OK boomer

"OK boomer" or "okay boomer" is a catchphrase and internet meme used to dismiss or mock attitudes typically associated with baby boomers – people born in the two decades following World War II. The phrase first drew widespread attention due to a November 2019 TikTok video in response to an older man, though the phrase had been coined years before that. The phrase has developed into a retort for resistance to technological change, climate change denial, marginalization of members of minority groups, or opposition to younger generations' values more generally. Critics of the term perceive it as ageist. It has been noted as a marker of intergenerational conflict.

Origin

The first recorded instance of "OK boomer" is in a Reddit comment on 29 September 2009,{{cn|date=June 2024}} and it appeared from 2015 on 4chan, to refer to others who seemed out of touch with the modern world.{{Cite web |url=https://www.vox.com/platform/amp/2019/11/19/20963757/what-is-ok-boomer-meme-about-meaning-gen-z-millennials |title="OK boomer" isn't just about the past. It's about our apocalyptic future. |last=Romano |first=Aja |date=19 November 2019 |work=Vox |access-date=24 November 2019}}{{Cite news |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/117196427/chle-swarbrick-explains-what-ok-boomer-means |title=Chlöe Swarbrick explains what 'OK boomer' means |last=Franks |first=Josephine |date=6 November 2019 |access-date=6 November 2019 |website=Stuff.co.nz}} Reason magazine credited journalist Taylor Lorenz with popularizing the term "OK boomer" in a story declaring "the end of friendly generational relations".{{cite web |last=Gillespie |first=Nick |author-link=Nick Gillespie |date=February 26, 2020 |title=Taylor Lorenz Makes Sense of Online Culture for the Rest of Us |url=https://reason.com/podcast/taylor-lorenz-makes-sense-of-online-culture-for-the-rest-of-us/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200702175557/https://reason.com/podcast/taylor-lorenz-makes-sense-of-online-culture-for-the-rest-of-us/ |archive-date=July 2, 2020 |access-date=July 2, 2020 |website=Reason.com}} "OK boomer" reached mass popularity in late 2019 as a reaction to an unidentified older man's rant on TikTok condemning "infantile" younger generations "hobbled" by social media and participation trophies. He said, "millennials and Generation Z have the Peter Pan syndrome ... they don't ever want to grow up [and] they think that the utopian ideals that they have in their youth are somehow going to translate into adulthood". Thousands of viewers responded with "OK boomer" as "a sophisticated, mass retaliation" against the impact of past generations.{{Cite web |url=https://usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/10/31/why-gen-z-millennials-using-ok-boomer-baby-boomers/4107782002/ |title=Why are Gen Z and millennials calling out boomers on TikTok? 'OK, boomer,' explained |last=Bote |first=Joshua |date=4 November 2019 |website=USA Today |access-date=4 November 2019 }}

Usage

The phrase has been used as a retort for perceived resistance to technological change, climate change denial, or opposition to younger generations' opinions.{{Cite web |url=https://www.dictionary.com/e/slang/ok-boomer/ |title=What does OK boomer mean? |date=4 November 2019 |website=Dictionary.com |access-date=4 November 2019 }}{{Cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/29/style/ok-boomer.html |title='OK Boomer' Marks the End of Friendly Generational Relations |last=Lorenz |first=Taylor|author-link=Taylor Lorenz |date=29 October 2019 |website=The New York Times |url-access=limited |access-date=4 November 2019 }}{{Cite web |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/social-media/teens-use-ok-boomer-fire-back-older-generations-criticisms-n1073331 |title=Teens use 'OK boomer' to fire back at older generations' criticisms |last=Rosenblatt |first=Kalhan |date=29 October 2019 |publisher=NBC News |access-date=4 November 2019 }} Various media publications have noted the meme's usage on social media platforms beyond TikTok,{{cite news|last=Graham|first=Joshua|url=https://www.vogue.com.au/culture/features/the-origins-of-the-ok-boomer-meme-explained/image-gallery/39831137a3df83fe6050988c9e21ccf9|title=The origins of the "OK Boomer" meme explained|work=Vogue Australia|date=14 November 2019|access-date=29 March 2020}} and The New York Times wrote that "teenagers use it to reply to cringey YouTube videos, Donald Trump tweets, and basically any person over 30 who says something condescending about young people{{snd}}and the issues that matter to them." {{As of|2022|11|df=US|alt=}}, videos tagged with #OkBoomer on TikTok had been viewed about 4 billion times.{{Cite web|title=#okboomer|url=https://www.tiktok.com/tag/okboomer|url-status=live|access-date=18 October 2021|website=TikTok|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221127063929/https://www.tiktok.com/tag/okboomer|archive-date=27 November 2022}}

