What started as a Tik Tok trend responding to things that older people tend to say to younger people, has turned into a raging debate between people from 18-65 years old according to Vox. Is it the start of an intergenerational war? Or are we really just going through the track of rebelling against societal beliefs. I believe that it is the new age of generational gaps causing conflict with those who are ‘out of touch’.
In reference to the Baby Boomer generation, teens on Tik Tok have been making reaction videos that basically show an older person saying something inaccurate or offensive to modern culture, and the teen sarcastically agreeing by saying “Okay Boomer,” according to Vogue magazine. These videos have become increasingly popular, and I myself have been tempted to make them after an adult says something that shows the lack of understanding they have for our generation. But, can we blame them?
The Baby Boomer generation lacks the development with social media and technology that our generation has. They grew up in the 60’s, when TV’s were still somewhat of a commodity in households. We grew up in a time where you knew how to use a phone with a screen before you could cross the street by yourself. So it makes sense that they don’t totally get our norms and ways of life.
Although we cannot necessarily blame them for not understanding the things that come easy to us like social media and technology, sometimes the response is valid. Because it is usually in response to a comment that deems them out of touch; it is usually because they are also set in their opinions. Teenagers nowadays are so much more in tune with what is going on in the world because the news and media is at their fingertips. Boomers, on the other hand, do not find that news and diverse media opinions as easily. So, they tend to stick with their opinions because that is what they know and criticize the younger generations for calling them out, but is it not necessarily intentional.
I don’t know that the response of saying “OK Boomer” to older people is necessarily the most effective way of calling them out. It can be offensive because it is calling out the entire generation, rather than a single ill-informed person. But, there are some things that this generation is criticized for by older people, because they simply don’t know what is going on from our eyes. There are other ways to call them out for this, but an innocent “OK Boomer” in a simple viral video is not the generational discrimination that some older folks are making it out to be. It is just our generation feeling misunderstood and wanting to call it out.
Jennah Klein, Photography Editor
