The antagonism between baby boomers and millennials is on the rise, and it’s bordering on outright bigotry.

This country is really on the brink of an all out civil war. While historically there has been tensions between generations, as each generation’s culture evolves, I’m not sure that there has been a case in recent history where there has been greater antagonism between generations. And I’m really concerned about the anger and malice behind phrases like “okay boomer.”

I’m not sure when “okay boomer” or the use of “boomer” as a negative term started. Google Trends analysis seems to indicate that breakout of the search term “okay boomer” started around the beginning of October, and according to Wikipedia, the phrase seems to largely have been popularized due to its use on TikTok. It’s a phrase that a lot of people seem quite happy to use, and there are a lot of people who have no issue with its use, including Disney heiress Abigail Disney.

More and more the “boomer” meme is blowing up on social media. I see it on Facebook. I see it on Twitter. I see it here, both in comments and used by authors! While in part “boomer” is just a meme, it’s really a lot more than that. It’s an expression of malice. It’s a negative view of a group of people, based on being part of a given age group. And it’s just as revolting as any other form of bigotry. It’s also incredibly lazy.

The 60s

The sixties may have been the most recent case where there was anything close to the generational antagonism that we see today. But even then, I don’t know if the issue was so much a generational issue as it was an issue of those who accepted the system and supported the system, vs those who opposed the system, regardless of age. The Vietnam War and “The Man:” it was these things that reactionary groups opposed, more so than people of any given generation.

Millennial Madness

Everyone seems to want to place blame somewhere. And I admit that there are those who want to blame younger generations. There’s a view held by certain people that millennials are lazy, that they don’t work hard, that they want everything given to them. This view is unacceptable. It’s also unfortunately a common one I feel. It seems to hold from one generation to another, and is part of the general antagonism between generations.

It is however worse now than it has been in the past. No, millennials don’t waste their money on avocado toast, and while there are certainly kids who decide to get useless degrees, there are plenty of hard working people who simply don’t have the opportunities that past generations had.

Boomer Doesn’t Mean That

People often try to argue away the bigotry of the term. A common argument is that “boomer” doesn’t actually mean that the person has to be of the baby boomer generation. It’s a “mentality.” Okay. Calling someone a “Jew” in a derogatory way, suggesting that they’re greedy or similar, doesn’t mean that the person is literally calling an individual a Jew. It’s still antisemitic. Similarly, creating an over-generalization and malicious derogatory term, connected to the people of the baby boomer generation, is ageist.

Words and Pedestals

I don’t want to be hypocritical. I’ll never say that a person cannot use a word. I’ll say that they should not use it, or they should not use it in a given way. First off, a word is just a collection of letters or sounds. It’s the meaning that matters. It’s the malice that matters. And really it is this malice that I criticize and oppose, rather than the use of the word. I hold this same attitude towards other words, including the “n-word.” I don’t think any word should carry so much weight that the mere use of it, even in discussions about its use, are intolerable. But that also doesn’t mean that I don’t oppose when people try to use those words to hurt others.

Intellectual Laziness

While bigotry is of course a problem, intellectual laziness is also an issue. More and more I see the phrase “okay boomer” being used. It’s pointless and meaningless. It also shows a degree of cowardice, as it’s an easy and lazy way out of defending a position, while simultaneously shutting down any discussion. It’s wholly unproductive, and quite frankly, a person who is willing to use “okay boomer” in response to comments, should stay out of discussions in the first place.

Okay People

I really don’t want this article to be a PSA. And honestly, I don’t expect the average fool on social media to avoid using it. I do however expect people on professional writing platforms to avoid ageism, bigotry, and intellectual laziness. There are far better ways to voice discontent, without relying on meaningless phrases and over-generalizations. We’re not going to make any progress, we’re not going to fix our problems, with this kind of behavior.