A professor at the University of Oklahoma apologized after comparing the “OK, boomer” meme to the N-word in a graduate journalism class.
Peter Gade, the director of the graduate studies for the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication, made the analogy during class on Tuesday. While delivering a lecture on how changes in journalism related to new technology and social media, a student commented that it was the media’s job to reach younger generations successfully.
Gade then joked that the comment was the equivalent of saying, “OK, boomer.” He then added, “Calling someone a boomer is like calling someone a n—–,” according to the OU Daily, the school’s paper.
While some students immediately left the class, Molly Kruse, who works for the school’s paper, told the professor he shouldn’t use that word. However, he then attempted to justify it. Gade later sent an email apologizing to the students, the OU Daily reported.
“I realize the word was hurtful and infuses the racial divisions of our country, past and present,” he wrote. “Use of the word is inappropriate in any — especially educational — settings. I offer my deepest and most sincere apologies. In the coming weeks, I will strive to show you that I am an instructor and teacher who is trustworthy and respectful of all. Please give me that opportunity.”
The university’s interim president, Joseph Harroz Jr., released a statement calling the comments “fundamentally offensive and wrong” and added that “the use of the most offensive word, by a person in a position of authority, hurt and minimized those in the classroom and beyond.”
While Harroz also said that the remarks are “protected by the First Amendment and academic freedom,” a number of students told Ed Kelley, the dean of Gaylord College, that they will not be attending class as long as Gade remains the professor.
