"boomer" thread

[Maireas]

You've hidden this evening's offensive, ageist thread, stereotyping "boomers". Will this be deleted? Can we have a robust response to ageism on MN?

In fact the reason I report is to stop myself from arguing and causing potential discord on the thread!

"We're taking a look" is, I think, code for "we've read your report but we're not going to take any action".

"Women's Aid - Wikipedia" https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women%27s_Aid
Founded 1974.
Read the history of women's aid

"Acas - Wikipedia" https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acas. Became independent of the government in the 1970s

"Shelter (charity) - Wikipedia" https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shelter_(charity).

Founded 1966

That is very much my experience - whichever "ism" is reported the actions seem to vary a great deal between mods.

Love the recommendation to challenge it on the thread when this is exactly the opposite to the guidance on these threads which is to report and not challenge on thread (the latter likely to result in deletion for troll hunting).

"Greenham Common Women's Peace Camp - Wikipedia" https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenham_Common_Women%27s_Peace_Camp. Founded 1980

Womens aid, shelter, greenham common. Boomer women pushed, protested and fought for these. Not government, not unions.

When women come here for advice because of domestic violence, they're advised to contact women's aid. Housing contact shelter.

Chew on that.

Ageism is rife on mn and sm , boomer is now used as an insult to any woman ( mostly) who is over 30 !
Clearly those who do this have no idea that it only applies to a certain age group, however I don't like this whole labeling of age groups anyway, why do it , if not to separate people into groups?
I have no idea what group I'm in ( b 1974) and frankly I don't care !

That's the issue, @jeffgoldblum . Categorising, diminishing, excluding, blaming. No notion of measured debate. I wonder if sm has led to this polarisation and lack of ability to discuss. Everything gets reduced to a phrase or put down.

@MNHQ are we ever going to get a comment here? Why are we being asked to tackle this ourselves. What’s the policy?

I would suggest that if we are being asked to tackle it ourselves, but understandably don’t want to feed the fire, we just tag MNHQ in every single time it happens.

I think you're right @Maireas , sm has enabled people to say things they would never utter to a person in real life( mostly, some unpleasant people would) , labels should never apply to people, it's just another form of othering, and I find it really sad it's still happening now and seems to be getting worse.

1964 was last year of Baby Boom. Although I suspect those that want to target the Baby Boomers will still have you in their sights.

categorising generations is a handy way for social scientists to work out trends etc.

The reason the Baby Boom generation was usefully labelled, imo, was to alert governments that they would need more schools etc, as there was a huge increase in births after the war - given the millions of deaths it's not surprising, added to that the economic stability that came was a definite predictor of rising births.

Then you got Generation X who coincided with the widespread use of effective birth control, and later, the push towards equality that meant fewer births, and more women in the workforce - hence more focus needed then on after and before school clubs.
And so on. (tbh in German i'm an unashamed and unabashed member of Generation Golf which is a whole other thing. Relates to the car not the "sport")

You're right, @Brefugee - unfortunately, it's turned into something else, especially on here.
I think I'm generation Golf!

Generation Golf is pretty much Gen X.
There is also Gen Y (I think maybe millenials?) and my old boss said it's because "Why" is their buzzword - they question everything. (not my experience tho)

Oh right. I own a Golf but am obviously far too old for that category though!

I seem to recall reading that @MNHQ isn’t actually a user, so tagging them doesn’t reach anyone. Maybe we should tag actual MN staff handles instead in the hope of getting an answer? And can they confirm whether or not the @MNHQ username receives notifications?

@Brefugee , thanks for the explanation, I'm aware that the labels were used for non nefarious reasons originally but now it's become a stick to beat others with, I first noticed it when all the headlines about " millennials" started.

Brexit keeps on giving thread - we have it again.
The housing shortage is the fault of the over 60s who won't downsize. Here we go again.

Ageism on that thread is being challenged by a few of us.
All the fault of the over 60s!

I have a one bedroom flat, so no idea what I downsize to. A cardboard box under a motorway bridge, presumably. Oh no wait, I'm over 60, all I need is a bedsit.

This really looks like a concerted attack to me.

I'm in despair at the victory of identity politics over a class based analysis. Yes, our country is currently screwed. The people hurting most are those who are vulnerable: young people without financial security, children in poverty, old people in need of social care, people with mental or physical disabilities, the poor of all ages.

Young people are right to be angry, but it is flabby brained to assert the problem is an entire generation is just mean. It sounds like an episode of The Young Ones. Every generation votes in the government it thinks will act in its best interests (and often gets it wrong). That has always been true, and will always be true. Human vice and virtue is distributed pretty evenly across the world, and across time.

Let's also remember that the baby boomers covers a very wide range of experience. I am a tail end boomer, working single parent with kids still at home. Sadly, no mansion in Surrey or golden pension here, just a lifetime of feminist and left wing activism. It's bemusing to be held responsible for the Tories!

That's shocking! , I mean besides it being rubbish! Why should anyone be forced to give up their family home? Are we becoming a new communist country, where nobody is allowed to own or keep their own property now ? Should everyone just give up everything they have worked fit to the government and it be shared out? , I mean it worked so well in parts of china!

Thank you, @justasking111