OK BOOMER is the new way Millennials brush off Baby Boomers for having outdated ideas, archaic solutions, old school thinking, or just breathing.
It’s the new “whatever.”
We're old fashioned. Irrelevant. Over the hill (which is an old fashion expression so maybe they're right).
Some of my contemporaries take offense at this. Personally, I find it amusing.
I think that comes from being glad I’m a boomer and glad I grew up in the era I did, and especially glad to be in the TV industry back then as opposed to now. Our shows were seen by millions and we were paid accordingly. I loved our music growing up, times weren’t nearly as dangerous (except in cities), bullying was confined to the schoolyard not the world through social media, and we had the sexual revolution. The sexual revolution alone is enough for a mic drop.
So if a Millennial wants to take a shot at me because I’m not tech savvy, still watch television on a television, and think "load management" in the NBA is totally bullshit, this BOOMER is OK.
IF you think "OK Boomer" is about not being tech savvy, watching television on a television, or anything to do with sports, then OK Boomer.
ReplyDelete(1962 birth date)
Where's that leave us Gen Xers??
Delete"OK Boomer" is a cancel phrase. It's not"don't trust anyone over 30" which was boomer to boomer admonition.
ReplyDeleteThis is aimed directly at who they consider their antagonists.
its more about a generational shift in power than anything else.
Refusing to let it bother you, as Ken does, is an effective response.
And what the Millenials fail to realize is the exact same thing the Boomers failed to realize - one day the worm will turn on them
I'm waiting for the moment Boomer Esiason phones Baker Mayfield and begins to school him on how to act like a professional, then smoke a joint and watch the cosmic explosion.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite response to the "OK Boomer" trend thus far is the person who observed "Millennials who hate boomers and boomers who hate millennials need to remember there's a generation in between that hates you both."
ReplyDeleteThe millenial vocabulary is weird. I honestly have no idea what "woke" is supposed to mean. Same for "cis". Since we're re-booting everything, can we bring back 80s language? I miss "fresh" and "dope".
ReplyDeleteThey just resent us because they can't get quality acid and mescaline like we had (no, Ken, I know you never indulged).
ReplyDeleteWhat would be the proper retort to the Millennial?
ReplyDeleteWhatever, phone face.
Re: Load Management
ReplyDeleteBill Russell (not the former Dodgers shortstop) wrote a book about his friendship with Red Auerbach, his coach. He said that Red figured out that if he took Russell out with a couple of minutes left in the first quarter, it gave him an extra break because of the time between periods, and that since Russell didn't like practice, he shouldn't practice more than he absolutely had to. It seemed to work.
Load management? Please.
"sexual revolution"?
ReplyDeletePolanski, Woody Allen, Harvey, Bryan Singer, Spacey, Hoffman, Moonves .... Lot of pedos, rapists having gotten their way is no revolution.
Yes, because that's what he referring to... and only baby boomers are predators and creeps, ok. Btw I was born in 1996 so if you pull "ok, boomer" on me, I'll laugh.
DeleteOld school? You have a blog, a podcast, and your on every social media platform. Your almost cutting edge.
ReplyDeleteEven though I just turned 30 this year, I'm unfortunately lumped in with "Millennials" and frankly, I'm not to pleased to be considered part of a generation that's stigmatized as being a bunch of lazy, whiney, spoiled, entitled college-aged kids.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, my parents are Boomers, so I see the pros and cons of both generations. One thing I will say is that I've heard stories from my parents - moreso my mom - of their experiences witnessing first hand what the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s looked like . . . honestly, when I was growing up, I thought that was "ancient history" and that America had moved well past all of that; I never, in my lifetime, imagined to be living a deja vu of it today in Trump's America.
OK, Millie.
ReplyDeleteGlenn, "dope" is back. It's a completely up-to-the-minute expression. Use it knowing that you're very much in touch with the modern world.
ReplyDelete"Woke" is more-or-less "enlightened", with an emphasis on social issues. So for "woke", read something like "Fully enlightened and actively working toward to a fully equal society".
"Cis" is the opposite of "trans". The same way "transgender" is often informally abbreviated "trans", "cisgender" is often abbreviated "cis". So if you're cisgender, your gender identity *matches* your physical equipment; you're a man in a man's body, or a woman in a woman's body. Simple as that!