File:Chlöe Swarbrick headshot.jpg (a millennial) reacted to a heckle from fellow MP Todd Muller (a Gen Xer) with the phrase "OK boomer" in 2019.]]

In early November 2019, while giving a speech supporting a climate change bill, New Zealand MP Chlöe Swarbrick claimed that the average age of parliamentarians was 49 years old, and MP Todd Muller interrupted her, to which she responded "OK boomer" (despite him being part of Generation X).{{Cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-50327034 |title='OK boomer': 25-year-old New Zealand MP uses viral term in parliament |date=7 November 2019 |work=BBC News |access-date=3 December 2019}}{{Cite news|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2019/11/06/asia/new-zealand-ok-boomer-trnd/index.html|title=A 25-year-old politician got heckled during a climate crisis speech. Her deadpan retort: 'OK, boomer'|last=Mezzofiore|first=Gianluca|date=6 November 2019|work=CNN|access-date=6 November 2019}} She wrote in an article in The Guardian that her comment "symbolised exhaustion of multiple generations".{{Cite news| url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/commentisfree/2019/nov/09/my-ok-boomer-comment-in-parliament-symbolised-exhaustion-of-multiple-generations |title=My 'OK boomer' comment in parliament symbolised exhaustion of multiple generations |last=Swarbrick |first=Chlöe |date=8 November 2019 |work=The Guardian |access-date=13 December 2019}} Swarbrick received widespread support on social media, as well as criticism for allegedly promoting ageism, including by the MP Chris Bishop.{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-50327034|title=Why a NZ MP used 'OK boomer' in parliament|date=7 November 2019|work=BBC|access-date=13 December 2019|language=en-GB}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/117193584/ok-boomer-chloe-swarbrick-swats-away-heckler|title='OK Boomer': Chloe Swarbrick swats away heckler|date=6 November 2019|website=Stuff.co.nz|access-date=6 November 2019}}

{{blockquote|style=font-size:inherit|Swarbrick: How many world leaders for how many decades have seen and known what is coming but have decided that it is more politically expedient to keep it behind closed doors? My generation and the generations after me do not have that luxury. In the year 2050 I will be 56 years old, yet right now, the average age of this 52nd Parliament is 49 years old.

Todd Muller: That's impossible.

Swarbrick: OK boomer.{{cite news |title=Swarbrick, Chlöe; Rurawhe, Adrian |url=https://www.parliament.nz/en/pb/hansard-debates/rhr/document/HansS_20191105_059250000/swarbrick-chloee-rurawhe-adrian |publisher=New Zealand Parliament Hansard |access-date=10 October 2024}}}}

A July 2019 song titled "OK boomer" fuelled the meme like an anthem, with cutting lyrics.{{Cite web |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2019/11/07/how-lexington-teen-song-remix-turned-into-boomer-anthem/HXl3cd9lDhz268jTzESncJ/story.html |title=How a Lexington teen's song remix turned into an 'OK, Boomer' anthem |last=Annear |first=Steve |date=7 November 2019 |work=Boston Globe |access-date=11 November 2019 }} During halftime of the Harvard-Yale football game on 23 November 2019, climate change protesters interrupted the game by rushing the field and remained even after they were asked to leave, instead chanting "OK boomer."{{Cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2019/11/23/climate-change-protesters-swarm-harvard-yale-football-game-with-chants-ok-boomer/ |title=Students swarm field at Harvard-Yale football game, chant 'OK boomer' in climate change protest |last1=Bogage |first1=Jacob |last2=Knowles |first2=Hannah |date=24 November 2019 |newspaper=Washington Post |url-access=limited |access-date=24 November 2019}}

