Thanks. And like I want to be very clear here, I do think that the “ok boomer” statement is ok speaking as someone who has seriously considered all of this. It’s not cool as a response to every old person, but when the elderly are behaving in ways that fit with the legitimate grievances that us younger people have and it’s clear that they’re not going to listen it’s ok to brush them off. Baby boomers in particular are targeted because they as a generation lived in a profoundly unique position. Their parents and grandparents both got decimated in world wars and then they were just a fucking massive population spike who lived in about the most financially rewarding time to live (at least in my country). They have been leveraging these facts their whole lives and were prioritized as a generation for that entire time. As they begin their descent into the cruel fate that awaits only the lucky among all of us we do not owe them priority. We owe them dignity in their twilight years and kindness as we can, but we can brush them off as they get on their bullshit.
I appreciate the fact that people are talking about ageism more, both because I’m a long standing disability activist, but also because there is a form of ageism that I’m very concerned with and think is underacknowledged: ageism against the young, which I think is an increasingly concerning issue, especially as their voices and bodily autonomy are being increasingly politicized by governments they can’t serve in and many can’t vote on.
Finally, some actual argumentation. Enough to convince me, at least - specially the first paragraph.
Thanks. And like I want to be very clear here, I do think that the “ok boomer” statement is ok speaking as someone who has seriously considered all of this. It’s not cool as a response to every old person, but when the elderly are behaving in ways that fit with the legitimate grievances that us younger people have and it’s clear that they’re not going to listen it’s ok to brush them off. Baby boomers in particular are targeted because they as a generation lived in a profoundly unique position. Their parents and grandparents both got decimated in world wars and then they were just a fucking massive population spike who lived in about the most financially rewarding time to live (at least in my country). They have been leveraging these facts their whole lives and were prioritized as a generation for that entire time. As they begin their descent into the cruel fate that awaits only the lucky among all of us we do not owe them priority. We owe them dignity in their twilight years and kindness as we can, but we can brush them off as they get on their bullshit.
I appreciate the fact that people are talking about ageism more, both because I’m a long standing disability activist, but also because there is a form of ageism that I’m very concerned with and think is underacknowledged: ageism against the young, which I think is an increasingly concerning issue, especially as their voices and bodily autonomy are being increasingly politicized by governments they can’t serve in and many can’t vote on.