Am I being unreasonable to expect...

[seeker]

...agism to be as unacceptable as racism on a forum like this?

No YANBU

Yes, it should be. What's got your goat?

here But there ahve been a few dissenting voices since I started this thread, I am glad to say.

i don;t think any sort of blanket statements or tarring everyone with the same brush is a Good Thing.. but is is human nature isn't it?

Lots of things are Human Nature - but it's a good idea not to express the less acceptable aspects of it!

no, no, i quite agree... but i think a lot of things trip off the tongue/ or keyboard quite easily, and the fact it might be offensive or ageist is not uppermost in the mind

no sort of discrimination should ever be acceptable in a perfect world, but some -isms are far less acceptable than others

oh great
instead of supporting a mumsnetter who had to put up with rudeness from someone. you start a thread to say agism is wrong
get a life.

2shoes, i thikn you are being a bit harsh there! seeker has every right to make the point about ageism. the OP had one comment from an old lady, she responded. i think there is a legitimate discussion to be had about ageism.

i can see absolutely why the OP was upset on that thread, but my MIL is a pensioner, and i would hate her to be thought of as an old bitch for making a comment . yes, it was rude. but as was pointed out the older generation were not particularly au fait with SN.

2shoes I don't think the OP on that other post WAS agist- she had a perfect right to be angry and to post

Some of the following posts were agist though

We can't ask for our LO's to be entitled to equal rights without challenging it wherever it may appear.

So perfectly possible to support OP and to be anti the ageism on that thread

wow thanks peachy

What?

I wasn't being nasty! i thought you misunderstood what peolpe wer sying tis all- I was sayingt hat the OP was right to be angry!

WARGGHGhhh I keep being misuinderstood these days!

So as parents of children with disabilties we're just expected to put up with ignorant comments are we? I had a similar comment once. One old bat and her friend told me that like most parents today I was shocking in not teaching my son to answer her politely when she asked ds1's name. He can't talk. At the time he was 5 and I didn't bother answering back, now 3 years down the line I would quite happily let rip with anyone who suggested that my son's lack of speech was because he was being rude. Whatever their age.

My all time favourite elderly comment was 'oh look Mavis there's another one' (when I was out with ds1, and my friend and her dd with learning difficulties).

DS1 looks entirely 'normal'- some of the comments friends with children with DS have received have been beyond vile. I've only ever heard of elderly people expressing the opinion (to the mother's face) that their child should have been aborted.

I take people as I find them. Many of the ignorant comments surrouning disability have come from the elderly- presumably because - as I said on the other thread- of lack of exposure. That doesn't make the comments acceptable though.

And the first line was 'ok her age was irrelevant really'. As it was. As she was staggeringly rude, it was perfectly acceptable for the OP to respond. It was NOT an unprovoked go at someone just because she was elderly.

the topic of ageism is a different one to the topic of rudeness to SN children. and rudeness in general.

Was that to me yurt? God Ir eally fucked up making my point understood on that ojne didnt I? because I was trying to say exactly what you said, only not too well obviously.

No I think we cross posted peachy.

Yurt1, I couldn't agree with you more.

When it comes to OAP's being rude about anything, being old is no excuse. My Dad has made a few choice comments about many things and I am the first to tell him that kind of attitude is not welcome.

Age is not a free pass to be ignorant.

Phew! getting really paranoid lately- ust be Dh rubbing off one me (apaprently I only come on here to talk about him.... well i am now LOL )

No! this si WTs thread

Hugs to WT!

Oh for God's sake. Some people just look for things to be offended by.

A generalisation is not the same as a policy of discrimination.

It's just a ... generalisation.

As I have said repeatedly - of course no one should put up with offensive remarks being made about themselves or their children. And I think people should challenge offensiveness, rudeness, generalizations and prejudice wherever they come across it. As the OP did on the other thread and more power to her elbow.

And as I did.

Toddlers are a nightmare

Pregnant women are stroppy

No one over the age of seventy should be allowed to shop in Tesco at weekends

Men can't clean highchairs properly

Dogs bite

And all French people are horrid

The op right at the start of her post said

'OK,I guess her age was irrelevant really'

I actually think, she could as easily have said meddling middle age, ignorant teenager etc it was scene setting rather than ageism

the comments made about her loud enough to ensure she heard were offensive, ignorant, judgemental and distressing to the op this type of behaviour is not acceptable from any age. Her response to the woman showed more tact, respect and restraint than the person who made the comments did towards her with her unwarranted comments

I agree Helen. The OP's post on the other thread is what you would say in conversation to put the story in context.

I think that jumping on this kind of thing detracts from real issues of discrimination and makes me for one totally fed-up with the 'I'm-so-socially-aware' PC brigade.