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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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If you say "OK, Boomer" loudly to an OU Sooner fan, they may ignore the "OK" and yell back at you "Sooner" per the tradition of Oklahoma University Sooner football fans.
Otherwise, the person who said "OK, Boomer" to you may be identified as having age bias. This may be good to know within the circumstances of the conversation.

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Some might say the slogan is cruel, but for young people whose future is weighed down by unprecedented amounts of student debt and low wages, and the uncertainty of how climate change will affect their lives, “OK Boomer” sends a message to a generation that tends to lack empathy for their younger counterparts.

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Discrimination of any kind is wrong and dangerous.

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First Rude is still Rude! I find it ironic that the generation who insists that everything in our society be accepted especially their opinions can’t practice what they preach! They should be grateful, without us they don’t exist! And show gratitude for all previous generations. Roll up your sleeves and get the job done, complaining is just another form of stalling and a sign of insecurity! The short answer is NO!

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To stigmatise a group of people is wrong. You would be charged with an 'ism' if you voiced 'OK Pa#!' 'OK Bl@#!' ' OK Ho^*' but OK Boomer is OK. No...it...is...not. I wonder were this sits in the PC conscious, woke (what ever woke actually means) peoples brains. By saying it is OK to be so patronising and stigmatising you are effectively saying we people over a certain age have less rights than younger people. It is OK to insult and demean a group of people including the late Steve Jobs, and Bill Gates whose inventions enable the great unwashed to communicate these snide insults instantaneously. So in a nutshell it is Not OK

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