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Dissecting the 'Okay Boomer' Meme

jamesrodom

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Boy, talk about the ability of social media to make a stupid, two-word meme go viral. Everybody's using "okay boomer" as a presumed insult from millennials directed to Baby Boomers.

My first reaction was: much ado about nothing. Younger people criticizing or ridiculing older people?? I'm going WAAAY out on a limb here: Yep, it's been known to happen before!

But then I heard a curious argument from a couple of Facebook 'friends' who happen to BE baby boomers, around my age. Turns out they're genuinely upset by this because they connect it to the legitimate issue of age-ism, specifically discrimination in employment based on age. These friends must work, are having trouble finding work, and see this as part of a pattern whereby younger people in human resource or other positions of authority may actually be reluctant to hire older workers.

Thoughts?
 
Would depend on the employer. Some work is better suited for younger bodies. Some employers may favor ounger and cheaper employees. Other employers may prefer experience and or a workforce that doesn't need to drop everything and go pick their child up from school, etc etc.
 
I'm a baby boomer. I'm not looking for work, but if I was, I sure as hell wouldn't hire me. OTOH, I could liven up a human resources department. "Can you hold a pad stylus above your upper lip and below your nose, without using your hands, for like 8 to 10 hours a day? Great. Your hired."
 
I don’t really care. Nor am I particularly offended.

I’m a boomer, and I’m OK.

No one has said that to me personally yet. But when they do, I’ll probably regale them with tales of rotary dial phones, black and white television, breaker point ignition (for the gear heads) and walking uphill to school in the snow both ways.
 
Boy, talk about the ability of social media to make a stupid, two-word meme go viral. Everybody's using "okay boomer" as a presumed insult from millennials directed to Baby Boomers.

My first reaction was: much ado about nothing. Younger people criticizing or ridiculing older people?? I'm going WAAAY out on a limb here: Yep, it's been known to happen before!

But then I heard a curious argument from a couple of Facebook 'friends' who happen to BE baby boomers, around my age. Turns out they're genuinely upset by this because they connect it to the legitimate issue of age-ism, specifically discrimination in employment based on age. These friends must work, are having trouble finding work, and see this as part of a pattern whereby younger people in human resource or other positions of authority may actually be reluctant to hire older workers.

Thoughts?

I don't think it will go that far, its more a social and political thing. Its basically an acceptance that boomers are not going to pay attention to the issues that millennials are worried about and will (I suspect) in the coming years evolve into millennials saying "we gotta fix these problems ourselves, who cares what other generations think"
 
Old people believe ridiculous crap and that's funny.
 
It seems that millennials got tired of being the scapegoat for everything and have retaliated. Then it turned into a meme for all ages (I have mostly heard gen z use it). Each generation seems to scapegoat whoever else they can. It serves no purpose and causes more division and distraction. I have seen some extreme sensitivity from older people who have heard this meme. With the internet these things go viral very quickly - giving it less oxygen will help it blow over.
The lesson is for everyone to stop generalizing entire groups of people, right?
 
It seems that millennials got tired of being the scapegoat for everything and have retaliated. Then it turned into a meme for all ages (I have mostly heard gen z use it). Each generation seems to scapegoat whoever else they can. It serves no purpose and causes more division and distraction. I have seen some extreme sensitivity from older people who have heard this meme. With the internet these things go viral very quickly - giving it less oxygen will help it blow over.
The lesson is for everyone to stop generalizing entire groups of people, right?

Those stupid old pieces of **** are racist and sexist and they can eat a ****. Ain't no one worried about offending their ignorant bigoted asses. If they don't like it, maybe they shouldn't have spent a lifetime being a bigoted piece of ****.

"Let's cry for the KKK."

"Let's cry for the homophobes."

"Let's cry for the transphobes."

**** them. The whole generation can fall off a cliff.
 
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It is probably best to treat everyone as an individual.
 
