we have a high bar for deletion when it comes to widely accepted and used language - for example, snowflakes, old biddies,
’snowflake’ describes behaviour , that can be attributed to anyone young, old, black, white, able bodied, ND, gay, straight… and behaviour that can be adopted or dropped by choice.
‘old biddies’ is derogatory, designed to dismiss older people, and specifically older women. Targeting their age and sex as the basis for the insult.
Of course it is ok to discuss the political, social and economic contexts in which generations grew up and it is not intrinsically ageist to do so.
But as happens when people are squeezed in-fighting starts. Who gets targeted? Immigrants / women / people with more than two kids etc etc depending on the latest sensational headlines.
Ageist insults help feed the current target de jour: pensioners.
Just because unthinking ageism is built into everyday language doesn’t make it ok. We worked to raise our thinking around other lazy ‘ isms ‘.