Several decades ago we Boomers steeled ourselves to take our shot at running the world. Armed with good intentions, slogans like “Never trust anyone over 30,” and a treasure trove of social anthems we set out to make a difference. One of those anthems was The Who’s “My Generation,” which included the line:
“Why don’t you all ff-fade away? Don’t try to dig what we all sss-say.”
That’s right we told “the establishment” to “ff-fade away.” We were nothing if not direct.
Fast forward fifty years. A different generation is ready to take the lead. Being marketing wizards, they created their own little catchphrase. They say it under their breath. They say it out loud. Some wear it emblazoned on the front of their hoodies. That phrase, always laser focused on one of us is…
“OK Boomer”
These two little words have some Boomers’ panties in a bunch. They claim the phrase is disrespectful, dismissive, outright ageist! This reaction puzzles me. Isn’t “OK Boomer” considerably more genteel than telling one’s elders to flat out “ff-fade away?”
Another line from “My Generation”
“Things they do look awful cc-cold. I hope I die before I get old.”
Old is not an age. Old is a sucky attitude. Old is having the exact same perspectives you’ve had, literally, since the turn of the century. You may be old if…
…you’ve never streamed a podcast, created a playlist, watched a Ted Talk or taken a swig of kombucha. (Man that stuff is nasty!)
…you believe politicians over scientists and you only access a single news outlet.
… you talk more than you listen and seldom pose questions.
…you’ve never heard the terms sustainable, fast or slow fashion.
But take heart. If you challenge yourself you could still die before you get old.
Boomers need to fess up. We came up short. We are leaving the younger generations with huge problems. Global warming, social inequality (still), health care, housing costs-all weigh heavily on the shoulders of our young adults. They have tremendously hard work ahead of them. While we are at it, we should probably go ahead and apologize for disco. And leisure suits. Definitely for leisure suits.
“OK Boomer” is a beauty of a tagline. It can be used to signal serious communication disconnects or as light-hearted verbal finger pokes.
On Twitter (#BoomerAdvice) Millennials share the worst advice they received from their parents. Wow…Boomers are doling out some really crappy counsel!
“Go to college, get a good job, be loyal to the company; they’ll be loyal to you.” (Oops, they left out “…and learn shorthand.”)
“Put on a little blush, you’ll feel better about life.” (Everyone knows that’s just not true…it’s mascara and lipstick!)
Those parents deserve “OK Boomer” eye-rolls.
Speaking of eye rolls, a few nights ago Garv announced he was going to bed. When I saw it was only 8:32 pm my internal censor malfunctioned. (Admittedly my internal censor glitches frequently.) He leaned in for a kiss goodnight.
“OK Boomer,” I quipped.
I was wildly amused…but Garv? Not so much.
What’s a boomer to do? If “OK Boomer” is directed toward you, just smile, flash a peace sign and say, “Peace, love and understanding.” But never respond with “OK Snowflake”…they really hate that. Peace out!
Love love love it Miss Brenda! The Ok Boomer bothered me a bit. You’ve so nicely put it in perspective for me! Thank you!
Sharing this with Mr. R. Good points. Love your style.
Great article Brenda. I often find my self amused by the attitude and lack of self-awareness displayed by many of our fellow boomers (I’ve often thought about making a list of FB posts I’ve seen that show that).
OTOH, considering how many years it took me to realize what Daltry and Townshend really wanted to say instead of “f-f-f-fade away” I’m sure there have been times when millennials have listened to me and thought “OK Boomer”.
Well done, Bgeren!
I also do not take offense at “OK, Boomer.” Such a mild rebuke is tolerable given the magnitude of my failings. I think part of our generation failed to appreciate that changing the world was going to be extremely hard work, and some of us, myself included, got a little too invested in the “feelin’ groovy” phase of our development.
An important disclaimer: I take no personal responsibility for disco since that wasn’t my thing. I’m not the one who posts a certain song every September!
Brenda, that was awesome and more to the point, IT WAS ON POINT!!! Keep it up!! Thanks for taking me down memory lane!!