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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?

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Staff Writers 69 Comments
Is It OK To Say "OK, Boomer?"
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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:

A lot of [Baby Boomers] don’t believe in climate change or don’t believe people can get jobs with dyed hair, and a lot of them are stubborn in that view. Teenagers just respond, ‘Ok, boomer.’ It’s like, we’ll prove you wrong, we’re still going to be successful because the world is changing.

 

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.

Date posted: Oct 17, 2022
Staff Writers

Staff Writers are content experts, community members, educational partners, and bloggers. Articles are reviewed by the Age Friendly Institute.

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Nope. Not okay. Just another form of prejudice. Anything that divides instead of unites us, is a detraction and distraction from the real problems we all face.

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When I was young, we were told not to trust anyone over 30. Same thing. Granted I'm at the young age of boomers, but we have to try to remain flexible to other points of view. But I guess we never did that. Neither did the generation before us.

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Hi there Zoomers! Do you like being called a Zoomer? Some folks of my generation take offense at being called a Boomer, but personally I have no problem with it. I am proud to be a Boomer. Our generation is very conscious of the environment as well as countless or other political issues that affect our everyday lives. We have tried to make a better place for future generations to coexist. As for died hair, I think it is a form of self-expression, go for it. Just keep in mind before you bash our generation you would not have equal rights, legal abortions and many, many other controversial issues that we protested for and against. We do care and we are aware. Name calling is counter-productive criticism. Think before you speak.

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It doesn’t bother me. They have no idea what Boomers did to improve this country. Let’s see what they can do. Would love to see more engagement from younger people to improve their situation.

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