Ok Boomers and euthenasia

[Backinthecloset123]

I'm in NZ where a bill has just been passed to have a referendum on euthinasia/assisted dying. This will take place next year.

I have always been a firm advocate....until now. As one of the last baby boomers I'm aware that our numbers are starting to peak in elder care and resources, and will continue to peak for quite a few years.

My issue is, will euthenasia be embraced by the woke in a similar way that gender/queer/trans issues have?

Will, or could, many non boomers think of us boomers the same way they think of te*fs? (non rationally). Could it get out of hand as trans ideology has?

I'm blown away how quickly queer Theory entailed rationality went out the window, and can see the same possibly happening in other areas including assisted dying.

Strange times.

Considering how quickly ‘Boomer’ has become an insult, I’m worried you could be right.

www.spiked-online.com/2019/11/13/the-real-meaning-of-ok-boomer/

It's occurred to me in the past - I've always been very dubious euthanasia because of this thought.

The "ok boomer" insult that is everywhere at the moment just cements this.

I would be interested - in a nervous sort of way - to see what the generational vote breakdown is on this issue.

With the ageism I see, I'm' not sure I like the idea of a bunch of young people voting to help me on my way when i become a bit of an expense or an inconvenience or vote wrong, forgetting that I have paid my way through the decades and have seen more of life than they have.

The trouble with euthanasia is that everyone can quote the case where it is clearly dreadful for someone to be in inescapable pain longer than they should be, but it's difficult to bring in a national policy that doesn't put vulnerable people at risk of being killed rather than helped or protected.

Not in favour myself.

I don't get why people think boomers are elderly. I missed by 2 years and am only in my 50's.
Certainly no spring chicken, but not elderly.

Presumably it is euthanasia with consent and safeguards, not just 'you're old and a burden so we'll put you to sleep'?

I'm not a boomer but am very very keen on assisted dying for me when my time comes. I've had a pension my entire working life over 20 years and it's worth pittance pence. I don't want to be a burden to my children and I certainly don't want to sit in my house helpless waiting for rushed and underpaid carers coming once a day to wipe me and give me a microwave meal. As soon as I'm no longer independent and enjoy life I'm off somehow. Would love it to be legal here before then.

Presumably it is euthanasia with consent and safeguards, not just 'you're old and a burden so we'll put you to sleep'?

*Presumably it is hormones, puberty blockers, and surgery with consent and safeguards, not just "you're maybe a lesbian and mentally unwell so we'll trans you."

I'm not against assisted dying per se, just the wildfire spread of ideologies. There has already been cases in Finland (I think) where there has been concerns around the euthinasion of severely demented patients.

I'm not convinced that is a valid parallel.

Though the concern regarding people being coerced into saying they want to die is the reason it isn't valid here.

As with the encroachment of other totalitarianist ideologies (fighting words I know, but this is honestly how I view it), we will see increasing distrust and hostility towards the older generations.

You are right to be concerned:

A recent study found that in the Flemish part of Belgium, 66 of 208 cases of “euthanasia” (32%) occurred in the absence of request or consent. The reasons for not discussing the decision to end the person’s life and not obtaining consent were that patients were comatose (70% of cases) or had dementia (21% of cases). In 17% of cases, the physicians proceeded without consent because they felt that euthanasia was “clearly in the patient’s best interest” and, in 8% of cases, that discussing it with the patient would have been harmful to that patient. Those findings accord with the results of a previous study in which 25 of 1644 non-sudden deaths had been the result of euthanasia without explicit consent.

(From Legalizing euthanasia or assisted suicide: the illusion of safeguards and controls
J. Pereira, MBChB MSc)

It seems that once you legalise euthanasia it becomes a problem to stop doctors thinking they can decide when it's in their patients best interest to die.

To be fair I don't think there's anything new about ridiculing your parents' generation. I'm a boomer and we were incredibly disrepectful about the older generation when young - and our parents were fucking war heroes.

What does feel different though is this time we've also got people who really should be old enough to know better cheering it on. (Alice Thompson in the Times today.)

I still support the idea of assisted dying with consent and safeguards but yeah, it is a bit concerning.

Bloody hell. What lengths will people go to, to crowbar a trans argument in?

The two are entirely unrelated.

I'm one of the tail end of the baby boomers. I do agree with assisted dying. But my opinion my well be inlfuenced by the fact I work with dementia patients. It's brital for the patient and the family.
All generations are rude and rolly eyed at the parents/grandparents generation. You don't actually "get" your older relatives until you are older.
Youth is wasted on the young.