(Some of these) millenials are too close to themselves to realize that the media conglomerates and advertisers are only pandering to their mores because they're buying things. Not for long. Based on (some of the) arrogant, inflexible behavior displayed toward people, art, and concepts outside their itty bitty mindsets, they're going to kick and scream into middle age. Right now they are sure it won't happen to them and they have it all -- and all of us -- figured out. What I'm seeing is the generation behind them see them for what they are. (Some of them are) Pompous fools who will end up talking to themselves and no one else, because there won't be anyone making money from them to listen.
ReplyDeleteI thought they were talking about that cute little doggie on NBC.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tutorial, Y. Knott. Now what the hell is "cancel culture"?
ReplyDeleteI use "whatever" routinely when ill-considered conventional wisdom is trotted out as relevant - although this is often muttered under my breath since the "trotter" seems to be not-educable
ReplyDelete(and, it's impolite)
Too many whatever-moments occur in the press. A common whatever-concept is that America in general is more "dangerous" than in the 60s and 70s. This is actually true for those on death row - the 60s and 70s were relatively free of executions. This is also true for those subject to manadatory sentencing - in the 60s and 70s judges had far more discretion. There is deep irony in the fact that by most objective measures there is less crime now even as the prison population is up.
The process of aging includes realizing that ones youthful, often conventional, notions have not held up to experience.
Many who reflexively utter "OK, Boomer" now will grow up and align more closely with their predecessors.
Thanks to Y. Knott for the negation-definition of "cis".
ReplyDeleteFor most Boomers, Renee Richards (nee Richard Raskind) was the first well-known example of a (then called) "transsexual". She even parlayed her new status into a brief, belated pro tennis "career".
Can't take responsibility for this retort (though I like it) when a Boomer was said to respond, with equal dismissiveness, 'Okay, Renter.'
ReplyDeleteHey Ken, I’m sure no Millennial ever sees you show up someplace and says “Here’s Boomer!”
ReplyDeleteIsn't "load management" a pornography term? Just kidding.
ReplyDeleteI'll admit the "baby boom" generation is far from perfect. Yet, I've seen some pretty amazing stuff in my lifetime. Including The Beatles, Martin Luther King, the moon landing, "Star Wars," cell phones, personal computers, etc.
And yes, I also still watch TV on a television. I still listen to the radio. And if my turntable worked I'd still be listening to vinyl records. I also have no problem with a natural pubic region. It has been a long time for me. So, do women still shave "down there?"
Bottom line: If "OK Boomer" is truly a slight then I'll have to consider it a "microagression" and add it to the list of "trigger" phrases that will send me running for my "safe space." Of course we'll have to try to destroy the careers of anyone who uses such "hate speech."
M.B.
It amuses me because its so very much like every other generation at that age. Didn't we all think we knew everything? Weren't we all critical of generations before us? Didn't we all think we were the only ones who felt that way ever? We were going to change the world and it was all going to be better. We changed some things, I hope for the better, but we made a lot of mistakes, too. So will they. Age + experience = that much wisdom, anyway.
ReplyDeleteI think of "Boomer" as that cute dog who had his own show on NBC from 1980 to 1982. I wouldn't object to being compared to him.
ReplyDeleteWhat it seems like most people are missing is that this is a response to the endless "Millennials are terrible, killing these businesses, etc..." articles being passed around by people over 60.
ReplyDeleteAs a Gen Xer, I will quote our greatest poet: Oh well, whatever, never mind.
I actually think it's a funny phrase (if already way-overused) when kids use it to disparage other kids -- it's basically a youth-culture arms race out there. As an example, imagine two 16-year-olds talking. A: "Did you see Billie Eilish's performance on the AMAs last night?" B: "Yeah, she was great. And so was Taylor Swift." A: "Taylor Swift?! OK, boomer."
ReplyDeleteThe expression "OK Boomer" was first grunted by a young Cro-Magnon man to an elderly Neanderthal, and very little has changed since. Two things that are always and forever true are that Kids today are lazy and dumb and adults today have no idea of how the world has changed and how much their generation has screwed up
ReplyDeleteMillennials think they invented civil rights because they saw "!2 Years a Slave" and go to social media and listen to pop stars celebrities they like for opinions.
