Stop blaming Pensioners

Doodledog

Casdon

It’s par for the course though, haven’t you heard of Lazy and Entitled Millennials? Insulting other generations is the norm for whatever reason - and it happens on Gransnet too, not just on Mumsnet, how many times do you see on here ‘it was harder for us when we were young’?

Of course I’ve heard it, but I don’t use it . In fact I defend younger generations on here (and elsewhere). I think they have a raw deal on the whole.

I also think that crass generalisations based on age are facile and divisive. They take no account of sex, class, health, geography, inheritance or all the other things that contribute to inequality. Generational differences exist, but it is the government who has built them into the divisive force they are now.

I agree, it annoys me when anybody makes sweeping generalisations about other groups of people whoever they are.

B9Exchange. Totally agree with your comments.

Casdon

It’s par for the course though, haven’t you heard of Lazy and Entitled Millennials? Insulting other generations is the norm for whatever reason - and it happens on Gransnet too, not just on Mumsnet, how many times do you see on here ‘it was harder for us when we were young’?

Of course I’ve heard it, but I don’t use it . In fact I defend younger generations on here (and elsewhere). I think they have a raw deal on the whole.

I also think that crass generalisations based on age are facile and divisive. They take no account of sex, class, health, geography, inheritance or all the other things that contribute to inequality. Generational differences exist, but it is the government who has built them into the divisive force they are now.

Agree absolutely. We worked hard for everything, and didn't buy anything until we had saved up for it. No credit cards in those days!

Well said … shilly-shally 👍

That's it then Dickens I use Instagram for work and come here.

No Facebook for example and though I use Twitter/X I tend to read and not post there.

Doodledog

NotSpaghetti

Dickens - I repeat, have never seen it or heard "OK boomer" used.

Maybe I've never heard it because I've never been dismissive of other "generations"?

I have looked it up now and it seems it is used as a retort to condescension and put-downs - such as those delivered by a "boomer"^ on tiktok in 2019.

It has roots in Redfit and 4chan

I just asked my husband and he hasn't come across it either.... I will listen out for it now.

Here it is on Wikipedia for anyone interested:
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/OK_boomer

I’m not dismissive of other generations either but I have heard Ok, Boomer. It’s used like ‘Karen’ as a way of saying that anything you say will be written off as you are irrelevant. It’s never been used to me, but if you spend any time online you will see it a lot. It is used all the time on Mumsnet, although I think it now sometimes gets deleted when used as an insult, but not until after a lot of complaints.

Thank you Doodledog.

If you frequent social media sites - it's there.

Maybe the novelty of the phrase is wearing off but a few years back when I was on SM sites - discussing politics - and my age was relevant to the discussion, I've had it said to me.

On Facebook, which I no longer bother with, I've had people inspect my profile and have been called "an old hag", "silly old cow", and various other charming 'epitaphs'... mostly when I've been critical of right-wing government machinations.

A man also called me "glass jaw" - he had an obsession about pensioners who he believed had robbed all the young of their futures. No idea what he meant and I didn't bother to find out. When hatred and bigotry is so strong, you cannot reason with it so I don't even try, the most I ever do is give an eye-roll emoji.

No doubt if people have not engaged much on SM sites they will not have come across the 'OK Boomer' meme.

I agree Doodledog, but someone has decided it’s a good idea to instead create a rift between the generations, and to that end has put it about that we, the older generation, are a huge burden on society and the cause of many of the country’s problems. This has been interpreted by some as our greed, and insatiable sense of entitlement.

It is true that we cost the country a lot, and that there are a lot of us, and that there needs to be change but, as you say, the generations would be better off working together towards change.

It’s par for the course though, haven’t you heard of Lazy and Entitled Millennials? Insulting other generations is the norm for whatever reason - and it happens on Gransnet too, not just on Mumsnet, how many times do you see on here ‘it was harder for us when we were young’?

Yes, “ok Boomer” is the phrase I was thinking of. It’s intended as an insult and a put-down, not in its original sense.

I don’t think most people think that. Everyone I speak to knows how the system works. The problem is that there are more of us than there were older when we were young, and we live longer.

I doubt the complainers would prefer our life expectancies (and theirs with them) to decline though! Many people seem to have accepted that there will be no state pension in years to come though. They would be better off making it clear to governments that this would be entirely unacceptable, and fighting with us rather than against us.

When we were working we pensioners paid the State pensions of the generation preceding us. Now the working population pay our State pensions. What the young should realise is that they will have their State pensions paid by the next generation of workers! (Most people seem to think they are drawing a State pension from a fund they built up throughout their working lives: that is simply not true).

NotSpaghetti

Dickens - I repeat, have never seen it or heard "OK boomer" used.

Maybe I've never heard it because I've never been dismissive of other "generations"?

I have looked it up now and it seems it is used as a retort to condescension and put-downs - such as those delivered by a "boomer"^ on tiktok in 2019.

It has roots in Redfit and 4chan

I just asked my husband and he hasn't come across it either.... I will listen out for it now.

Here it is on Wikipedia for anyone interested:
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/OK_boomer

I’m not dismissive of other generations either but I have heard Ok, Boomer. It’s used like ‘Karen’ as a way of saying that anything you say will be written off as you are irrelevant. It’s never been used to me, but if you spend any time online you will see it a lot. It is used all the time on Mumsnet, although I think it now sometimes gets deleted when used as an insult, but not until after a lot of complaints.

