McDonald's customer - single dads!

[zoomer445]

Hi I was in McDonald's earlier - this is not the AIBU

It was super busy.

One elder woman said its always busy on a Saturday as "its where all the single men take their kids instead of having to do anything with them"

I am aware that this OP might be a wind up but I think it's useful in a wider debate about descriptors

It is.

This thread just makes me want McDonalds.

fuzzycustard I'm a journalist and when I started 30+ years ago my union put out guidance on descriptors. It was targeted at racial prejudice - most of us then and now are white and middle class (I'm white but from a working class background) - but it could fit other stereotypes today.

It was extremely sensible. In today's language it was to tell us not to 'other' people. So don't describe a criminal as black unless you have a detailed description that would help with the arrest of that person. Do describe someone as white if you also have other details that would help track him/her down.

But I still think that I know these things because I have been trained and guided. It is human nature to 'other' people in our relationship to the world. It's not necessarily malicious. Through my job, and also because I am an optimist, I really do think that most people are capable of getting on with each other if you just take the time to explain

zoomer445 Sat 09-Dec-17 16:11:39
*Sorry I didn't actually finish my post 😂😂

Well she was about 40 years older than me so she was older / elder*

She was about 46 - 47 then.

She was BU

My DH regularly takes my DD to McDs - its the highlight of her week - they have a nice little chat she has her fave crappy food - we are not divorced

Its probably busy because it is Saturday more than anything else!

When referencing a particular mcd's a social worker friend of mine said she used to (20 years ago?) supervise contact visits near there, she used to go in 3 or 4 times each Saturday with a different family each time. She was wondering what the staff thought she was doing. So yes, in my head mcd's is a contact visit venue. I took my kids there recently, it was nicer than I expected. I might do it again if the need arises.

I went to the library this morning to use a computer for a little porn relief but they were all taken by Disney dads reading to their kids. Why, just why? I went round to McDonald's until a space freed up, thank god they had a vegetarian option.

If descriptors should only be used when relevant, then most literature would become rather dull.

Oh yes, how tedious it would be if there was no ageism, racism or sexism ...

Oh yes, how tedious it would be if there was no ageism, racism or sexism

Yes, it would be very tedious.

So tired of the misogynistic ageism peddled on MN.

According to the logic of some on this thread maybe it’s terrible the subject was even identified as a female. How sexist and terrible!

I personally look forward to novels describing, for example, a party scene full of persons of non-descript, gender, age, race and appearance.

How lovely.

Don't be ridiculously obtuse.

I’m not, this is how you want things to be.

There is a post up at the moment where a MAN is described as in his THIRTIES, he was being unkind to a shop asistant.

Where is everyone jumping up and down on that post? Or does he not count?

Sexism and ageism not relevant in that case?

Do the descriptors need to be removed there too?

Perhaps the people posting on this thread haven't see that one? It's not compulsory to open every single thread, and people are her at different times and to different extents.

I post about casual ageism (and other -isms) when I see them.

And the novels I read are full of descriptive language - because it's relevant, and better than just lazy stereotyping (to me at least). Not sure the language of novels is the best comparator for short online posts, though

It’s not always relevant though, it’s scene setting.

When most people tell friends a story of something that has happened to them they do the same. They don’t always stick to the bare bones of a situation, as it makes for a boring story.

I think it is lazy to just yell “ism” at every mortal thing.

"elder" or "older" are subjective though. So not even descriptive, apart from in the sense of "othering" the person in an attempt to generalise about or diminish their opinions.

I don't yell ism" at every mortal thing though.
I saw sageism (particular to ageism about women) in the OP and called it.
It's fine to state that you don't see it here,but unreasonable to claim that someone else's calling it is r invalid.

I don't consider non resident dads to be the same as single parents.

Granted they are subjective to a degree, but in your minds eye if someone says older woman, most would instinctively assume a someone much older, not 5 years older.

Besides, how is that ‘othering’ a person but describing a male in their 30s is not?

Nobody has commented on that post on the other thread, a wealth of comments on it here.

Can’t all be because the people in question aren’t online?

OP didn’t even criticise the woman or outwardly say her opinion was wrong, yet she is lambasted.

I wish my dad took me mckies was to busy getting off his face

Er - I haven't seen that other post, but I would have commented if I had! Ageism isn't the preserve of the elderly - it applies to younger people too.