To be fed up with the amount of old bashing that goes on

[CAM]

Its illegal to be ageist now

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Cam, critising old people is considered to be acceptable on here and it drives me bonkers.

Those who tut and sneer at the elderly should take the time to get to know them.

There are reasons why old people are misearable at times. They struggle on a shit pension, often are cold and leave themselves go hungry.

Some of the best conversations I've had recently have been with the elderly.

I sound like Dave Cameron now, go and hug an OAP.

I've been really uncomfortable with this aspect of Mumsnet recently.

A lot of people have had some horrible experiences with nasty old people being horrid to their children, but threads which start off expressing sympathy often evolve into generalised old-people-bashing where sweeping statements are made about 'old people' as a whole.

It is one of my bugbears Kathy. A lot of posters see the elderly as an easy target.

I've seen comments where old people are described as being in their fifties

I agree Cam. And carefully left the 'old' out of a description of someone who had been abusive to a MN-er on another thread.

It's prejudicial stereotyping...and much too near the (wrinkly) knuckle for me!

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Mind you, I also think the 'oh, it's a generational thing' cliche is often damn patronising. A letter in the Guardian (where else?) the other day pointed out that people in their 60s today were young in the 1960s, not exactly the Vera Lynn generation...or one pre-feminism, either.

Is 50 old?!!!

I am also not hog whimpering wild about posts along the lines of how laydeez in their 40s should avoid any sort of revealing clothing and wear nice Lady Shoes and restrained, formal outfits.

I agree.

Cam, are you also CAMy?

Quite, mi

50 is not old. dh will be 50 this year and he is not what i would think of as old.
I think people need to remeber that they will be "old" one day.

motherinferior does it mean i have to chuck my mini's and stilletos. as I am over 40

I think the idea of the 'elderly' is a bit abstract for some people.
DC's teachers asked them to go home and ask their grandparents about what it was like to live through the second world war.
My father is 51!

Agree, CAM.

It might because some of the posters mothers are the same or similar age as/to us? I don't know tbh.

But there have been one or 2 horrible threads recently; it's the language used that annoys me - old bag, old bint, witch, hag etc etc.

I have felt like starting threads re young people sometimes and use stereotyped descriptions. Would go down like a lead ballon I imagine.

I agree Cam.
I find it very deppressing that there are lots of threads using very insulting language to describe older people.
Somehow it seems to be tolerated more than racist, homophobic opinions.

I can tell none of you live in a small rural village

What do you mean Enid?

I don't like it. My children sometimes use the phrase amongst themselves as an insult of "you're an old woman". Why should that be a criticism? It's ageist and sexist actually. most of the country's wealth will soon be with the over 50s. They should lobby better.

I hate it and think it shows crass blinkered ignorance and stupidity.

I came across a thread of that ilk recently and was disgusted tbh.

I think that(and I am being kind here) that young children can make old people nervous by theit percieved unpredicibility and noisyness.

And that it is natural for older people to grow a little more intolerant as they age and that this is largely to do with them feeling less confident with their physicality/hearing ect.

I think that this underlying attitude can be noticeable when we are out and about with our dc's and so there are quite a few anti-old people posts on a forum of mums.

And, in the same way as there are horrible, intolerant, young people, there are definitely horrible and intolerant old people out there, not all by any means, but they do exist and often their targets are our littlies. Which makes us defensive and possibly a bit intolerant of them.
My two cents.

with some of the intolerant views shown on here I'm surprised that some of the complaining posters don't get lamped to be honest...lucky it's the internet..

there are some other odd ideas about too..eg there was a post on here this week which said [paraphrase]I'm surprised your mil knows what ebay is...so she should be unable to use a pc presumably like a proper old person

there is definitely a very me me me generation out there