I hate this expression.
It’s sarcasm that’s supposed to make the older generation angry, but it just makes the speaker sound like an entitled child. It also reflects everything that millennials and younger people are supposed to hate about the older folk and shows that the speaker is no different.
I don’t expect the creator of this expression to have used it as satire, and I certainly think that the satire is lost on those who use it now. Let me try to explain:
What are the implications of this expression?
- I’m going to dismiss what you say because you are older than I am.
- You’re older than I am; therefore, you don’t understand my viewpoint. You don’t understand how the world works, and you’ve ruined things for us.
- I would rather dismiss this conversation than try to explain my viewpoint. You won’t listen to me anyway.
- I am going to generalize an entire group of people purely based on their age.
Let’s flip this around. What does the stereotypical “boomer” imply?
- I’m going to dismiss what you say because you are younger than I am.
- You’re younger than I am; therefore, you don’t understand my viewpoint. You don’t understand how the world works, and you are going to ruin things if you don’t listen to us.
- I am going to make decisions on your behalf because we know what’s better for you than you do. You won’t listen to me anyway.
- I am going to generalize an entire group of people purely based on their age.
Not very different, if you ask me.
Sometimes, in certain contexts, this expression holds merit. Sometimes it’s better to leave a conversation that’s going nowhere. But to use this expression is effectively to give up.
I see posts on Facebook of people trying to defend the use of “ok boomer,” but these people don’t actually understand that they’re weakening their arguments. It’s aggravating. If you’re really trying to defend the use of “ok boomer,” then you’re obviously not understanding what you’re really saying when you use it.
Disrespect upward is still disrespect. Learn to speak with people to get them to change their minds. You can’t simply dismiss a whole class of people for refusing to understand. Don’t forget they’re still the ones in power. As time goes on, we have to make sure not to make the same mistakes. How do we do that?
Talk to each other.