I don't think it will go that far, its more a social and political thing. Its basically an acceptance that boomers are not going to pay attention to the issues that millennials are worried about and will (I suspect) in the coming years evolve into millennials saying "we gotta fix these problems ourselves, who cares what other generations think"

Millennial's believe that they are the only generation to be joked on by the older generations?

:lamo

My generation laughed at our parents as well.......every day!

Our parents laughed at us.

Get over yourselves for cris sakes.
 
Millennial's believe that they are the only generation to be joked on by the older generations?

:lamo

My generation laughed at our parents as well.......every day!

Our parents laughed at us.

Get over yourselves for cris sakes.

These days, the jokes go one way. Everyone laughs at the stupid racist sexist homophobic old idiots.

Bigotry is the dividing line, and everyone is waiting for Boomers to die off.
 
Most often, bitter and angry people are being made fun of, regardless of age.
 
These days, the jokes go one way. Everyone laughs at the stupid racist sexist homophobic old idiots.

Bigotry is the dividing line, and everyone is waiting for Boomers to die off.

Everything is racist to you even when the conversation is not about racism. :lamo :2wave:

You are ate up with your own bigotry Ecofarm, so most of us don't pay any attention to your stupid crap.
 
I'm a baby boomer. I'm not looking for work, but if I was, I sure as hell wouldn't hire me. OTOH, I could liven up a human resources department. "Can you hold a pad stylus above your upper lip and below your nose, without using your hands, for like 8 to 10 hours a day? Great. Your hired."



Whatsa "pad stylus"?:)
 
As divided as the country is now politically, in the 60's and 70's the generations were probably more divided. I'm a boomer and My God the disgust we had for the past generations were nothing like we see today. It was 100x worse.

And of course back then the past generations had little use for our music, dress, hair length, protests, etc..

What's going on nowadays is mild compared to the 60's and 70's..
 
Everything is racist to you even when the conversation is not about racism. :lamo :2wave:

You are ate up with your own bigotry Ecofarm, so most of us don't pay any attention to your stupid crap.

The conversation is about the difference between Boomers and other generations. A high incidence of bigotry is the defining difference.

The world will be better when Boomers are gone.
 
Millennial's believe that they are the only generation to be joked on by the older generations?

:lamo

My generation laughed at our parents as well.......every day!

Our parents laughed at us.

Get over yourselves for cris sakes.

I doubt most millennials think they are unique in the sense that the older people don't share their priorities. That sort of push and pull is part of US culture.
 
As divided as the country is now politically, in the 60's and 70's the generations were probably more divided. I'm a boomer and My God the disgust we had for the past generations were nothing like we see today. It was 100x worse.

And of course back then the past generations had little use for our music, dress, hair length, protests, etc..

What's going on nowadays is mild compared to the 60's and 70's..

Protests? We had them. :)
We shouldn't forget that the "now" will eventually become the "past". We can only guess how future generations will judge what is now.
 
These days, the jokes go one way. Everyone laughs at the stupid racist sexist homophobic old idiots.

Bigotry is the dividing line, and everyone is waiting for Boomers to die off.

I wish that were true, but I doubt that it will be.

The themes that dominate Trumpsterism are old political tropes in US history.

The “No nothings” ran on much the same notions in 1856.

The same xenophobia and bigotry drove the spread of the KKK in the 1920’s.

You could take any of Father Couglin’s virulant racist radio screed from the 1930’s and insert them into most AM right wing radio shows today, and the callers would flood the switchboards with high fives.

The xenophobia and racism of the John Birch Society and the 1968 Wallace campaign (which Trump has echoed quite often) survive in today’s right wing rhetoric.

There will always be an audience for this stuff.

What makes this era different, is that Americans were never foolish enough to let this kind of small, resentful, and fearful thinking gain the levers of power in Washington before.

President Donald Trump has thoroughly disgraced his office (not that he really cares), and has disgraced the United States of America (something that was made clear at the NATO summit last week, where the most powerful member was essentially avoided and barely tolerated);
 
I wish that were true, but I doubt that it will be.

