Okay, not okay.

Long ago and back in the day, one of my first creative hires in one of the first of the three agencies I’ve co-founded was fond of saying “it’s not the shots from in front that kill, it’s the knife from behind.”

He happened to be in his early 50s at the time, and like so many of the seasoned folks I’ve come to treasure since then, was highly talented, invaluably experienced, and generously wise.

All of which seems entirely on point in light of a fetid dingleberry of ageist putrefaction that floated into my inbox yesterday. The trigger: an email from Working Not Working, an online creative referral service that I’d previously considered pretty dialed in—having creatives’ backs as well as their interests at heart.

The subject was a report on a recent WNW survey assessing adland employee moods and ‘tudes. No spoiler alert needed: they aren’t exactly the happiest of munchkins.

But that isn’t what my long-ago employee/mentor would have said “has me seeing red.” This part of the email is:

“And while the fantasy of retiring from your post-grad dream job after a 40-year tenure filled with amazing colleagues, opportunities a-plenty, and big-time bonuses has gone the way of the Boomer…we do know what makes you happy.”

Ah yes, “the way of the Boomer.” Nothing like a turn of phrase that connects an entire generation to extinct reptiles and a flightless bird to make a whole swath of people happy. 

Memo to WNW: WTF?  And while you’re processing that, you might want to point some synapses in the direction of the biases that underpin the thought; tantamount to flipping off the segment that just might have the time-tested creativity it will take to rescue this industry’s sadly sagging butt.

Frankly, I doubt that the insensitivity was intentional, and expect that when I write to say so, they’ll express the standard pro forma regrets. But, like any “ism” or any DEI dismissal — no matter how offhandedly dropped— it’s less about the exact words used and far more what’s revealed about the person using them.  

Seems that Working Not Working is overdue for some work. On itself.

PS – I waited the Jewish mother’s requisite 24 hours  (greatest generation edition more likely than Boomer) before saying anything. Still pissed.