How to explain the use of boomer, Karen is derogatory?

[NightSpot]

Teen Ds's. They use boomer and Karen all the time. I have said I do not like them. They argue they are not slurs, whereas I think they are. I also say Karen is misogynistic. I am not good with words and they argue rings around me.

Can someone explain in a way I can repeat? I do think though that they should respect that our house is not a playground, where I am sure they all use those words, and therefore they should respect the fact I do not want to hear them.

The same with sticking up for women is seen as TERF behaviour.

I basically need coherent arguments that make them understand why all three terms are horrible.

@user1471565182

Also noticable how many of those whining about cancel culture last week are wanting karen and bommer cancelled this week.

Terms like Boomer and Karen are part of cancel culture, ffs. They are used to dismiss and silence. It’s lazy and childish.

The kinds of people referring to younger people as snowflakes seemed to invite it on themselves - after so much time had passed during which anyone younger, influential and with energy and their youth on their side was labelled snowflake by people generally (though not only) from the baby boom generation, it was surely inevitable that said 'snowflakes' would have a retaliation. It's where I've seen it coming from.

@RufustheRowlingReindeer

pemba

I feel the same about snowflake

Though ds1 called me a snowflake the other day and when i said ‘what unique?’ he got a bit stuck

Cool and unique.

Whilst I would never use ‘Karen’ myself, I wouldn’t want to silence its use. Particularly in the US, where white women are mostly in a position of authority and privilege over black/Mexican people. I wouldn’t want to deny black women a voice. They didn’t know white men were going to hijack Karen.

It’s ok for these people to attack us millennials and ‘snowflakes’ but apparently we’re not allowed to call them boomers?

Oh NICE!

I like that janet

Did not Think of that

The people offended by Karen and especially boomer have been happily categorising certain demographics as 'gammon' and white, pale and male. It was only a matter of time for idpol to catch

Is it anymore of an insult than Snowflake or Millenium? both words folk born between 1946 and 1964 tend to like throwing around.

Folk that would be offended by boomer and Karen are absolutely the same folk to call millennials snowflakes.

Yeah,right.
I am deeply offended by both Karen and Boomer,for all the reasons given so far.And one of the reasons I am so teed off is that I hate the use of these lazy catch all insults for whole groups of people.I hate snowflake,always have,and call it out if I see it or if friends use it.
Millennial I would use strictly to describe the generation,according to age.Gammon is foul.
So posters quoted above,feel free to keep on using lazy insulting generalisations,but as with any generalisation you will be misjudging many,many people and offending them.
I won't generalise about you using your age and I'd like the same treatment back.

There’s confusion here between words used to reference a generation - boomer and millennial, neither of which are offensive if they’re used as descriptors - and those describing behaviour or character. Gammon, snowflake and Karen fit into this category - none of them are age specific. You can get a boomer who’s a snowflake and a millennial who’s gammon.

Gammon, snowflake and Karen fit into this category - none of them are age specific. You can get a boomer who’s a snowflake and a millennial who’s gammon.

Anyone involved in this level of name calling are all extremely immature. It's puerile, playground insults that only those with a juvenile grasp of language would use. It's embarrassing that grown adults cannot articulate their thoughts without sociologically lowering the bar and grouping people into named stereotypes, rather than describing them on an individual bases of socially deviant/uncouth behaviour.

It's puerile, playground insults that only those with a juvenile grasp of language would use

It’s a form of shorthand that anyone with a working knowledge of current culture can understand. It’s hardly new - never heard of the Roundheads or the Levellers?

It's not great for those of us actually called Karen. If I could change my name I would. I have whinged on here before about this, but it is upsetting to have your opinions shut down online and in RL by people saying OK Karen, and then backslapping each other as if they've made the most witty and original comment on the planet.
It is also sexist and ageist, most Karens in the UK are working class and born between 1965 and 1975.

hi @ NightSpot - this has become an interesting discussion, but I feel like you hven't got many answers.... Solet mebe a Karen, and offer you one. Ignore it.

