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Green MP Ricardo Menéndez-March was announced yesterday as the party’s spokesperson for the elderly, and was quickly criticized on social media for stating that he was ready to ask the elderly “are you okay, boom?”
The comment was made in reference to Chloe Swarbrick’s infamous exchange with House National Rep. Todd Muller, in which she told him “Ok boomer” after he interrupted her speech on the zero carbon amendment bill.
In the same post, Menéndez-March pointed out the amount of social support older people receive.
“Grants for difficult living conditions for the elderly have increased in recent years, with growing inequalities for our Migrants, Pasifika and elderly Maori.
“Everyone deserves to age with dignity,” said his post.
Menéndez-March continued the message, saying: “Grants for difficult living conditions for older people have increased in recent years, with growing inequalities for our migrant, Pasifika and Maori older people. Everyone deserves to age with dignity.
“Boomer” is short for baby boom, the term used for the generation born between 1946 and 1964. That generation is now between 56 and 74 years old.
When asked about Menendez-March’s comment, Verrall said MPs were responsible for their own remarks.
He did not say whether he would use the phrase, but added that “the important thing is to be respectful to everyone in our community.”
Reporters asked Verrall if older people are difficult to handle.
“When you look at the situation of people within a larger group, you will find people who need to be worthy of compassion and that is the way we must make sure that we see all the people in our community,” he said.
Menéndez-March said the word ‘boom’ described an age group in the same way that millennials do.
“The conversation that I’m here to have is the reality that, once again, while there is a generational wealth gap … there are still inequalities between people in the baby boom generation and we must face that and work towards having a policy to solve it. “
There needs to be a conversation about why people don’t like the phrase “boom,” Menéndez-March said.
“If people are uncomfortable being identified as being part of an age group, I think that’s a conversation we should have about why the term baby boomers has suddenly become an insult to some people and not a term like Millennial or Generation X. “
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