Page 8 | "boomer" thread

Maireas · 2023-08-28T19:29:53+00:00

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?

5pot6pot7potmore · 29/08/2023 08:55

If anyone wants some more rigorous analysis of the financial advantages that the baby boomers have had, this video from the Royal Institution is good:

The title is 'Have the Boomers pinched their children's futures?', and the conclusion is - yes, pretty much.

Have the Boomers Pinched Their Children’s Futures? - with Lord David Willetts

The post-war baby boom of 1945-65 produced the biggest and richest generation in British history. David Willetts discusses how these boomers have attained th...

https://youtu.be/ZuXzvjBYW8A?si=Y79v5jcSp-JOaML1

Jamtartforme · 29/08/2023 08:55

TheLongGloriesOfTheWinterMoon · 29/08/2023 08:53

"If younger people were mostly voting for a party that planned to decimate pensions and cancel pensioner concessions, how do you think pensioners would be viewing younger people en masse? Do you think they should be able to discuss it, or would it be ageism?"

The second highest group to vote Conservative is the white working class aged under 35. Do they count?

But they’re not the highest. Not by quite a long stretch.

Toooldtoworry · 29/08/2023 08:56

Nannyfannybanny · 29/08/2023 08:36

Toooldtocare. This was me. Interesting thread. I didn't read the original post. I was born in 1950, only child, council house. Got pregnant at 18, got married,lived in 3 Rooms,shared a bathroom. Bought a caravan, not a fancy park home,a metal box, one paraffin heater. Washing done by hand, village,weather ex H or I drove. 1972, nursing training. Got a bicycle. Bought our first house,2 up 2 down. He was a violent passive aggressive gay psychopath. I Frequently had 3 jobs. Got divorced from him. Made homeless with 2 young kids still at home. Spent over a year in emergency accommodation,then council house. Re married, worked full time nights. New DH had been a council tenant for 20 years,so max discount. We had no central heating or double glazing, thought it was madness to add this to someone elses house,so bought it. A month later his company folded,I had 4 jobs. He was made redundant 5 times in 8 years. We downsized to a little 3 bed cottage. Always bought doer uppers. No holidays abroad, nothing fancy. Kids always shared bedrooms. The mortgage rate in 1983 after I had my son went from 12 to 16%, in 18 months. My late father re married 6 weeks before he died. He left me some premium bonds,we used them to buy solar panels,to future proof us. My hubby had an accident 3 years ago,had to stop work
No benefits because I had a tiny NHS (12 years) pension on top of my state pension. We scraped through. He's 7 years younger than me, just got his state pension this year.

I think people fail to see that every generation have had their hardships and will continue to do so. They are just different hardships. Ultimately all anyone can do is vote for change and do what they can to mitigate their own issues.

Jamtartforme · 29/08/2023 08:57

Lonicerax · 29/08/2023 08:47

I’d swap with any hard working gen z (or whatever) living skint in a room.
Id have a possibility of 50 more years on earth not just 10-15

Reaching for that kind of nonsensical emotive angle to shut down debate doesn’t help does it? No doubt somebody with terminal illness and 2 years to live would love to swap with a 72 year old, because they could well have 10+ years left.

justasking111 · 29/08/2023 08:59

Every generation has its own issues. Made worse by poor parenting, fecklessness, poverty, successive governments of any colour.

I've not voted for years because they're all the same imo. There's a bigger agenda at play on the world stage.

I do what I can for my children, grandchildren and once upon a time for parents.

I naively once believed that governments in this country were benevolent keepers with our best interests at heart. They're not any more.

Original poster

Maireas · 29/08/2023 09:01

In a nutshell, @Toooldtoworry .
What this is about is the use of a derogatory, ageist and often misogynist term in order to blame one age group for the ills in society.
Every generation has it's own challenges. We are all human and some are more privileged than others. All we can do is try our best to improve our current situation.
My point is about offensive threads, slagging off so called "boomers". These are the very opposite of constructive discussions, and need to stop.

