By AMEARA DITSCHE
Arts Editor
The phrase “ok boomer” has become increasingly popular among Gen Zers, enough so that other generations are starting to catch on. The phrase was coined as a nonchalant and dismissive response to stereotypical boomer opinions.
“Boomer” refers to people born in the post-WWII baby boom. Those in this age group are now grandparents who are often found on the wrong side of history according to their Gen Z counterparts. “ok boomer” is often a reply to racist, sexist, or homophobic comments. It can also be used on a smaller scale when boomers take issues with things like piercings, tattoos, and colored hair.
Boomers have responded to the phrase and are, unsurprisingly, displeased. One article even went so far as to claim it was the end to generational friendliness. Their stuck-up response to the casual phrase elicits one primary reaction—ok, boomer.
Boomers as a generation have destroyed the planet, the housing market, and the economy. They were the fueling force in electing one of the worst presidents in history and they have the audacity to get upset over the word “ok?” It is not the end to peaceful ties between generations; but is a clear divide in the senses of humor.
Contemporary humor is often season as a cynical, low effort commentary. “ok boomer” is a perfect example of that. It is humorous in how plain it is, the punchline being the reaction of the boomer in question.
The generation that is so upset about being called a word they coined is the same generation that spewed racial slurs during the first school integrations. The angry reaction is to be expected of children, yet is seen in the elderly. This perfect example of irony is another appeal to today’s youth and their humor. The petty response to not being as respected or having their points argued is a tantrum after failing to get a rise out of the opposing speaker. A childish display of distaste.
The origins of “ok boomer” are often traced back to TikTok, an app that has been rising in popularity among young social media users. TikTok revolves around short videos often dubbed with publicly shared audio. The audio sharing feature is a breeding ground for memes and is often an easy cash cow. Songs that go viral on TikTok lead to a dramatic spike in streaming, leading some musicians to make as much as $300,000 in just a few days off of one viral song. One user remixed a beat with someone exclaiming “ok boomer” over it. The sound quickly made its way around the app and propelled the phrase in to relevancy.
“Ok boomer” is harmless, it is a peaceful protest of social media activism. With social media becoming so ingrained in the public conscience, it becomes more and more of a platform for free thought. People will be incredibly bold in how they share the opinions on their social media profiles.
Another common phrase making its way to meme status is “eat the rich,” a commentary on wealth disparity. The phrase and attitude draws inspiration from the French Revolution, when the proletariat staged an uprising on the bourgeoisie. “eat the rich” explicitly mentions physical violence, often being paired with a reference to guillotines.
The machine used in many bourgeoisie beheadings during the French Revolution, including Queen Marie Antoinette, who was hated after sarcastically saying “Let them eat cake” in regards to hungry peasants.
In comparison to this radical attitude, “ok boomer” is all peace and love.
It is the manner in which people use the phrase, not the words themselves.
The only places I have seen the term “Okay, boomer” is on Quora and in this article. I have friends between their 20’s and their 80’s and am 66. It is a rude term, although not the worst I’ve seen and heard. Most of them call me by my first name, unless for some reason it makes them uncomfortable.
Incidentally, I am concerned about the increasing rate of diabetes in the generation that uses this phrase the most. They won’t be part of the “Okay Z” generation living to be seniors unless they start taking better care of themselves.
Most of my friends, regardless of their age are more respectful than those people using the term “Ok, boomer!”
Some people are taught to feel entitled by helicopter kids by their parents. I wonder if some of the ones using this phrase are being taught to be dismissive by parents or if they are picking it up at schools for the privileged.
When a student–regardless of age–asks me for advice or for coaching on their homework, I tend to give it willingly and for free, unless I don’t have the time.
That includes IT homework and editing essays. Those who pay attention tend to find that their grades improve. We can write in cursive if we need to, and do some arithmetic in our heads.
Many of us still use phrases like please and thank you! Many others use those phrases as well–regardless of age group.
All of us need to stop lumping each other together by generation, sex, ethnicity, as people are as different as REAL SNOWFLAKES (rather than the political and racial misuse of the term.
peace and love. right. and I have ocean front property in Arizona… and “boomers” are NOT the first generation to spew racial slurs. The first boomers, born in 1945 would have only been 9 years old at the time of the first integrations. Please stop lumping every generation that “came before” you. That’s what really pisses us off. Learn history, really learn it and stop spewing crap from your socialist leaders. Then we’ll have something to talk about. Think for yourself. Stop listening to talking heads and stop, take a look around you and realize that much of what you’ve been brainwashed with is crap.
“Boomers as a generation have destroyed the planet, the housing market, and the economy.” Seriously? The planet was being destroyed long before the “boomers” ever came around. Look at the total deforestation of Michigan and the attempt at deforestation of Alaska. This came all before 1945–as a matter of fact, it was around the turn of the 20th century that pollution was a foreign word and that all out deforestation began and flourished. Again, learn your history before approaching the keyboard. You are exactly what is wrong with today’s youth.