Oh hell my spelling has gone to the dogs. sorry about that.

You so realise that "ok boomer" is a backlash against several years of derision about millennials don't you? Also the majority of millennials and gen X people I know don't genuinely believe men can become women or that they should be in female safe spaces.

The thing that amuses me about the ok boomer comment is how utterly immature is.
It's only used by people incapable of making their own case who think being rude and ageist passes for wit. Most of the time that I've seen it used, it hasn't even been at boomers, just people they disagree with.
I never thought about the parallels of euthanasia with the trans movement.
I've always been supportive of the right to die, given that strict safety and protective protocols are put in place.
This is mostly due to seeing family members going through horrible terminal illnesses, and knowing that if I were in their place, I would prefer to choose to go earlier and with less pain, and I'd want my loved ones to have that choice too.
Your post has really made me think about it, OP. I guess I've trusted that if precautions and legislation were put in place, then it would be sensible.
But now we're seeing children being put on drugs that are likely to severely affect their health for life, or even have surgery, some as young as 13 in the States when it comes to masectomies. There seems to be very little oversight and it's being carried out by people who are almost religious in their belief in its righteousness.
And if those same people transfer that same fervour and lack of oversight or medical need to the euthanasia movement? I can easily see them fighting for the right to 'do what's right' and projecting those beliefs onto elderly or vulnerable relatives.

This film by a Canadian filmmaker looks interesting - not worked out how to see it yet.
fatalflawsfilm.com/
www.facebook.com/fatalflawsfilm/

Bloody hell op that's terrifying
People who don't see the parallel - were talking about the suspension of what most would consider common sense and decency.

in 8% of cases, that discussing it with the patient would have been harmful to that patient.

WTAF isn’t killing them against their will aka murder (!!!) harming them??

Alright ladies, I'm officially denouncing this account as a fake/'troll' account in order to educate you lot about the boomer meme.

In the current internet climate, a boomer is not always directed at a baby boomer, we agree most are cool and chill, however those who complain about new trends which if they had back in their youths, they would 100% use too (iPhones, computers, applying to jobs online, ect.) this is where they become the 'victim' of an ok boomer. This has come out of years of boomers slagging off millennials like me for using resources given to us.

So to end this, ok boomer.

To be fair I don't think there's anything new about ridiculing your parents' generation. I'm a boomer and we were incredibly disrepectful about the older generation when young - and our parents were fucking war heroes.

I've been concerned about the 'boomer' insults, and I actually thought it was the opposite - that this generation was the first one to despise the older generations so much that they want to overthrow us all? But, I'm only an 'older Millenial' myself so this is my first decade of 'not being a young person' so I'm not sure.

I know when I was at school (queue Hovis music), we actually really liked the older generation. I remember a lot of teachers being thought of as 'cool' and there was a real vibe of looking up to older people. That was just my experience in my school though, so I can't speak for everyone.

I have definitely noticed the connection between the insults boomer and terf - they usually call gender critical men boomer and gc women terfs.

It all feels like a massive youth cult to me. They've been manipulated and told we are all bad, wrong and evil and they know better than us.

There was an advert that came up recently on instagram with this feel to it. I was going to make a post about it but wondered whether I was reaching. I just have a bad feeling about it all. In the advert, a teenage girl hangs up on her father who is telling her she isn't allowed to go on holiday. She declares that actually she can and hangs up triumphantly. So basically, a minor is being encouraged to go away without parental consent, from a charity/organisation that organise sort of youth volunteering trips from what I understand.

The whole ad campaign is about how 'boomers' are basically rubbish outdated people to be ignored and ridiculed and how the youth knows best. Not good nor actually helpful to young people, who need to learn critical thinking skills not be brainwashed.

Oh, it looks like we've all been told. End of discussion apparently!

I was very much in favour of assisted dying until relatively recently. In (IIRC) the Netherlands and Belgium assisted suicide is allowed not just for people with physical illnesses but for people with mental illnesses who feel their suffering is more than they can bear. Then I read an article which said that women vastly outnumbered men among those seeking doctor-assisted suicide for reasons of depression.

We're in another situation where rather than women's mental health issues (many of which probably stem from living in a world where male violence is ubiquitous and women are much more likely to suffer poverty), instead of being treated, are used as an excuse for abuses by the medical profession (encouraging sterilisation among young women with gender dysphoria, encouraging suicide among older women with depression).

I've done something of a u-turn, because I'm not sure how you build in adequate safeguards.

Slightly off topic, but if anyone throws ‘OK boomer’ at me, I respond with ‘OK groomer’
Childish, but makes me feel better