while my dad watches.

There is an issue with some older people who are just not good at appreciating the echo chamber of their social media and the algorithms - I do try to question what I see and not share things unless I've seen them verified somewhere that I know does its homework. And I have heard that older people are the most likely to share 'fake news' - so maybe they are generally more vulnerable to being hit by right-wing messaging about how terrible diversity and inclusion is, or how teachers are trying to trans your kids or people everywhere are taking small children to explicit drag shows, or Black Lives Matter is some extremist anti-white group etc.

Nope. My parents (both aged 79) are if anything further to the left than they were when younger. There's no hint of bigotry in either of them.

Not bigot but mil has become complete pain in backside. Spends 70%of the day standing at the window with hands on hips watching where god forbid people might park a bit too close to her house. Completely obsessed with how people park in the street,
otherwise spends (what I can only imagine ) too much time literally staring at 4 walls snd coming up with a reason to have the house fully decorated from top to bottom. Recently she advised the ceilings were ‘dirty’ so may aswell do the whole place she said. The house is completely spotless.
another frequent drama relates to ‘weather warnings’. I will get completely over the top messages literally warning me about the potential threat and imagine if I could not collect kids from school if I got stuck at work . Honestly spare me from it. Too much time on her hands imo

I'm very clear that it's not age, it's internet use, lack of occupation, and in my mother's case, because she is very much not a bright person. A couple of people on Facebook leads you to so many more who are all in their own little echo chambers - as the people who use Facebook to radicalise the older generations know very well. She's doubly not smart because she thinks it's fine to tell me how great people think Trump is, as if I am in the same echo chamber. It's actually really distressing to have someone repeat what you know is very manipulated hate. If I argue, she just says "I don't judge you for your politics" as if she'd ever know what my politics are. Bewildering how people don't see this stuff is hate. But I'm typing that out on Mumsnet! lol

It is isn't it. This thread is vile

Ok, so can we not discuss children either as an age group? Or toddlers? Does ageism apply to them?

I have noticed mine are scared of things they would previously never have been scared about (e.g. Driving to an unknown location, having to plan everything ahead, double checking everything,etc).
I haven't noticed about immigration but perhaps it is in the same vein. It would be something new and different, therefore scary.

I'm retired and the biggest surprise to me about this thread is how many people think the only option in retirement is to read the paper and watch TV.

My friends and I are a bunch of retired, left-leaning feminists who go on climate change marches - oh and DH and I never miss a punk gig in town. Those gigs are full of lefty pensioners kicking the arse out of life.

My mum was the same - volunteering in the community, fund raising for animal charities and writing to the papers criticising government policy until her final illness. My friend's mum was a Greenham Common woman and is still spitting mad at injustice now.

For all those saying that it’s ageist to point out that our parents have become racist and miserable since retirement, what’s your solution?

I thought it was just mine! I was even told in one rant I was a drain on society as I earnt less than a certain amount. I was so fucking insulted.

They'll still vote Tory even though they are incompetent, liars.

They volunteer with the local foodbank, have lived a very good life, lived all over the world, deep down aren't racist.

It's GB bloody news though.

Honestly, this sounds very, very familiar