To Think That Journalists Need A Reality Check?

[CurryLover55]

Just read a Daily Mail headline “ Elderly Woman Gunned Down”. You would assume at least in her 80s. She was 61! Only 6 years older than me & I am far from elderly thanks very much! Bloody cheek!

@FelicityBeedle

Elderly doesn’t mean doddery and frail, just significantly older than the median, which in the U.K. is 40. It’s not an insult

You should be right, but unfortunately in practice it's often used disparagingly or pityingly, not neutrally.

@CurryLover55

Oh for goodness sake - ok I should have put SOME journalists! It was one paper so I wasn’t referring to all journalists.

It’s not a paper, it’s a rag. Don’t generalise about a whole profession on the basis of one word in the Daily Mail, or any of the words in the Mail.

RickiTarr that’s what I said in my last post - I should have put SOME. Ever wish you hadn’t bloody started something?!

Elderly doesn’t mean doddery and frail, just significantly older than the median, which in the U.K. is 40. It’s not an insult

Not so long ago, 1st time mothers in their mid to late twenties may have had "elderly prim" on their maternity notes, (prim short for primigravida) because they were older than the average 1st time mother. Many were outraged to be described as elderly and prim! But elderly here was as that PO described.
Im in my 50s, so 61 isn't ancient to me, but I disagree with a PP above who described it as "young"

*as that PP described

Yes the headline is outrageous. Clearly it should be "Cervix-haver, 61, victim of firearm attack".

Elderly used to mean pension age. As 60 used to be pension and retirement age, over 60 has stuck for elderly.
I don't think you can say people who are getting the state pension are not elderly. Of course they are. Just lots of people want to still think they are very young when they are not.

The Mail doesn't have any journalists. It is a hate-filled rag of shit.

The United Nations defines "elderly" for developed countries to be 60+. Retirement Homes for the "elderly" in the UK almost always have a lower age limit of 55

Don't come on here with your biological essentialism. Age is a social construct but your Youth Identity is scientific fact.

On MN Saga holidays (55+) are just a rebrand of club 18-30, middle age starts at 75 and Joe Biden is approaching his prime.

Nobody is ever fucking old and don't you dare say otherwise :-)

Clearly it should be "Cervix-haver, 61, victim of firearm attack".

Are we sure ze identified as 61?

@donquixotedelamancha agreed. And all 90 year olds go hiking every day in between their yoga classes.

Bit cheeky, but 61 is almost elderly. Elderly is 65. Not 80-odd as some people imagine or suggest.

I don't know why people are so insulted by being called elderly when they are elderly though. Once you hit 65, you are elderly. It's just a name for your age group, your demographic. It's not meant as an insult.

I remember a colleague of mine going batshit when someone referred to her as middle aged. She was 47, and her 'boyfriend' was 37.

She thought she looked much younger than she was, and assumed everyone thought she was about 35. (Neither one was true.) So she objected massively to being called middle aged. She was though.

I agree with @BettyUnderswoob that 61 is definitely not young, as @stopgap said. It's not even middle aged. It's close to elderly.

@donquixotedelamancha

Don't come on here with your biological essentialism. Age is a social construct but your Youth Identity is scientific fact.

On MN Saga holidays (55+) are just a rebrand of club 18-30, middle age starts at 75 and Joe Biden is approaching his prime.

Nobody is ever fucking old and don't you dare say otherwise! :-)

Well... Daily Mail journalists are all useless gits who wouldn't know the truth if it hit them over the head with a wet cabbage.

Poor woman.

Not sure why the Daily Mail is risking antagonising their target audience with this one?

@FaceyRomford

You expect accuracy from a UK journalist? Well there's a first time for everything.

Because every journalist outside the UK is as pure as the driven snow! Reminds me of stupid things like 'rip-off Britain', a totally unique phenomenon.

My perception is that if you’re described as “elderly” that means you’re frail, probably with some cognitive decline, primarily due to age (rather than illness).

So my DF would have been “elderly” by his mid-60’s, but my FIL (in his 70’s) wouldn’t really be thought of by reference to his age - at a push, he could described as “retired” or (possibly) “a pensioner”.

It’s pretty crap that we feel a need to use ages to fix an offensive stereotype, we’re all (rightly) against that doing so for other characteristics.

The WASPI and Backto60 women believe 61 is elderly and they should thus be receiving their old age pensions.