OK Boomers, What Do You Think of "OK Boomer"?
11/13/2019
Among the popular movement-based phrases are "Black Lives Matter" and "#MeToo." Another one of late representing a different kind of "movement" is the phrase, "OK Boomer." As The New York Times reports:
“Ok boomer” has become Generation Z’s endlessly repeated retort to the problem of older people who just don’t get it, a rallying cry for millions of fed up kids. Teenagers use it to reply to cringey YouTube videos, Donald Trump tweets, and basically any person over 30 who says something condescending about young people — and the issues that matter to them.
OK, I get at least one of the motivations behind "OK Boomer." In the context of climate change, war, government corruption, inequality or any number of other burning issues, it seems legitimate for younger generations to scold Boomers for, well, mucking up the world we live in. It is difficult for the Boomer generation to deny its responsibility for some if not many of the world's ills. Furthermore, the notion of a younger generation ridiculing or disrespecting an older generation is something which has a certain familiarity, doesn't it? Isn't that the way we felt about our own parents as we were growing up, steeped in rebellion and protest? Now, it seems, we're getting some of the same treatment we dished out to elders during our youth.
On the other hand, when used in a pejorative sense to simply trash Boomers because they are older, "OK Boomer" may seem like a phrase that is dismissive, rude and age-bashing. It is particularly hurtful when a wildly popular sweatshirt adds something else to this phrase, as depicted in the article in The New York Times: "OK BOOMER Have a Terrible Day." So, it appears some who use the phrase in this way may deeply distrust and even dislike Boomers. Sadly, it is also indicative of the tribal warfare that has become normalized in our dealings with one another. This is a time in our history when groups of people are poised to reject others, simply because they're different, are of different generations or have different beliefs.
I'm not any more a fan of "OK Boomer" than I am of "Go back where you came from." What are your thoughts about "OK Boomer"?
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Love your post. I don’t like the phrase, “OK Boomer” either. As I pointed out in my blog on this subject, the catchall phrase seems dismissive, sarcastic, mocking, and sadly decisive during a time when this country is already being torn apart by differing views on politics. And it does seem ageist, insinuating baby boomers are old-fashioned, resistant to change, behind on technology, and out of touch. As a boomer myself, I certainly take issue with those assumptions. But, in all fairness, I can see why the younger generation is upset by some of the insulting jabs aimed their way. They have felt silenced when older people claim their opinion doesn’t count because they lack experience. Many millennials are in their 30s now and tired of being told to “grow up.” The younger generation deserves to be acknowledged and heard. Unfortunately, while defending themselves, this generation is using the same belittling age-oriented stereotypes that they don’t want to be labeled by. I say, let's stop with the name-calling and dismissive phrases on both sides. Instead, let's learn to respect and learn from each other.
Posted by: Julie Gorges | 11/21/2019 at 01:07 PM