On 9 January 2020, during the Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time tournament, "OK boomer" was the answer to a 400-point question in the "OK" category: "A 2019 New York Times article says this two-word phrase 'marks the end of friendly generational relations'." Ken Jennings elicited laughter from the audience with the response, "I get to say it to Alex! What is 'OK, boomer'?"{{Cite news |url=https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/ok-boomer-jeopardy-answer-fans-054446340.html |title='OK Boomer' was a 'Jeopardy!' answer and fans were loving it |publisher=Yahoo |date=10 January 2020 |access-date=10 January 2020}} The phrase was used by US Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts on 15 January 2020, as part of questioning for the Babb v. Wilkie age discrimination case.{{cite news |last=de Vogue |first=Ariane |date=15 January 2020 |title='OK Boomer' makes it to the Supreme Court |url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/15/politics/ok-boomer-john-roberts/index.html |publisher=CNN |access-date=15 January 2020}}

On 2 March 2020, streamer Neekolul posted a video of lip-syncing and dancing to the song "Oki Doki Boomer" by YouTube content creator Senzawa while wearing a Bernie 2020 shirt.{{cite web|last=Ritzen|first=Stacey|url=https://www.dailydot.com/unclick/oki-doki-boomer-tiktok-memes-2/|title=Gen Z'ers are attempting to trigger boomers with 'Oki Doki Boomer' TikTok memes|work=The Daily Dot|date=6 March 2020|access-date=20 March 2020}}{{cite web|last=Jackson|first=Gita|url=https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/wxe34n/let-the-ok-boomer-girl-live|title=Let the 'OK Boomer' Girl Live|work=Vice|date=10 April 2020|access-date=12 April 2020}} With more than 6 million views in four days,{{cite news|last=Burke-Edwards|first=Eve|url=https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2020/03/11/who-is-neekoluls-boyfriend-tiktoks-ok-boomer-girl-gives-away-ide/|title=Who is Neekolul's boyfriend? TikTok's 'OK Boomer' girl gives away identity on Instagram|work=HITC|date=11 March 2020|access-date=24 March 2020}} and more than 30 million that month,{{cite tweet|user=neekolul|number=1234601269127458817|date=2 March 2020 |title=Okie Boomer Kekw #Bernie2020 🇺🇸✨ }}{{cite web|last=Tenbarge|first=Kat|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/bernie-sanders-campaign-suspension-subreddits-our-president-tiktok-socialism-fandom-2020-4|title=Bernie Sanders built a legion of meme-making, TikTok-loving online fans. Now they're pivoting to new socialist goals.|work=Business Insider|date=9 April 2020|access-date=25 April 2020}} the video has been described by viewers as both cute and cringey.{{cite web|last=Travis|first=Abi|url=https://www.distractify.com/p/ok-boomer-girl-tiktok|title=Here's Why Everyone's Talking About the Okie Boomer Girl from TikTok|work=Distractify|date=March 2020|access-date=24 March 2020}}{{cite web|last=Rennex|first=Michelle|url=https://junkee.com/oki-boomer-girl/246007|title=The Baffling TikTok Of A Girl Dancing To An "Ok Boomer Song Has Split The Internet|work=Junkee|date=10 March 2020|access-date=24 March 2020}}

