‘oK BoOmeR’
graphic by nina bridges
Ah, the seemingly never-ending battle between the ‘Millennial’ generation and the ‘Baby Boomer’ generation… After years of being berated and frowned upon by older generations, the Millennials finally seem to have a comeback that is shaking their opponents to their very cores: “ok boomer.”
This phrase has been coined as a mocking retort to those who don’t understand the trends and beliefs of the youth today, by reducing their ‘Baby Boomer’ title to just the singular word, ‘boomer’. Despite what seems like a laughable phrase used by Millennials mostly in comedic tweets and Tik Toks, the term has been met with controversy and anger from the demographic it’s aimed at. Not only has it been called ageist, one boomer even went as far as claiming this phrase is essentially the “N-word of ageism.”
We at Jerk know that while it’s never fun to be the butt of a joke, comparing this joke to a racist slur deeply rooted in hatred is kind of a big fucking stretch. This kind of leap in logic is precisely why this phrase became so popular in the first place. Many Millennials today feel like older generations just don’t get certain things, like why saying certain things can be considered offensive or that, you know, climate change is real. We know that not all boomers are out of the loop when it comes to current issues, but, nonetheless, anytime a joke feels like it strikes a chord, it’ll probably stick around. Thus, “ok boomer” has continually been used in both joking and serious contexts. Hell, even a young lawmaker in New Zealand used it as a jab directed at a fellow member of their parliament
We don’t want to encourage anyone to fight fire with more fire, and we aren’t trying to disregard all of the work older generations have put in to create (the positive parts of) the world we live in, but we will say that the boomers started this fight when they started claiming that Millennials are “killing” every industry they worked to create. Anywayssss, let’s end on this note: Every generation has its own struggles, its own accomplishments, and its own beliefs. Over time people change and grow, and one day we will probably look at our own kids and grandkids in disbelief over whatever the hell they started doing that we don’t understand. There will always be generational divides, so let’s just try to treat each other with respect, and use “ok boomer” lightheartedly towards the people who’ve helped raise us.