TikTok's 'OK Boomer' Needs to End with 2019
By Adrien D’ Aprile, Contributor
In the digital age, you’ve likely already heard this expression on social media or amongst friends. “OK Boomer” is a phrase most often used by younger people to express discontent and frustration at older generations. After a New Zealand Member of Parliament used the term against a colleague last November, the media began to focus on more than just “OK Boomer.”
This retort is taking on a larger meaning — it demonstrates the generational disconnect between Baby Boomers and Gen Z, the group of people born after World War II to the early sixties versus those born around the mid-nineties to the early 2000s. Despite floating around the Internet for years, “OK Boomer” spread in popularity on the social media app TikTok, which targets Gen Z through lip syncing, meme sharing, dance performances and more.
TikTok warmly adopted the term “OK Boomer” and since then, its content creators have made short videos in which they use the epithet unabashedly and scornfully, mock the elderly they deem to have “boomer” status, express frustration about comments of their appearance from seniors and more. One user pretended to terminate life support from his grandfather by pulling the plug. Plenty of compilations on YouTube show the generational warfare unraveling in front of its viewers.
Even before “OK Boomer” exploded with popularity, the stresses of generational tension were conspicuous (of course, previous generations historically regard the newer ones unfavorably). The arguments amongst Millennials and Baby Boomers have continued for years on end. Now, bolstered by the passion and youthful vigor of sixteen-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg, Generation Z is expressing discontent at the looming threats of climate change, along with rising costs of college education and financial inequality. Going into 2020, they appear more energized and active than ever before.
The passion nor the political opinions of a large swath of Gen Z is not what I take issue with here. I challenge how people are using “OK Boomer” to worsen the deep divide in our nation. This scornful phrase not only downplays their argument but also weakens their credibility. The elderly do not need to be harassed and accosted by young adults; they need comfort, assistance and reassurance in the face of a bleak, depressing and often lonely world. Debasing their opinions based solely on their age is unequivocally ageism and adds another mounting stressor on top of many. According to the website SeniorLiving.org, one in four elderly people will fall in any given year, which often leads to serious injury and death. Approximately 75 percent have more than one chronic illness. And unfortunately, we are all too familiar with winter stories of older citizens unable to afford fuel to warm their homes. Clearly, they have enough to worry about.
The point of this article, if misunderstood, is not to bash TikTok nor victimize seniors — they often fuel the flames too. TikTok is an outlet for young people to express their creativity, collaborate with others and give humorous relief to its viewers. Even though bitter and splenetic seniors that openly judge youth’s appearance exist, the “OK Boomer” petty name-calling will only serve to harm both sides in the future. Working to fix imminent issues does not begin with harassment nor belittlement. Although it’s important to be honest about emotions, blindly unleashing anger against a whole generation does nothing productive for anyone.
On July 25, 2016, former First Lady Michelle Obama addressed the nation when she confidently said, “When they go low, we go high.” It’s time for Gen Z and others to follow suit, take the high road, and give up “OK Boomer.”