OP posts:

Jamtartforme · 29/08/2023 09:02

MrsDanversGlidesAgain · 29/08/2023 08:53

It is not ageist to be frustrated that most people who are retired are voting to further feather their own nests while pushing younger people further and further into poverty

Damn those pensioners wanting not to starve and freeze to death and wanting a decent pension they can live on! how dare they be so venal when everyone else votes from the highest of principles and not for the party that'll do the most for them!

This is what I mean.

Twice as many kids are in poverty as pensioners. Pensioners are the wealthiest demographic. Saying they’re going to ‘starve and freeze to death’ is ridiculously hyperbolic. From this can I confer you want children to starve and freeze to death by giving the money to a wealthier group? If not why not?

MrsDanversGlidesAgain · 29/08/2023 09:02

5pot6pot7potmore · 29/08/2023 08:55

If anyone wants some more rigorous analysis of the financial advantages that the baby boomers have had, this video from the Royal Institution is good:

The title is 'Have the Boomers pinched their children's futures?', and the conclusion is - yes, pretty much.

Seems to be a concerted attempt being made this morning to derail this original complaint by demonstrating that the ageism and vitriol is justified.

Any response to the complaint, MNHQ? any at all?

MrsDanversGlidesAgain · 29/08/2023 09:05

From this can I confer you want children to starve and freeze to death by giving the money to a wealthier group? If not why not?

I infer two things from this. One, you meant infer. Two, you don't get sarcasm.

Pensioners are the wealthiest demographic

Citation, please.

Toooldtoworry · 29/08/2023 09:05

Maireas · 29/08/2023 09:01

In a nutshell, @Toooldtoworry .
What this is about is the use of a derogatory, ageist and often misogynist term in order to blame one age group for the ills in society.
Every generation has it's own challenges. We are all human and some are more privileged than others. All we can do is try our best to improve our current situation.
My point is about offensive threads, slagging off so called "boomers". These are the very opposite of constructive discussions, and need to stop.

Agree

Original poster

Maireas · 29/08/2023 09:05

Ageism and vitriol are never justified.
I don't recall me and my friends blaming our parents for the Cold War, high inflation or the Winter of Discontent. Somewhat simplistic.

OP posts:

BellaBellla · 29/08/2023 09:06

BellaBellla · 28/08/2023 22:45

I think established. Don't think I saw the thread you're referring to but I stupidly showed up to one over the weekend and there was a poster on there who had clearly name changed because her writing style was so recognisable - been on here a long time turning up on every thread that presents her with the opportunity to have a go at the elderly, whether it's their paid-off mortgages, bed blocking, being kept alive longer than they should (yes seriously!!), not moving out their own homes (because they have one bedroom too many) or accepting a helping hand so they can turn the heating on. It's really shocking to witness tbqh and it's not even casual ageism either, it's very deliberate.

I'm Gen-X but do have elderly parents dealing with numerous health issues (who have spent their lives showing compassion and help towards young people) and I'm genuinely raging at the ageism on here on their behalf. They'd be devastated if they thought so many young women begrudged them their home, their measly fuel allowance and unfortunately at times, hospital bed.

Show quote history

And as sure as night follows day, she's turned up.

Mischance · 29/08/2023 09:07

Maireas · 28/08/2023 20:55

I do wonder what they think we were doing when we were on the front line of feminism, campaigning against nuclear proliferation, against homophobia, fighting for equality in the workplace, for women's refuges, for women's voices about assault and harassment to be heard. Nothing landed in our laps as they continually like to claim.

Hear hear! Young women now are reaping the rewards of our efforts to foster their equality but we now should be put out to pasture, preferably living in something very small., and not draining the economy with our pensions.

There were things that were easier for us ... good student financial support for one ... but there were indeed huge challenges, including astronomic interest rates and the absence of child care when needed.

