Is It OK To Say "OK, Boomer?"
It sounds like a cheeky way to blow off the opinion of someone older than you—but does this phrase cross the line when it comes to snark?
The New York Times published a piece that has had far-ranging effects and stoked inter-generational ire just by focusing on what could be viewed as an innocuous phrase: “OK, boomer.” The article explains the rising popularity of responding to older people’s opinions by saying “OK, boomer,” referring to their belonging to the Baby Boomer generation. The phrase began among Zoomers and is meant to encapsulate the angst of Gen Z when it comes to the world they’ve inherited—and there may be some legitimacy. Millennials were the first generation worse off than the generation before them. To quote the article:
The phrase has gained so much attention that one entrepreneurial Zoomer put a design of the words on clothing and sold more than $10,000 worth of merchandise.
Following the article, “OK, boomer” seems to have captured the cultural moment. A 25 year-old politician in New Zealand used it to silence older hecklers, The Times’ own opinion column weighed in on it, and the Internet is still abuzz with the echo of “OK, boomer” fallout weeks after the article was published.
But is it OK to say “OK, boomer?” Detractors say that at best it’s stereotypical, at worst it’s ageism. Baby Boomer proponents say that it’s a flippant phrase and shouldn’t be given more weight than it deserves.
Where do you fall in the debate? Is it OK for teens and young adults to say “OK, boomer” or are they crossing a line? Let us know in the comments.
1 like
As a 72 y/o Boomer I say GOOD ON YOU, Millenials and Zoomers. Some of us tried. Now it is your turn. Make us proud.
There are more differences between people within a generation than between the generations. Many of the baby boomer generation protested against the Vietnam war, worked for Civil Rights, grew and made our own food,made earth day every day - and still do. I see young adults who think fast food is for every meal, drive massive pickup trucks, toss trash out the windows. The reason we didn't save the world (we really thought we could) was, and is, the corrupt economic system we live under. That's why I don't like being called Boomer - being born in a particular time doesn't say who I am.
I feel unsafe when I hear someone say that.
Sticks and stones...... I just consider the source.
Absolutely NOT OK. Offensive and discriminatory language.