Have you heard the put-down meme, “OK Boomer”? I had not until yesterday, and now I find out it’s everywhere. As I understand it, the term is used by the Gen X, Y, and Zers to mock or dismiss attitudes typically associated with Baby Boomers.
I knew every generation believes their elders are old-fashioned and seeks to better them. But the meme OK Boomer…? It amuses me and fascinates me, partially because it puts me on the other side of the generational divide.
I am a child of the ‘60s. We prided ourselves on being the generation to break free.
It was our parents’ generation, we thought, that was stuck in antiquated ideas such as strict adherence to “proper” behavior and conformity. From our vantage point, those attitudes kept segregation intact as a system, led to the Vietnam War, and fostered strict class divisions.
Of course the irony doesn’t escape me that the phrase “OK Boomer” is used to signify out of touch older adults. Does the fact that I never heard the phrase before yesterday imply that I’m one of those out of touch?
Maybe. Certainly there are many aspects of the younger generations that escape me. I stopped watching the Grammys years ago because I didn’t know any of the singers.
But in other ways, I am more in touch than many of those who might throw an “OK Boomer” at me. I know things that many younger people don’t.
I know what it takes to build and keep relationships. I know how to find one’s purpose (I found mine). I have a good understanding of how we got into these terrible cultural and economic divides in which we are now living. I know I can live through intense emotional and physical pain and come out on the other side.
According to an article I read, Millennials and Gen Zers classify Boomers as “irrelevant,” “condescending,” “out of touch,” "patronizing," and “resistant to change.” They blame boomers for not investing in economic infrastructure, overindulging in wars and tax cuts and systemic deregulation, and overlooking racial, gender, and other forms of systemic discrimination.
Are you kidding me? I’m from the generation that protested against the Vietnam War and marched for civil rights and economic justice.
Apparently, those doing the blaming are using an all-purpose, uniform stereotype to classify all of those of a certain age, without distinguishing among us.
And that’s the danger of stereotypes.
Now I freely admit, I did it too in my 20s. I viewed my parents’ generation as hopelessly out of touch and depressingly status-seeking.
That was then. Now, I wish I had asked them more questions, understood their world better, showed greater appreciation for the battles they fought -- and won – for me and my generation.
I know now they paved the way. I am who I am because they were who they were.
Citation: Lindsey B. Anderson (2023) “OK Boomer”: Demagogic Discourse and Intergenerational Communication, Journal of Intergenerational Relationships, 21:2, 253-268
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Taste of this week’s reading
In all our online leadership development programs, including Pathfinders and ChangeMakers, reading is a key aspect of our program. We write original blog content every two weeks, and we hope you are enjoying it!
Last week’s blog post was titled Leading with the ball: 5 Lessons from the coach of the Golden State Warriors. The learning questions this blog posed for our clients were:
- Which of the five lessons resonate the most with you? Which have less appeal?
- How can you support your leaders in developing their own favored approaches?