Teenagers want to rile their parents up. Maybe in your house if you ask them to stop they will, but in mine if I let themknowit bothers me, it will come up more often.... It will be "teapot", "Julia", or whatever tomorrow. Just try to not let them know it irritates you.

I know ismuch easier said than done, I believe calling them namesdoes not show that the name calling should stop. Perhaps you could respond, with: Hi, my name is XXX with a big smile; and then remind them everytime they call you Karen. I bet they will get more annoyed than you... Good luck!

@NightSpot - space fail! See above...

It’s a form of shorthand that anyone with a working knowledge of current culture can understand

Shorthand for what, precisely?

There is currently a funny post on my Facebook, a friend’s update said “stop what you’re all doing right now & post a selfie like a boomer”

And we are all posting selfies from odd angles / bad lighting / wrong flash setting etc.

So this disproves that 1. Boomer is not funny & 2. People over 40 supposedly not taking selfies!

You would be more effective if you laugh at your children & say they are being silly kids than to get upset at boomer or Karen. To their mind, you acting irate that the terms are offensive will only prove them right in their eyes. That you’re old & out of touch.

@MouthBreathingRage

It’s a form of shorthand that anyone with a working knowledge of current culture can understand

Shorthand for what, precisely?

If you need it explaining to you, perhaps brush up your knowledge of current culture. Google is your friend. 😎

If my DC's said ok boomer to me (they are a bit young for that atm though) then I would find it funny. I don't really think it's that offensive, yes it's a slur but nowhere near as bad as some and I understand why teenagers are frustrated with the views of some people of older generations.

If they called me a Karen then I would be pissed off because I am not and never will be a fucking Karen 😬
The Karen meme is about a personality, she's rude, arrogant and always wants to speak to the manager. I work in customer service and have met many of them.

On this note can people stop using “woke” as an insult. It appropriates AAVE and reduces an important term used to highlight the acknowledgement of injustice, particularly racial injustice, to a joke.

No, we can use woke if we want to. I have learned from vikingwife that it is cool and funny to call people names and to ignore their feelings.

@HeLa1, 'woke' isnt used against a particular group though, certainly not in a way that can been deemed sexist, ageist or under any other prejudice umbrella. It's not a term for those who see and fight true injustice in this world, it's falls under the same category of 'virtue signallers'. Those who think they're social justice warriors, but are actually greatly lacking in critical thinking or coherent arguments, but are so very desperate to be seen as 'right on' or as 'far left' of the political spectrum as possible. The sort of people who think they have all the answers to living in a peaceful utopia, but are actually trying to build a world Aldous Huxley predicted many years ago.

The far left as a group are as 'problematic' as the far right, but that's another discussion in it's self. Though 'woke' isn't really the appropriate name either, it does very much undermine what a problem they are becoming in both society and political movements.

@Alsohuman, so you have no explanation for what it's shorthand for. Or you are one of those who cannot articulate themselves beyond misogynistic stereotypes.

@MouthBreathingRage “Woke” is used against a particular group- “the far left” as you said in your post(or in reality anyone that looks “far left” based on stereotypes like having blue hair).

Woke might be used to mean virtue signallers in your opinion, but the actual definition according to the dictionary and more importantly, the African Americans who coined it, is alert to social injustice.

[quote MouthBreathingRage]@Alsohuman, so you have no explanation for what it's shorthand for. Or you are one of those who cannot articulate themselves beyond misogynistic stereotypes.[/quote]
Yes I do. I know exactly what those terms mean. You could too if you took the trouble to find out. You’ll be asking “Who are these Beatles?” next. I wouldn’t mind betting I’m more articulate than you.

Oh. And I know how to use an apostrophe correctly. “In it’s self” indeed!

@Alsohuman, oh no a typo! You have now undermined my whole argument . You may be more articulate, but since you're insistently defending a misogynistic term you are clearly lacking critical thinking skills.

@HeLa1, thats the trouble with 'grouping terms'. Their original meaning will soon get lost and eventually become a lazy stereotype or 'meme' applied in situations that were not applicable in their original context, usually for a cheap laugh. Hence why I agree why 'woke' in any usage is inappropriate.