ReplyDeleteMillennials think they invented feminism because they can sing "Let it Go."
Because they can't bear old stuff, they won't realize that it was the boomer generation who fought the hardest for civil rights, feminism and freedom of lifestyles.
Millenials' idea of fighting is to hide their eyes or censor offending material. Boomers face it and either criticize it or laugh. Millenials fear laughter. You might be laughing at them, and that puts you at risk.
I don't, by the way, think millennials are any worse than we were. For all that we mock them, the boomer generation had its extremes. Things even out.
ReplyDelete"So for 'woke' read something like, 'Fully enlightened and fully working toward to (sic) a fully equal society...comrade."
ReplyDeleteFixed it for ya, Y. Knott. Hope you have a good day with some laughs.
Sean
It seems to me that all generations make a contribution….some better than others. Although I’m a Boomer, I’m pretty disappointed in our generation. We were so gung ho, with a sense of rebellion and challenging authority, and now are largely in favor of tax cuts and hanging on to our wealth and status….not a great deal of taking care of those less fortunate nor taking care of the climate. Teachers remained under paid our entire lives. Unions went into decline. I think the “silent generation” was very cool. They birthed The Beatles, Bob Dylan and a slew of artists that the Boomers grew up listening to. Lots of creativity in that generation. Just my off the cuff thoughts….
ReplyDeleteEven when we Boomers had a corrupt President, our entire Congress (not just half of it) rallied to make things right for America. I'll take the Boom any old time.
ReplyDeleteI remember my Mother saying that she was glad she went through life when she did. In her time there were big bands, Frank Sinatra, the togetherness during the war years and the collective happiness and ticker tape parades of VJ and VE days.
ReplyDeleteIn my time we had the Beatles, great TV shows and radio stations, big stereos, records, the sexual revolution, peace and love, long hair, colorful clothing and an easier working life than our predecessors.
Each generation makes fun of its old people. In our case when the time came we were able to cut our hair shorter and throw away our bell bottoms. This group of young people are stuck with their tattoos and piercings for the rest of their lives. When they get to our age the young people will point and laugh at them for it.
I haven't had anyone say OK Boomer to me yet. But when someone does I will do something I've waited all these years to do...tell them to pull my finger.
Many people are willing to write this off as this generation's rebellion just as every generation has done (full disclosure - former SDS recruit).
ReplyDeleteThere are two significant differences.
First the authority figures here- ironically the Boomers- are much more loath to use their authority to counter rebellion. In a sense they abet it, only to find the contempt of the generation they believe they are supporting. Look at the Harvard Yale game the other day. the authorities did nothing for over an hour before acting. In the 1960's a hundred protestors would not have been allowed to hold up the game for more than the time it would take to disperse them. In fact both Harvard and Yale have had well publicized incidents recently of college administrators acting cravenly in the face of student intolerance. The media by and large are also more supportive than in past generations. Make of that what you will. Maybe its Spock's Revenge (no, not Leonard Nimoy).
Second, social media. it confers a power to even a small number of rebels that was unknown in the past.
This is an example of history repeating itself - but not exactly as in the past - and not in any predictable way.
A lot of pop culture memes fly over my head. I don't get "Ok, Boomer". Or specifically why it gets under anyone's skin. Isn't making fun at older generations an American pasttime? I'm a Gen-Xer, so by all means, fire away.
ReplyDeleteMy parents are Baby Boomers. I grew up essentially embracing the music and values that I associated with the 60s-70s, as I think most of my peers did as well. I can't speak for so-called Millennials, but I don't think this is actually a real thing, it smells of right-wing bullshit pushing this as a meme. Self-pity, perhaps?
Let it go, everyone, there are more important things to worry about.
Even when we Boomers had a corrupt President, our entire Congress (not just half of it) rallied to make things right for America. I'll take the Boom any old time.
ReplyDeleteRichard Nixon was born in 1913. He was ousted by his own generation of peers in congress, not by 20-something Boomers protesting in the streets. If you think otherwise, you're delusional.
