Ageism on MN

[RockingMyFiftiesNot]

Ok so I expect this thread to be deleted because in part it will be a thread about several threads and mainly because MN has been turning a blind eye towards ageist posts.

Today I learned from MN that over 40s are elderly.
I've also learned that over 50s have lived their lives already and need to step aside to allow the younger generation to live.
I hate the daily mail but actually hope one of their journalists pick this up as MN doesn't seem to care

@Tryingtryingandtrying

Other cultures Elder is positive.

I think it used to be more like that here too. When did it go wrong? I think the Blair years fetishised youth but then there was also the 60s, when older people started to be viewed with contempt.

I've never liked the othering that comes with referring to a group as The. The elderly, The homeless, The disabled, etc.
I think it makes it easier to dehumanise than saying elderly people, disabled people, homeless people.

Agree Icenii
Many 'elderly' are still working too. The pension age keeps rising. They also provide a lot of childcare, which is in itself a job.

After months of being told on the Covid boards that elderly people should either just die or shut themselves away and let everyone else “crack on” because it was a mild disease for younger people, I did allow myself a little smile at the utter indignation when we got a vaccine and elderly people were actually allowed to be vaccinated first and rejoin society.

It’s not the words old, elderly etc. that are a problem. It’s the value judgements and step aside nonsense that is. Some of it would be funny if it wasn’t real.

I should correct my previous post. The Blair years fetished healthy youth. It wasn't a time for disabled people whatever their age.

*fetishised

Mrsfezziwig but nobody has been indignant in the past when people, including children, with serious illness have to shut themselves away whilst everyone else "Cracks on" We could have adopted safe practices recently experienced to help them, but we don't?

I agree with regards to the terminology. The term the elderly is very different to the term Elders.

The threads the OP mentions - or at least the posts - were purposely to rile people up. Of course no one’s old at 40!

That being said, young people do see anyone over a certain age as being past it. I’m sure I did. I found myself the other day fancying David Soul on an old Top of the Pops. When I was young he was an old man - eeeugh.

I think venerating the aged went out of the window when there became a lot of them. In Japan the aged vastly outnumber the young and have consequently changed from being wise and to be respected to being a burden.

Someone astutely observed that at Christmas no group should outnumber others, whether that be kids, teenagers, millennials, GenXers, Boomers or the elderly. Once you get a skewed number, that group starts to get on your nerves.

@Tryingtryingandtrying There are negative connotations surrounding the words old or elderly. Whilst people judge based on the someone’s age, it actually doesn’t mean anything in reality. I’m happy with my mid-40s life, so if anyone tried to put me down, it wouldn’t actually affect me. Yes, I’m over 40, but it doesn’t show, because of who I am. If it did, I’m not sure I’d actually be that bothered anyway. I’ve achieved a lot up to now, plenty more fuel I the tank and all that.

Why are people so worried about being called old/elderly. It’s not like the government’s going to bring in some Logan’s Run style regime, because they wouldn’t dare. Most of their votes come from the over 40s!

If the old are such a burden, why are we told to give up smoking 'or it will shorten your life'? Why does the UK not allow assisted suicide? It's a much kinder more compassionate way of going than being told to live with die of Covid.

But there's people here saying they are not old or elderly at nearly 60 as if it is an insult. If i was 75 I could be offended. What's wrong with being 75? Or 60? Or 45? Or whatever age you are? Why are people so offended if they are judged to be older than they are?

I have no intention of stepping aside for anyone. Whatever that means. If its work then no fucking way. I've been doing crap jobs for 18 years because of children. I'm in a better position now work wise and don't intend to retire because I can't fucking afford to

@blackberrycream Do we not step aside all our lives? I didn't want to leave school when I did, but we have to step aside for younger people? There's more examples, being a young mum, becoming an older mum, changing what we do to suit our children rather than ourselves? We are constantly jossled up the chain, spinning the wheel longer to find our year, whether we like it or not. And our chance if dying increases every year. Whether that's of covid or something else. That's why there's more adverts for funeral directors in magazines fir over 50s that someone was calling ageism. Or should companies not select magazines based on the average age of the reader to advertise in?

@Northernsoullover at some point you will retire though? At the moment you are highly experienced and presumably doing a god job, so why would you retire? I don't think any one is suggesting you should hand your job to a 21 year old?
Sadly we can't self identify our age. (at the moment)

Ageist attitudes and society's tolerance of them contribute to elder abuse, just as devaluation of women underpins violence against women. It's the "othering" of older people that is so dangerous, and it happens through the cumulative effect of casual, even jokey, remarks. It creates a climate where abuse can flourish.

One thing that we can do is to stop saying things like “I’m 65, but I’m not old” or even “I’m 45, but I don’t consider myself middle-aged.” And things like, “She’s 80 years young.” We need to do all that we can to deny “old,” especially when describing women, its negative connotations.

@SenecaFallsRedux you have just said exactly what I've been trying to say in a much more eloquent way. I totally agree. Many if the comments in this thread are exactly representative of these types of comments.

Completely agree with SenecaFallsRedux and have recently said something along similar lines at work (although sadly less eloquently). Even people who consider themselves ‘woke’, including some with a bad habit of policing other people’s language, fall into this lazy and misogynistic way of speaking. Including, at times, correcting the way women choose to describe themselves.

@Kimchidreams

Why are people so worried about being called old/elderly. It’s not like the government’s going to bring in some Logan’s Run style regime, because they wouldn’t dare. Most of their votes come from the over 40s!

Yes, that must be why they’re not doing that. Seriously, how is this kind of comment acceptable?

The threads on older parents are particularly horrible. Ageism is the last acceptable discrimination.

@Tryingtringandtrying
We move forwards. Life isn’t static. I guess death is a kind of stepping aside as new generations are born. Retirement similarly Apart from that, I’m just not sure what this stepping aside actually involves unless it’s middle class adults expecting an early inheritance.

@Frenchdressing

The threads on older parents are particularly horrible. Ageism is the last acceptable discrimination.

That, and ableism. Seems to go hand in hand.

@pucelleauxblanchesmains

"They are wearing but it's just as wearing when older generations deny statistics that show younger generations have it harder these days." Quite. But nobody on this thread will ever believe e.g. the housing market is screwed so why bother. (I'm a young disabled person so I get shat on by everyone anyway)

Of course we do. But carry on with the gross generalisations, please.

Ageism is the last acceptable discrimination

The problem is that the elderly are not a sufficiently homogeneous, cohesive or structured cohort. Hence it's not so easy for natural advocates to emerge (as appears to be the case with those who vouch for those who are racially or religiously discriminated).

Also the young are more likely to be on SM, which is how protestors are summoned (though some of the protests are likely not being organised necessarily by the young). SM is also a useful tool to 'cancel' those with the 'wrong' opinions.

Many middle-aged/elderly have a healthy amount of disposable income, however, and should vote with their feet IMO, boycotting those companies that discriminate against them