Reception

Many reactions have been positive.{{Cite web|url=https://news.yahoo.com/ok-boomer-behind-the-generational-divide-231056484.html|title='OK Boomer': Behind the generational divide|last=Bebernes|first=Mike|date=6 November 2019|publisher=Yahoo! News|access-date=6 November 2019}} According to India Ross of the Financial Times, the phrase has "come to symbolise a generational cultural fracture" with attacks on its use from baby boomers perhaps only serving to increase its power and use.{{Cite web|url=https://www.ft.com/content/52d858a0-06da-11ea-9afa-d9e2401fa7ca|title=OK boomer, who's up for a generational showdown?|last=Ross|first=India|date=14 November 2019|website=Financial Times|access-date=13 December 2019}} Clémence Michallon of The Independent applauded the phrase as "just the right amount of dismissive" while warning against its overuse.{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/ok-boomer-meaning-baby-millennial-stephen-colbert-social-media-slur-n-word-a9192156.html|title=Opinion: 'OK boomer' is a powerful tool. But you have to use it sparingly|last=Michallon|first=Clémence|date=7 November 2019|website=The Independent|language=en|access-date=13 December 2019}} Miyo McGinn of Grist applauded the term, writing, "This joy undeniably stems from righteous indignation as much as simple amusement—the two words feel downright poetic after years of hearing my generation blamed for 'killing' everything from restaurant chains to department stores to relationships."{{Cite web|url=https://grist.org/article/ok-boomer-the-perfect-response-to-a-generation-that-failed-on-climate/|title='OK, boomer': The perfect response to a generation that failed on climate|last=McGinn|first=Miyo|date=6 November 2019|website=Grist|language=en|access-date=13 December 2019}} Some have commented that the term should be considered a shorthand term for "The Establishment" rather than targeting a specific age group.{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ok-boomer-social-media-trend-reshaping-generational-relationships/|title="OK, boomer": How a viral catchphrase is reshaping generational relationships|date=8 November 2019 |publisher=CBS News|language=en-US|access-date=11 December 2019}}

Some commentators have considered the phrase to be ageist. The conservative radio host Bob Lonsberry went as far as labeling the word "boomer" as "the N-word of ageism" in a widely criticized and soon deleted tweet. Furthermore, Lonsberry stated that "being hip and flip does not make bigotry OK, nor is a derisive epithet acceptable because it is new".{{Cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2019/11/04/conservative-radio-host-compared-boomer-n-word-even-dictionarycom-was-appalled/ |title=A conservative radio host compared 'boomer' to the n-word. Even Dictionary.com was appalled. |last=Brice-Saddler |first=Michael |date=5 November 2019 |newspaper=The Washington Post |url-access=limited |access-date=6 November 2019 }} The Late Show with Stephen Colbert mocked him: "Clearly this fella needs to play the hot new game: 'Is This The New N-Word?' No, it's not. Thank you for playing."{{cite AV media|people=Stephen Colbert |date=6 November 2019 |title=Meanwhile... Is It OK To Say "OK, Boomer"? |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOvwODFuKRE&t=2m24s |via=YouTube |time=2:24 |publisher=The Late Show with Stephen Colbert}} Francine Prose of The Guardian suggested that the phrase reflects general cultural acceptance of discrimination against older generations.{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/nov/10/ok-boomer-jokes-ageism-francine-prose|title=Cruel jokes about the old are everywhere. When will we face our ageism epidemic? {{!}} Francine Prose|last=Prose|first=Francine|date=10 November 2019|work=The Guardian|access-date=13 December 2019|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}} Also writing for The Guardian, Bhaskar Sunkara criticized the meme and said that baby boomers instead "need solidarity" because many "older workers and retirees are struggling to survive" as "half of Americans approaching age 65 have less than $25,000 in savings".{{Cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/nov/06/ok-boomer-meme-older-generations/ |title=Why it's time to ditch the 'ok boomer' meme |last=Sunkara |first=Bhaskar |author-link=Bhaskar Sunkara |date=6 November 2019 |website=The Guardian |access-date=6 November 2019}} In an interview, AARP executive Myrna Blyth told Axios, "OK, millennials. But we're the people that actually have the money."{{Cite web |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/media/470321-aarp-exec-takes-apparent-swipe-at-ok-boomer-line-were-the-people-that-actually |title=AARP exec takes apparent swipe at 'OK, Boomer' line: 'We're the people that actually have the money' |last=Wise |first=Justin |date=13 November 2019 |website=The Hill |access-date=22 December 2019}} Several French politicians have also accused the phrase of being ageist, with MP Audrey Dufeu Schubert (Renaissance) deeming it an ageist slur in a special report on "succeeding in bridging the generational gap and fighting ageism".{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/12/12/ok-boomer-slur-elderly-must-stamped-says-french-mp/|title='OK, boomer' is a slur on the elderly and must be stamped out, says French MP|last=Samuel|first=Henry|date=12 December 2019|work=Daily Telegraph|access-date=13 December 2019|language=en-GB|issn=0307-1235}}

