When your adult child responds to something you’ve said with, “Ok Boomer” you probably don’t give it a second thought.

But doesn’t this gentle jibe contain elements of mockery and patronisation, dismissing what has been said by someone because of their age?

These two words seem to encompass the message that older people are presented with every day, based on the damaging stereotypes of ageing – incompetence, hostility, a burden on society, physical and mental decline, out of touch, forgetful, technologically inept etc

Being old is something to avoid!

Ageism is prejudice and discriminates against a group based on age.

Ham & High: Susan Critchlow says ageism promotes the exclusion of old people from societySusan Critchlow says ageism promotes the exclusion of old people from society (Image: HPAG)

Applied to older people it promotes their exclusion from society and encourages self-exclusion through the internalisation of negative ideas and images of ageing. “I’m too old to wear these clothes, go to these places, take part in these activities”.

It affects self-esteem, well-being and confidence and is arguably one of the last socially acceptable prejudices.

As with all -isms, language plays a significant role in challenging or reinforcing negative stereotypes. The words and phrases we choose can unconsciously reflect societal biases. Terms like senile, old dear, demented, geezer, old school and senior moments are used to shut down the political and social opinions of older people.

Linguistic ageism is rife in the media - and on social media. The ageing population is a ‘grey tsunami’ with no acknowledgement of the range of capacities and contributions of older people and the diverse experiences of ageing.

This worsened in the pandemic where older people were seen as a homogenous group characterised by fragility, vulnerability, ill health and decline. The term ‘Boomer remover’ trended on Twitter as a nickname for Covid-19, appearing in over 65,000 tweets by March 2020.

To dismantle ageism, it is crucial to be aware of the language we use.

Avoid generalisations and recognise the diversity within age groups. Encourage inclusive language that respects all ages. Champion participation of older people in the media industry.

By consciously choosing words that promote respect and equality we can take a significant step towards eradicating age-based discrimination.

It is time to stop defining people by their age.