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The american expression "senior citizens" as a euphemism for "old people" disenfranchises non-citizens (lemmy.blahaj.zone)
submitted 3 months ago by FundMECFSResearch@lemmy.blahaj.zone to c/showerthoughts@lemmy.world
12 comments fedilink hide all child comments

The expression would make sense if used when you genuinely mean someone who has citizenship, but its current usage is just a synonym to “elderly folk”.

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[-] givesomefucks@lemmy.world 31 points 3 months ago

Someday OP....

Someday you'll learn that some words have different meanings in different contexts...

[-] Rhynoplaz@lemmy.world 19 points 3 months ago

Which reminds me, why don't more people refer to Elon Musk as an African American?

[-] 30p87@feddit.org 2 points 3 months ago

Because that would imply that it's a human.

[-] gravitas_deficiency@sh.itjust.works 18 points 3 months ago

This whole borrowed/discovered outrage at normal terms from people who aren’t even the subject of the supposed slight (in combination with people who ARE the subject, and ARE NOT offended) is so tiresome.

[-] all-knight-party@fedia.io 8 points 3 months ago

I don't usually hear people referring generally to senior citizens in other countries though, and even if they did, wouldn't they still be senior citizens, just citizens of their respective country instead of America?

[-] algorithmae@lemmy.sdf.org 6 points 3 months ago

Definition 2 of Citizen from Merriam-Webster:

an inhabitant of a city or town especially : one entitled to the rights and privileges of a freeman

The term is used out of respect, not out of nationalism.

this post was submitted on 16 Aug 2024
-34 points (24.2% liked)

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