"OK boomer" was one of the top five words for the year 2019 as selected by readers of a blog published on PublicAddress.net.{{Cite news|date=19 December 2019|title='OK Boomer' is word of the year for 2019 – Public Address|publisher=Radio New Zealand|url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/405826/ok-boomer-is-word-of-the-year-for-2019-public-address|access-date=21 December 2019}} It was nominated for a similar designation by a university in Switzerland, landing in second place.{{Cite news |url=https://www.nzz.ch/panorama/ernste-besorgnis-klimajugend-ist-das-deutschschweizer-wort-des-jahres-2019-ld.1526158 |title="Klimajugend" ist das Deutschschweizer Wort des Jahres 2019 |language=de |work=nzz.ch |date=3 December 2019 |access-date=21 December 2019}} The phrase is on Lake Superior State University's 45th annual Banished Words List.{{Cite news |url=https://apnews.com/article/19f311ffa2655c45607233dc4105b712 |title=Time's Up for 'Totes:' A New Batch of Banned Words Is Out |last=White |first=Ed |date=31 December 2019 |publisher=AP News |access-date=16 April 2021}}

=Commercialization=

The phrase has been used commercially to sell merchandise and has been the subject of multiple trademark applications.{{Cite web |title=Companies Try To Trademark 'Ok, Boomer' Expression |url=https://www.npr.org/2019/11/20/781096308/companies-try-to-trademark-ok-boomer-expression |access-date=14 January 2021 |website=NPR.org |language=en}} A hoodie bearing the phrase "OK boomer have a terrible day", designed by US art student Shannon O’Connor, generated more than {{US$|25000}} in sales by 1 November 2019.{{Cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/business-50236702 |title='OK Boomer' has earned me $25,000, says student |last=Hooker |first=Lucy |date=1 November 2019 |publisher=BBC News |access-date=4 November 2019 }} Multiple trademark applications were filed for "OK boomer", including one from Fox Media in 2019 with the intent to launch "an ongoing television series featuring reality competition, comedy, and game shows".{{Cite news |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ok-boomer-trademark-application-filed-by-fox-media/ |title=Fox Media wants to trademark "OK boomer" |publisher=CBS News |last=Picchi |first=Aimee |date=19 November 2019 |access-date=24 November 2019}}

Variations

= OK zoomer =

Some writers and critics of the "OK boomer" meme responded with their own generational hostilities, particularly aimed towards members of Generation Z who are sometimes referred to as "zoomers".{{Cite web |last=Graham |first=Joshua |date=16 November 2019 |title=A Deep Dive Into The 'OK Boomer' Row |url=https://www.vogue.co.uk/arts-and-lifestyle/article/can-baby-boomers-and-generation-z-be-friends-ok-boomer |access-date=27 May 2022 |website=Vogue U.K. |quote=“OK, Boomer.” The catchphrase, coined by Generation Z (or Zoomers) on TikTok, has transcended the digital realm and planted itself firmly into popular discourse.}}

