"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?

Can you please link me to a thread from the pandemic where someone young has written "old people should be left to die as they have had their time" and it has not been removed by MN? I personally remember lots of comments about young people behaving irresponsibly and killing people (for doing things like going out to work).

The house thing I must admit I have seen. I'd question the delivery of the comments in some cases, and I have definitely seen ageism in this respect. But in a country with a well-established housing crisis I think it's right that we debate the current use of houses. If there was a food shortage and someone took more than their fair share, leaving someone else to go hungry, everyone would agree that was selfish behaviour. When it comes to houses people seem to lose sight of rationality. Of course it can be frustrating for people on the other side.
I'm not suggesting the correct answer is to force all old people out into fairy houses at the end of gardens, but it's not ageist to try and open the debate up.

And jamtartforme accuses others of evading questions! As for quoting Slug...Well, pass me the salt, someone.

Many posts are very blinkered, arrogant, selectively engaging only on what they wish to discuss and ignoring the rest; unfortunately very reminiscent of attempting any type of rational discussion with my parents, so ironically the thread has mostly seemed to provide yet more evidence to bear out the so-called "stereotypes" in terms of the generational attitudes that research has described.

Could be written for you @Jamtartforme

But I read those endless lectures last night and that poster literally LIED about comments made to them.

But one thing we agree on I'm tired too. My age obvs.

The house thing I must admit I have seen. I'd question the delivery of the comments in some cases, and I have definitely seen ageism in this respect. But in a country with a well-established housing crisis I think it's right that we debate the current use of houses. If there was a food shortage and someone took more than their fair share, leaving someone else to go hungry, everyone would agree that was selfish behaviour. When it comes to houses people seem to lose sight of rationality. Of course it can be frustrating for people on the other side.
I'm not suggesting the correct answer is to force all old people out into fairy houses at the end of gardens, but it's not ageist to try and open the debate up.

But you're being so reasonable 😉

I agree with you here.

I think the difference is that unlike many here, I will happily take justified criticism. I will hold my hands up and say sorry: I made a mistake.

@Jamtartforme

And believe me , the above, is utter arse.

"Did the hospital where you had your baby have Covid?
Or even manage to protect you and your baby from that?"

She didn't have a baby during lockdown. Not unless she's one of those posters who "changes details to not be outed". She's got a 5mth old and one about 4. So would have been small during 2020, but not born during Covid.

I think it's right that we debate the current use of houses. If there was a food shortage and someone took more than their fair share, leaving someone else to go hungry

Someone who has worked, bought and paid for their home is not taking “more than their fair share” Also does this debate on the use of houses apply to the super rich? Celebrities? CEO’s? Or just ordinary people doing the 9-5 for forty plus years?

She didn't have a baby during lockdown. Not unless she's one of those posters who "changes details to not be outed". She's got a 5mth old and one about 4. So would have been small during 2020, but not born during Covid.

👍🏻 Sorry thought the implication was that they did.

I think some people absolutely do take more than their fair share of housing stock, including celebrities, CEOs, some old people, some young people, some people who live abroad and leave their properties vacant for the purposes of tax avoidance / investment / any number of other scenarios. Some of these people will have worked 9-5 jobs for 40 years, yes. There are also some people who have worked 9-5 for 40 years and have no house to call their own. There are lots of different scenarios and circumstances when it comes to housing in the U.K.
Some of the supply problems we are currently experiencing could be addressed by debating about it in a respectful way, considering everybody's point of view, and coming up with solutions. Whether those solutions involve banning overseas buyers, increasing tax on second home ownership, grants to convert existing houses to make them more usable for the groups who need them, providing incentives and/penalties to encourage people to downsize or upsize or move location... there are lots of options which could be explored.

Oh yes, that I don't doubt. 😏

@TheLongGloriesOfTheWinterMoon

Poster would have probably have had a cohort of friends who had babies during lockdown.

Hope none of them or their babies got Covid whilst in hospital.

You know whilst everyone was locking down to try and keep some spaces safe.

First response in a thread about unhelpful shop assistants

You know " a coincidental benefit. '

No one wanted a newborn with Covid.

@AuntieJoyce

Ah, that one's a delight. Very much of the "but whyyyy is it racist" POV so nothing should surprise you really.

To be fair that response has been deleted by MNHQ.

I reported it. Presume others did too. Might entertain myself for a bit trying to get all their racist bile deleted as well.
"But whyyy am I a bigottttttt"

@ilovesooty hopefully MNHQ is alert given this thread. Depressing though that there are posters itching to get straight in first with the casual ageism. That’s a cultural thing as MNHQ have confirmed they won’t be setting the scene to say it’s unacceptable.

@traytablestowed what would you class as “more than their fair share” Do you think everyone should be allocated homes based on need rather than a free market?

I wonder if this thread is left to stand for reasons we are not aware of. It's pretty vile

Oh yes. On the thread about the people who rudely wouldn't let the OP get to her seat at an event there was a connection made between the man's rude behaviour and his age, and an anecdote from another poster where age was casually linked in and there was an implied connection to age and rudeness. It's commonplace.

As I said, I think the debate needs to happen. I'm not an expert on housing, policy or capitalism. It is not my place to suggest what housing quota any individual should be allowed. I haven't suggested it is.
The fact of the matter is, there are plenty of people living in houses not suitable for their needs at both ends of the spectrum. There is presumably some way a policy could be crafted to address this, following which multiple people would be happy with the outcome.

What sort of reasons?

@ilovesooty and bizarre. I generally find people are just rude regardless of age.

Has this now turned into a covid thread?

It's a well-worn MNHQ strategy - just leave it alone and the thread will eventually die off.