The themes that dominate Trumpsterism are old political tropes in US history.

The “No nothings” ran on much the same notions in 1856.

The same xenophobia and bigotry drove the spread of the KKK in the 1920’s.

You could take any of Father Couglin’s virulant racist radio screed from the 1930’s and insert them into most AM right wing radio shows today, and the callers would flood the switchboards with high fives.

The xenophobia and racism of the John Birch Society and the 1968 Wallace campaign (which Trump has echoed quite often) survive in today’s right wing rhetoric.

There will always be an audience for this stuff.

What makes this era different, is that Americans were never foolish enough to let this kind of small, resentful, and fearful thinking gain the levers of power in Washington before.

President Donald Trump has thoroughly disgraced his office (not that he really cares), and has disgraced the United States of America (something that was made clear at the NATO summit last week, where the most powerful member was essentially avoided and barely tolerated);

The fact of the matter is that society gets less bigoted each generation and Boomers are, in fact, more bigoted than later generations. The line is stark and the rest of us have had enough of their hate. Good riddance.
 
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The fact of the matter is that society gets less bigoted each generation and Boomers are, in fact, more bigoted than previous generations. The line is stark and the rest of us have had enough of their hate. Good riddance.

Broadbrushing is always a good idea......
 
Boy, talk about the ability of social media to make a stupid, two-word meme go viral. Everybody's using "okay boomer" as a presumed insult from millennials directed to Baby Boomers.

My first reaction was: much ado about nothing. Younger people criticizing or ridiculing older people?? I'm going WAAAY out on a limb here: Yep, it's been known to happen before!

But then I heard a curious argument from a couple of Facebook 'friends' who happen to BE baby boomers, around my age. Turns out they're genuinely upset by this because they connect it to the legitimate issue of age-ism, specifically discrimination in employment based on age. These friends must work, are having trouble finding work, and see this as part of a pattern whereby younger people in human resource or other positions of authority may actually be reluctant to hire older workers.

Thoughts?

The millennials are lazy and stand for nothing. As old school dies off off, these kids are floating like kites without a string: they don't know what they want, they don't know how to get it and American politics is not teaching them anything. I think it's a bit of jealousy too: everybody wants to be a Boomer.
 
The conversation is about the difference between Boomers and other generations. A high incidence of bigotry is the defining difference.

The world will be better when Boomers are gone.

LMAO.........only to be replaced by the newer racists both liberal and conservative.

My god, how can you be so ignorant on the very subject that you so dearly cling to every day on here.

Millennials Are No More Tolerant—or Broke—Than Earlier Generations - Pacific Standard

Millennials Are More Racist Than They Think - POLITICO Magazine

Yes! There Are Many Millennials Who Are Plagued With Racism!

Turns Out Many White Millennials Are Still Pretty Racist

White liberal racism: Why progressives are unable to see their own bigotry.

It was the boomer generation who crafted many of the protection laws that the younger generations benefit from. After all these supposedly racist the white boomers die off, the race and cultural stigma will continue on for century's.

Blacks not trusting Latino's

Latino's not trusting Black's

Asians not trusting Latino's or Blacks
 
LMAO.........only to be replaced by the newer racists both liberal and conservative.

My god, how can you be so ignorant on the very subject that you so dearly cling to every day on here.

Millennials Are No More Tolerant—or Broke—Than Earlier Generations - Pacific Standard

Millennials Are More Racist Than They Think - POLITICO Magazine

Yes! There Are Many Millennials Who Are Plagued With Racism!

Turns Out Many White Millennials Are Still Pretty Racist

White liberal racism: Why progressives are unable to see their own bigotry.

It was the boomer generation who crafted many of the protection laws that the younger generations benefit from. After all these supposedly racist the white boomers die off, the race and cultural stigma will continue on for century's.

Blacks not trusting Latino's

Latino's not trusting Black's

Asians not trusting Latino's or Blacks

And Boomers are always pushing their self-validating racist file dumps.

Who taught them to file dump? There's an asshole.
 
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