OK, here’s what you need to know about the meme that began with Generation Z, made its way to millennial discourse, and will inevitably be killed by boomers themselves.
The phrase “OK, boomer” has become a universal response from younger generations to baby boomers who complain about the kids these days. High schoolers are too obsessed with climate change? OK, boomer. Millennials are ruining dating, golf, or yet another boomer-beloved tradition? OK, boomer.
Last week, the New York Times ran a feature on the rise of “OK, boomer.” Though its use seems confined mostly to TikTok, Twitter, and other forms of social media, “OK, boomer” marks a tongue-in-cheek weapon of the generational wars as they manifest themselves online.
That doesn’t mean, however, that the viral trend doesn’t have real-world results.
Nineteen-year-old Shannon O’Connor has received more than $10,000 in orders for her shirt that reads, “OK BOOMER: Have A Terrible Day.”
One person tweeted, perhaps jokingly, “my parents sent me and my siblings a formal email asking us not to say ‘OK Boomer’ to anyone at thanksgiving.”
Someone hoping to trademark the phrase applied with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office last week.
There are several songs with the name “OK, boomer” on Spotify. One of the iterations begins, “This one goes out to the 65-plus crowd on SoundCloud.” (For all of you boomers, SoundCloud is a music platform that many young artists use to release their music.)
This week, a 25-year-old New Zealand lawmaker who was heckled during a speech on climate change responded simply, “OK, boomer,” and carried on. It’s only a matter of time before Matt Gaetz or Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says this in a congressional hearing.