Exactly Casdon - that's how I've seen "Boomer" used - and never "OK Boomer".

NotSpaghetti

Dickens - I repeat, have never seen it or heard "OK boomer" used.

Maybe I've never heard it because I've never been dismissive of other "generations"?

I have looked it up now and it seems it is used as a retort to condescension and put-downs - such as those delivered by a "boomer"^ on tiktok in 2019.

It has roots in Redfit and 4chan

I just asked my husband and he hasn't come across it either.... I will listen out for it now.

Here it is on Wikipedia for anyone interested:
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/OK_boomer

I thought all the generations had names, my brother is an X, my daughter is a Millennial, and my son is a Z. These are the living generations:

Greatest Generation: Born 1901-1924
Silent Generation: Born 1925-1945
Baby Boomers: Born 1946-1964
Generation X: Born 1965-1980
Millennials: Born 1981-1996
Generation Z: Born 1997-2012
Generation Alpha: Born 2013-2025

We do use them for chat groups here, I’m in ‘Three Boomers and an X’ for example. I’d never thought of Boomer being any more derogatory than any of the other generational group names.

paddyann54

Not just male pensioners Jane43 I worked and paid NI for 51 years ALMOST 52 .with the age change to 67 I had 4 years more that weren't counted .We counted what I'd paid and lost and together it was @£52 OOO .I never took maternity leave or stayed at home with children ,I took mine to work with me,my daughter was just 8 days old when she was in her pram beside my desk .MY choice,we were self employed and if we didn't work we didn't eat .I have a friend who didn't pay NI ever but insists she WILL get a full State pension .I'm not sure that she will as they have private pensions but she wont believe me

Apologies, I didn’t consider that the pension age for women was gradually raised to match the age of men’s retirement age.

Dickens - I repeat, have never seen it or heard "OK boomer" used.

Maybe I've never heard it because I've never been dismissive of other "generations"?

I have looked it up now and it seems it is used as a retort to condescension and put-downs - such as those delivered by a "boomer"^ on tiktok in 2019.

It has roots in Redfit and 4chan

I just asked my husband and he hasn't come across it either.... I will listen out for it now.

Here it is on Wikipedia for anyone interested:
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/OK_boomer

Delila

I hate to hear the insulting use of the the word “Boomers”. Do none of these critics have ageing parents?

Apparently a Boomer is somebody born between 1945 and 1965 so I’m not one as I was born in 1943. Apparently I am part of ‘the silent generation’, who knew?

Yesterday in whilst in my favourite coffee shop, I heard the two lovely young waitresses directing a couple of older customers to our community hub. They had heard them discussing when/whether to put the heating on and were concerned.
In real life real people all seem to want to help each other, that's what I find.
As for 'Boomers' I prefer to think of us as Bloomers because we do!

I saw that post too and was surprised that there was so much misinformation by some of those posting. I was teaching when I became pregnant, so I had to resign my post at the end of the Autumn term as the baby was due in March.I had no family allowance for her until she was 12 as there was no family allowance for a one child until 1975 .
I think we had different expectations. I did not have a washing machine until my daughter was 3, and that was a second hand one, we bought nothing until we could afford it and holidays were spent at grandparents.Now younger families expect homes to have everything from the start.
There was no mention that the pension in this country is one of the lowest in Europe or that any of the mumsnet posters knew exactly how much a person received from the state pension.

NotSpaghetti

I haven't seen ot heard "OK boomer" ever.
I haven't even seen "Boomer" used in an automatically derogatory way - though obviously have heard the word boomer used alongside Gen/generation X or whatever.

i.pinimg.com/originals/9b/fd/0d/9bfd0d2b189b918c80e05d21b667f4b4.jpg

I haven't seen ot heard "OK boomer" ever.
I haven't even seen "Boomer" used in an automatically derogatory way - though obviously have heard the word boomer used alongside Gen/generation X or whatever.

kittylester

I don't see boomer as a derogatory term. We were part of the baby boom post war. I am proud to be one.

I think it only fair that any available money is used for the good of all. We could manage without the winter fuel payment ( and free prescriptions, bus travel) and there are people who could really use the extra.

You may not see "boomer" as a derogatory term - but it's certainly used as a put-down.

There is a standard response from some of the younger generation when a comment is made on social media by a pensioner... "OK Boomer" - it is meant to be dismissive. Maybe you've not seen that?

We help our GC financially, and support them in every other way because we love them dearly. I'm sure most on GN would say the same - they have done what they can, just as we did for our children. Perhaps those griping on Mumsnet don't have that support, and have grumpy selfish Grandparents, so feel they have nothing to be grateful to them for. That said, we have both paid staggering amounts in tax and NI during our long working lives, and if I took the time to work it out I'm sure we would need to live to be 100 to break even. For the record we have never had a penny in benefits either.

Wouldn't disagree kitty. Just wonder how the boundaries would be set. Who is a ‘better off’ pensioner? Using pension credit could cause real hardship for the very manny ‘just managing’ folk. Making winter fuel payments taxable would even things a little. Could there be a way to easily and cost effectively opt out for people who are clear they don’t need or want additional payments? I assumed folk who didn’t want a bus pass simply wouldn’t apply for or use one. It’s not mandatory. Personally I don’t think anyone should have to pay for a prescription. I don’t know what the answer is but it’s definitely too simplistic to blame folk receiving state pension. As for Boomers. Offence or not for me comes with the context and tone.