4 ms·

Is there some reason Boomer isn't yet seen as offensive as a racist word? Your comment isn't the worst, but the word is usually used as a placeholder for some

Is there some reason Boomer isn't yet seen as offensive as a racist word? Your comment isn't the worst, but the word is usually used as a placeholder for some bigoted stereotype against someone retired. Disclosure: I'm not a boomer and the word is not used much in New Zealand.

bc569a80a344f9c 2y ago
I mean, one reason is that no one has ever shouted “boomer” in a hateful voice while lynching someone for looking their way wrong. We could also talk about how it’s usually not just used as an ageist slur but to describe a state of mind - if you ask the kids there’s plenty of old people who aren’t boomers - but saying it’s as offensive as being racist is completely inappropriate. To sort of quote the comedian John Mulaney about the n-word, if one of the words is one you can’t say and have to use “the n-word” to describe it, that’s the bad word.
- TeMPOraL 2y ago
  > no one has ever shouted “boomer” in a hateful voice while lynching someone for looking their way wrong. That "while lynching" part is doing all the work here.
  - flappyeagle 2y ago
    As it should? Mexican or Chinese or Old or Gay are not bad word but they have been and continue to be shouted in hateful ways
HeatrayEnjoyer 2y ago
...really? https://i.redd.it/kb6r6ajwk3pc1.jpeg https://i.redd.it/kb6r6ajwk3pc1.jpeg
ethbr1 2y ago
It's definitely a lazy slur, in the same way that "problematic" is a lazy complaint. Why reach for a vague zeitgeist term that everyone knows, but no one has a precise definition for, instead of taking the time to use a specific word?
deleted 2y ago
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drdeca 2y ago
The popular culture is less concerned about ageism than racism. (Also, like, there are clear biological differences by age, which are sometimes relevant, while the concept of race is a mistake. It seems understandable that people would be less concerned by ageism than by racism. Also, people who live long enough will experience the different age brackets themselves, which puts a natural limiting pressure on how badly people are likely to treat others based on their age. I imagine people would be less likely to hate people of “race” M if they knew that in a few years they themselves would be of “race” M, while the people that currently are would not be.)

bc569a80a344f9c 2y ago

I mean, one reason is that no one has ever shouted “boomer” in a hateful voice while lynching someone for looking their way wrong. We could also talk about how it’s usually not just used as an ageist slur but to describe a state of mind - if you ask the kids there’s plenty of old people who aren’t boomers - but saying it’s as offensive as being racist is completely inappropriate. To sort of quote the comedian John Mulaney about the n-word, if one of the words is one you can’t say and have to use “the n-word” to describe it, that’s the bad word.

TeMPOraL 2y ago
> no one has ever shouted “boomer” in a hateful voice while lynching someone for looking their way wrong. That "while lynching" part is doing all the work here.
- flappyeagle 2y ago
  As it should? Mexican or Chinese or Old or Gay are not bad word but they have been and continue to be shouted in hateful ways

HeatrayEnjoyer 2y ago

...really? https://i.redd.it/kb6r6ajwk3pc1.jpeg https://i.redd.it/kb6r6ajwk3pc1.jpeg

ethbr1 2y ago

It's definitely a lazy slur, in the same way that "problematic" is a lazy complaint. Why reach for a vague zeitgeist term that everyone knows, but no one has a precise definition for, instead of taking the time to use a specific word?

deleted 2y ago

[deleted]

drdeca 2y ago

The popular culture is less concerned about ageism than racism. (Also, like, there are clear biological differences by age, which are sometimes relevant, while the concept of race is a mistake. It seems understandable that people would be less concerned by ageism than by racism. Also, people who live long enough will experience the different age brackets themselves, which puts a natural limiting pressure on how badly people are likely to treat others based on their age. I imagine people would be less likely to hate people of “race” M if they knew that in a few years they themselves would be of “race” M, while the people that currently are would not be.)