Look, I don't come here to traffic in generational politics, but get real. Who are the Boomer presidents--Clinton, Dubya, and our current monstrosity. Nixon has next to nothing to do with any living generation.
I'm with you, Ken. I am more amused by the expression- and I can understand their frustration. The cost of college education today stuns me - my summer jobs paid a large chunk of the expense-then in my senior year I got a federal student loan. After graduation my student loan payments were $30/month. I was lucky I went to college when it was still affordable.
ReplyDeleteI am also amused by Joseph Scarbrough's remark about Millenials being stigmatized as being a bunch of lazy, whiney, spoiled, entitled college-aged kids. That's exactly what we baby boomers were accused of!
I wear my boomer proudly!! Is that okay with you Milly?
ReplyDeleteI'm 64, vehemently oppose climate change, and note that Harvard and Yale students chanted "OK boomer" as they went on the field at the Yale Bowl. To which I say: Up yours, Ivy Leaguers.
ReplyDelete(I will add I wish my State U. peers would try such tactics, but alas, they wouldn't dare.)
"Every generation...
ReplyDeleteBlames the one before..."
Wise words in a great Boomer song.
My daughter, born this century, said to me recently, "You're pretty cool for a boomer." I don't know what to do with that.
ReplyDeleteBoomers got Donald Trump elected.
ReplyDeleteAs I was born one month to the day that Japan attacked Pearl Harbor does that make me a pre-boomer or just an old geezer?
ReplyDeleteFirst I'd like to say something nice about the boomer generation--they made great entertainment. Let me preface the rest by saying this is about behavior, not people, and that there are good Boomers and bad Boomers so these are generalizations, but honestly as to how history is gonna judge your generation well...
ReplyDeleteBut I can't even write it. I tried, however there seems to be no way to express the truth about the Boomer generation in general without being unkind. So I'll just leave you guys with the, I think definitely not unfounded and honest, idea that history will not be kind to the Boomer generation. Sorry.
:shrug: What ya gonna do?
Sean GenXer
I had no idea boomers invented sex. I would think from the name, credit should go to their parents.
ReplyDelete"You're too old, you're over 20" -- Johnny Rotten, in 1976
ReplyDeletePlease don't buy into this Boomer / Millennial nonsense. It's a political tool to divide us against each other. First it was whites against black. Then whites against Muslims. Then whites against Mexicans. Now it's young people vs older folks. Don't let the system divide us - it's how we got Boris Johnson, Donald Trump and a load of right wing extremists in power.
ReplyDeleteRocketman is right. Divide and conquer has worked forever.
ReplyDeleteIt's not just political organizations that are working to keep us from talking. Marketing and corporations make more money by segmenting us by race, gender and anything that they can figure out that fits on pie charts. The more they divide us into sections, the more different iterations of products they can sell.
Big companies don't really believe in feminism, LGBTQ or civil rights. They believe in quarterly earnings. The real walls are in market segments. But they control the media and schools (by getting advertising, heavy funding--and yes, government control) into education by keeping media criticism away from young people.
Snowflakes and millenials who faint at things that offend them were taught to do that. It's not their fault. TAlk shows and commercials and even kid shows still do it. They are only there to sell things, not to do humanitarian work. But the word has to get out that the only way we can survive this is to talk to each other openly without resorting to anger and name calling. They want that. They put things on social media to create and sustain that. Guess what? It's part of movie campaigns.
The more we see through marketing and the ever consolidating businesses and how they create our thinking, especially among the young, the more we can strengthen and REALLY be great again. Not with people like Trump. He was the ultimate product of reality shows and talk shows. He started marketing himself in the eighties and it worked horribly well. If people could realize that, and not be angry that he won but realize that he's just like every CEO, executive, middle manager and so forth then it all becomes clear. MOST of them cannot be contradicted or you're fired. The workplace does not tolerate the word 'no,' so why should Trump.
Once we understand what the real problem is, we can solve it. But don't expect to see it on TV, in magazines, or on most of the internet. This cannot last because it never does. They can't move as fast because they are too big and change comes from real people like us. Just stop being mad and start reaching out. Talk again, to real people and stop listing to and worshipping celebrities who are playing the game as well. They have to.
Of course I'm anonymous. Do you think I'm crazy?