In The Spectator, columnist Cosmo Landesman wrote, "I suspect that future generations will want to stick the boot into the boomers too, but Generation Z will provoke nothing but a yawn. Their children will look at them and their infatuation with the latest bit of digital technology, roll their eyes and declare: OK zoomer."{{Cite news |last=Landesman |first=Cosmo |date=16 November 2019 |title=OK zoomer, is that really the best you've got? |work=The Spectator |url=https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/ok-zoomer-is-that-really-the-best-you-ve-got- |access-date=27 May 2022}} Comedian Bill Maher also took aim at what he described as a sense of impatience and moral superiority among Generation Z's activists such as environmentalist Greta Thunberg, in a "New Rule" segment for his HBO current events program Real Time titled "OK Zoomer."{{cite AV media |people= |date=6 November 2021 |title=New Rule: OK, Zoomer {{!}} Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYSLyvbR_1w |access-date=22 January 2023 |archive-url= |archive-date= |url-status= |publisher=Real Time with Bill Maher |via=YouTube }}

Responding to such criticisms, staff editor of The Bi-College News{{Note|The student newspaper of Bryn Mawr and Haverford Colleges.}}Viviana Freyer wrote, "When it is our turn to take the heat from 'Generation Alpha' and whatever generation comes next, we hopefully will understand that this comes with getting older, and we'll take the jokes with more grace than some thirty-something on Twitter getting overly defensive over side parts or cursive."{{Cite web |last=Freyer |first=Viviana |date=31 March 2021 |title="Ok, Zoomer": The Generation War Reaches New Heights. Or Is This Par for the Course? |url=https://bicollegenews.com/2021/03/31/ok-zoomer-the-generation-war-reaches-new-heights-or-is-this-nothing-new/ |access-date=27 May 2022 |website=The Bi-College News}}

= OK groomer <span class="anchor" id="OK groomer"></span>=

Colloquially, the word "groomer" refers to child grooming,{{Cite web |last1=Dodds |first1=Io |last2=Woodward |first2=Alex |date=14 April 2022 |title=GOP 'groomer' smears are sparking a new wave of anti-LGBT+ violence: 'This is going to lead to tragedy' |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/republicans-disney-groomer-harassment-lgbt-people-b2058272.html |access-date=27 May 2022 |website=The Independent |quote=...trolls called on Twitter users to disrupt conversations among LGBT+ people with the phrase “OK groomer”, a play on the Generation Z meme “OK boomer”...}} a person attempting to form trusting relationships with children, or their families or caregivers, in order to sexually abuse them.{{Cite news |date=1 December 2008 |title=When did 'grooming' become a dirty word? |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/7758292.stm |access-date=26 April 2024 |language=en-GB}} Originally, "OK groomer" was used on social media to address YouTube personality Onision, who had been accused of grooming young fans in 2020 and was the subject of a documentary produced by Chris Hansen.{{cite web|url=https://janebuxbaum.coventry.domains/discourse-analysis/analysis-of-ok-boomer/ |title=Analysis of 'Ok Boomer' |date=13 December 2019 |last=Buxbaum |first=Jane |work=janebuxbaum.coventry.domains |access-date=26 February 2024 }}{{Cite web |last=Zimmerman |first=Amy |date=17 February 2020 |title=The Creepy Cult of Onision: A 'Body Positivity' YouTube Star Accused of Preying on Young Girls |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-cult-of-onision-a-body-positivity-youtuber-accused-of-preying-on-young-girls |access-date=27 May 2022 |website=The Daily Beast}}{{Cite web |last=O'Connell |first=Mikey |date=3 December 2020 |title=Discovery+ Sets More Than 50 Original Titles for Launch Month |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/discovery-sets-more-than-50-original-titles-for-launch-month-4099770/ |access-date=27 May 2022 |website=The Hollywood Reporter}}{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/youtube-onision-lawsuit-grooming-1234676502/ |title=Controversial Former YouTube Star Onision Sued For Alleged 'Grooming' |last=Jones |first=CT |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=9 February 2023 |access-date=26 February 2024 }}