this post was submitted on 21 Apr 2024
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No Stupid Questions

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what the heck is a pensioner in the UK and why are they the butt of so many jokes ? (lemmy.world)
submitted 7 months ago by yokonzo@lemmy.world to c/nostupidquestions@lemmy.world
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[–] moon@lemmy.ml 57 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (2 children)

Why are they the butt of so many jokes?

A little bit of ageism, but also it feels like they're fair game since their vote is the most sought after and politicians bend over backwards to keep them happy.

It's great that we take care of our elders, but when they get Triple lock pensions guaranteed by both parties while young people are saddled with increasingly higher student loan debts and higher rents/mortgages, resentments build up. They have in many ways voted to fuck the country and youth over the years as well. So it feels more like punching up than punching down

[–] themadcodger@kbin.earth 29 points 7 months ago

Makes me feel slightly better knowing that we're not the only ones getting actively screwed over by the older folks.

Fuck Reagan and Fuck Thatcher.

[–] DessertStorms@kbin.social 4 points 7 months ago (1 children)

It’s great that we take care of our elders

You mean of our rich people.

Because the government treats our non-rich elders like shit, just like the rest of us, there are over 2 million pensionaries living in poverty in the UK (and many more millions just shy of it who don't make the statistics but are still struggling):

https://ageing-better.org.uk/news/50-years-progress-against-pensioner-poverty-under-threat-state-ageing

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/apr/16/nearly-1m-uk-pensioners-deprivation-official-figures

Yes, there are probably more rich people who are pensionaries than other generations, because they had a significantly easier economy to navigate, and of course more time to accumulate wealth, but don't confuse that class divide with the divisive propaganda spread to maintain a generational divide to keep us from joining forces against those who have and continue to exploit us (the general population, of all ages, back when the pensionaries were young, and still now).

[–] moon@lemmy.ml 1 points 7 months ago

I agree that we need class consciousness and to unite the working class across the generations, but age is still a dividing line for Tory and Labour voters.

The majority of people over 60 voted for Conservatives in the 2019 election. It was 57% Conservative for those aged 60-69, and 67% for those over 70. Age is still a predictor of how Conservative people vote, so the generation divide isn't just propaganda. And young people know this from their lived experiences.

I will say that it's not the elderly's fault. All of the media that caters to them is Conservative-leaning at best, and full-on Far-Right at worst. We won't change anything in the country until we shut down the bullshit that pollutes the airwaves, newspapers and social media

[–] MNByChoice@midwest.social 44 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Retired people. -source old American waiting to be corrected

[–] ABCDE@lemmy.world 19 points 7 months ago

You're correct, an OAP is someone retired. I'm not sure about the joke part, I don't think I've ever noticed it.

[–] Kolanaki@yiffit.net 20 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

Someone who is retired and now collects social security (or their equivalent of it anyway). We use that term here sometimes, too, though it is less common now than "retiree." As for being the butt of jokes: think like "ok, boomer." And just that old people are easy targets for jokes.

[–] TheBananaKing@lemmy.world 18 points 7 months ago (2 children)

Old people. Cantankerous, poor old people on welfare - think Abe Simpson, but living alone.

'Retired' suggests a reasonable nest-egg of savings or superannuation to live on, and has a whiff of golf about it.

'Pensioner' on the other hand suggests skating the poverty line, and has old-people smell.

[–] I_Fart_Glitter@lemmy.world 6 points 7 months ago

"On a fixed income!!" is the American equivalent.

[–] Kushan@lemmy.world 5 points 7 months ago

However, they usually own the house they live in, so don't quite get sympathy from younger folks who are struggling just as much and can't even get on the property ladder.

(Yes there's exceptions to both sides and would you believe it, the truth is somewhat more nuanced).

[–] christophski 16 points 7 months ago

Somebody that has retired and is living off their pension: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pension

[–] leraje@lemmy.blahaj.zone 14 points 7 months ago

Pensioner is short for OAP (Old Age Pensioner), so called because they are retired and eligible for the state pension.

Can't recall them being the butt of a lot of jokes though.

[–] Noel_Skum@sh.itjust.works 10 points 7 months ago

When someone stops working due to seniority of years and begins claiming pension money - either private or state. “Pensioner” then becomes informal shorthand for any old retired person up until they die. Old people = funny. (Apparently)

[–] jeffw@lemmy.world 8 points 7 months ago (1 children)

We have pensioners in the US too. Idk where you’re from but I thought pensions exist in every developed nation

[–] grue@lemmy.world 11 points 7 months ago (2 children)

The difference is that in the US "pension" refers only to a defined-benefit retirement payment issued by a former employer, whereas in other countries the definition also includes payments from the state (the equivalent of Social Security).

[–] cobysev@lemmy.world 2 points 7 months ago

In the US, pensions have almost completely gone away, in favor of 401K programs. A pension is (typically) a monthly fixed income given by your former employer for the rest of your life upon retiring from a career.

The 401K program is more like a retirement savings account; you contribute a portion of your paycheck toward it each month and your employer will match your contribution up to a certain pre-designated amount. Whatever money is in that account becomes your own personal "pension" that you live off of after you reach retirement age. Instead of your employer putting aside money to pay retired employees, now you're responsible for setting aside that money yourself, with a little extra contribution from your company.

Employers prefer the 401K program because they invest a little extra money into you initially, but then they don't have to pay out a pension for the rest of a former employee's life. So they save money in the long run. Meanwhile, your retirement depends on you being fiscally responsible early in your career instead of expecting a fixed income to cover you later in life.

[–] HobbitFoot@thelemmy.club 1 points 7 months ago

People in the USA would likely describe it as being on Social Security, likely with some supplement as Social Security only pays for cat food and a van down by the river.

[–] Mouselemming@sh.itjust.works 3 points 7 months ago

Just gonna hop in here and give a shout-out to "One Foot In the Grave." In the US it's on BritBox.

[–] muculent@lemmy.world 2 points 7 months ago

For additional educational material on pensioners I suggest Still Game: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiacTaYXyRfxMFMOGl6KRLpA6y11JFKZ4

[–] key@lemmy.keychat.org 2 points 7 months ago

A retiree. Aka boomer.

[–] AnarchistArtificer@slrpnk.net 1 points 7 months ago

Something I haven't seen mentioned here yet is that a good chunk of the beef isn't necessarily caused by old age pensioners themselves, but the perception that they are the demographic who the Conservative government (and by extension, Labour, who seem to have lost all originality and soul of their own) are attempting to court.

Others have highlighted part of why this perception exists, such as the triple lock pensions, or the fact that older people are more likely to own property, but also there's a heck ton of Tory policies that are harmful to many older people too. I think that most of the Tory pals are probably older, but also that they're a small fraction of the whole demographic.

My opinion is that this perception that the Tories favour pensioners is greater than the degree to which they actually do. I don't have any sources for that though, this part is vibes based speculation from a UK leftist.