A CALL in Britain for the word "pensioner" to be banned and replaced with a better name has prompted several organisations representing older people to offer a few suggestions of their own. Norwich Union claimed "pensioner" was an outdated term and challenged the public to come up with something better.
Research apparently showed that two out of five people associated the word "pensioner" with grumbling Victor Meldrew from the BBC show One Foot in the Grave, while one in four people associated it with boredom, Norwich said.
With more and more people now retiring early and many older people leading very active lives, the p-word "fails Britain's new breed of dynamic retirees", said a Norwich Union spokesman.
When it came to alternatives to "pensioner", some opted for "older people - arguing it was accurate and quite positive.
"Seniors" is used quite a lot in the US and "elders" was another suggestion. The Margin, however, prefers two of the more imaginative suggestions - "third ager" and "recycled teenager".
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