For balance, there are women on this site who clearly love and respect their parents and value what they have given to them. I hope they will call out ageism when they see it here.

Original poster

Maireas · 29/08/2023 09:07

You're spot on, @BellaBellla .

OP posts:

Original poster

Maireas · 29/08/2023 09:11

Very true, @Mischance .
In fact, the offensive "boomer" thread had many posts challenging the vitriolic accusations and offensive stereotypes.

OP posts:

TheLongGloriesOfTheWinterMoon · 29/08/2023 09:11

@5pot6pot7potmore

Still posting that video?

How many times is it now?

TheLongGloriesOfTheWinterMoon · 29/08/2023 09:13

PS do you still think leaded petrol has turned older people into sociopaths? @5pot6pot7potmore

5pot6pot7potmore · 29/08/2023 09:14

I think this is only the second time. Might be the third. I don't keep a record.

Don't shoot the messenger!

5pot6pot7potmore · 29/08/2023 09:14

Definitely.

justasking111 · 29/08/2023 09:17

My first job the boss was handsy with the young girls. I complained and was sacked.

This year our council haven't opened any of the paddling pools citing contractors pulled out, couldn't get the paint. Contractors and paint specialists came forward we fought it for months, the council and councillors were chased daily.

The result the pools didn't open. We were wasting our breath.

We've had over 100000 signatures on petitions for various things in Wales debated in the senedd. Result from the speaker. "Motion has been noted"

We can't change anything these days.

C8H10N4O2 · 29/08/2023 09:19

WarOnTheSlugs · 29/08/2023 02:51

I don't know how you can possibly assert that a generation "pulled up the bridge" when it was nothing to do with us, and when we have children and grandchildren whom we would wish to be treated equally!

What on earth were we supposed to do?!!

Vote for different politicians? Pressure for different policies? Not keep supporting politicians who sold off all the national infrastructure and gold and fucked the economy and implemented extortionate student loans and abolished grammar schools and did nothing about our energy security, spaffed all the money from North Sea oil, sold all the Council houses, and knew damn well that as a large cohort with growing life expentancy there was no way the state could afford to fund your pensions and healthcare through a ponzi scheme but did nothing to pressure politicians to fix that even though it was foreseen for several decades?

Hate to burst your bubble but the majority voting group in this era wasn't boomers it was the "greatest generation".

The boomers were the primary recipients of the inter generational unemployment and recession triggered by some of the policies.

Yet again, what should be a class based analysis is hidden away by a soundbite variation on identity politics.

ThroughThickAndThin01 · 29/08/2023 09:19

TheLongGloriesOfTheWinterMoon · 29/08/2023 09:13

PS do you still think leaded petrol has turned older people into sociopaths? @5pot6pot7potmore

Really 5pot? Any more conspiracy theories?

C8H10N4O2 · 29/08/2023 09:24

BIWI · 28/08/2023 21:10

I've made three reports in the last couple of days, which have been ignored by MNHQ. Or rather, I've had acknowledgement of my reports, but absolutely nothing back from MNHQ about them.

Ageism is clearly acceptable here.

I had the same experience on the "evil grandparents" thread. Reported a post which had zero content on the subject, it was solely a casual bit of ageism. - the post describing an entire generation as selfish fuckers is still there.

However its not just on age (at both ends) I've had this. I've had the same experience reporting casual racism, sexism, abelism at different times - its the inconsistency which makes no sense. Similar posts do get removed on other threads. Challenge it on the thread and you are accused of troll hunting.

I accept there needs to be some mod discretion but some of the responses make me wonder what those guidelines actually say on the mod side.

DinnaeFashYersel · 29/08/2023 09:24

@mnhq what action are you taking to address ageism on MN. Its everywhere and now taking over this thread too?

ilovesooty · 29/08/2023 09:25

I've reported an ageist post on another thread this morning and had confirmation within 10 minutes that it had been removed.