What really offends me these days is everyone taking offence
When I read that the expression ‘ back in the day’ was now considered beyond the pale, I thought to myself: About time, too. It’s a horrible Americanism which has crossed the pond and wormed its way into our own, original version of the english language.
What does it mean? Which particular ‘day’? What’s wrong with ‘in the 1970s’ or ‘once upon a time’ for that matter?
Same goes for ‘issues’ instead of good, old-fashioned ‘problems’, ‘train station’ for ‘railway station’ and ‘delivery’ in the political sense, not a bloke in a white van turning up with a package from Amazon or a leg cutter from the Pavilion end.
Look, I know english is a universal language, constantly evolving, and I’m not averse to the odd bit of transatlantic slang myself. It’s just that ‘ back in the day’ is a particular bugbear of mine, often used in a derisory way to demonise opinions which were once commonplace and non-controversial.
Then I read the story again. Turns out the offending expression isn’t ‘back in the day’, it’s ‘back in your day’.
A judge at an industrial tribunal has ruled that, in certain circumstances, ‘back in your day’ may amount to age discrimination.
The case had been brought by nursing assistant Margaret Couperthwaite, who is ‘in her 60s’ and alleged age-related harassment and unfair dismissal against her employer, a care home in Kent. We’re not told whereabouts in her 60s she happens to be, although you might have thought it was relevant.
She complained that the use of the expression by a younger colleague amounted to ‘bullying and harassment on grounds of age’ in breach of the equality Act 2010.
There was more to it than that, admittedly. The tribunal rejected her claim after the care home said she was sacked for not wearing a mask and PPE when visiting an elderly patient.
BUT the judge felt it necessary to stress that ‘back in your day’ was ‘ barbed and unwelcome’ and could be seen as ‘unwanted conduct’. The argument it amounted to age discrimination ‘was likely’ to be accepted in future cases.
For the record, I’m not denying that employers prefer younger staff and millennials and Gen Zers can be condescending towards Boomers — an Americanism I am happy to embrace, being one myself
even over-50s suffer discrimination in the jobs market. If I’d ever had a proper job, I’d have been on the scrapheap years ago. That’s no excuse, however, for sixtysomething snowflakery.
Back in the day, as they say, Ms Couperthwaite’s claim would have been laughed out of court. Sticks and stones and all that.
Back in my day, we were brought up to shrug off insults. If I had a pound for every time I’d been introduced to someone who said: ‘Where’s Robin hood, then?’ I’d be richer than elon Musk
Same goes for ‘Littlebrain’ and ‘Littledick’. heard it all before. Duck’s back stuff.
Apparently, ‘elderly’ doesn’t kick in until 74 these days, so I’ve got a few short years left before I’m reduced to a dribbling wreck, even though when I look in the mirror I don’t see my dad staring back, I see my grandad.
I’m not easily offended, but what does offend me is everyone taking offence over everything these days. We are constantly being infantilised and silenced to protect modern sensibilities.
even Terry And June comes with a trigger warning. The only problem — sorry ‘issue’ — I ever had with Terry And June wasn’t that it was offensive, or even anodyne, it simply wasn’t funny.
Why the hell does every programme on Talking Pictures, the channel which predominantly broadcasts old movies and TV shows from the 1960s and 1970s, have to be preceded by a warning that some of the content may reflect outdated language and attitudes? Surely that’s the whole point of it.
Who on earth do they think is watching re-runs of Dixon Of Dock Green and The Brothers?
You can hazard a guess by the adverts for mobility scooters and incontinence aids. ‘ Oi, Doris. That Ted hammond off The Brothers has just lit another cigarette and polished off a second bottle of scotch. And he’s chatting up the woman in the next office. Quick, get Ofcom on the phone immediately!’
Still, back to age discrimination, employers may be chasing the wrong kind of workforce.
A new report from nottingham Trent University has revealed that older people’s brain function continues to improve with age, while intelligence levels in younger generations stalled around the year 2000.
how long before a soppy millennial brings an industrial tribunal claim for age discrimination alleging that they have been passed over for promotion in favour of a colleague in their 60s?
Back in the day . . .