The Rise of the "Ok, Boomer" Meme

Memes grow in popularity, and go viral fairly quickly. The latest meme is the "Ok, Boomer" meme. But how did it start?


For the last couple years the older generations have blamed the Millennial generation for the fall of industries: the diamond industry, the napkin industry, the housing industry, the list goes on. Millennials have been told they are privileged, selfish, lazy, and entitled. Millennials have been called "snowflakes," or "social justice warriors," as derogatory terms, when growing up they were told to embrace their individuality. Quite frankly, they got tired of it.

Dictionary.com says "OK boomer is a viral internet slang phrase used, often in a humorous or ironic manner, to call out or dismiss out-of-touch or close-minded opinions associated with the baby boomer generation and older people more generally."

While this meme may be sort of funny or ironic, it is not helpful. If we want to find and bring about solutions for real change we need to work together. Each generation has good ideas to bring to the table, and we need to recognize that we have things to learn from one another. As someone that sits on the line somewhere between Millennial and Generation Z, and who has parents that are from the Baby Boomer generation I've had to learn how to communicate across generations.

The biggest issue I have found is that people often get stuck in their prejudices without trying to see the other side of an issue. If we could learn to work together and understand each other we would probably be able to bring about the change that a lot of us want to see. Instead of sitting on the internet and yelling at each other through facebook comments, we could try to find ways to address the problems we see in our communities.

For instance, trying to get people to vote. A lot of people around the country don't believe that their vote will make a difference. Millennials, Baby Boomers, and even some of Generation Z. A lot of people have lost hope in our political system, but instead of fighting for change, we are fighting each other. Instead of fighting corruption, we are fighting on social media. It's easier for corrupt people to maintain control, when they pit us against one another. I think it's time that we stop working against each other and start working together.

How can you encourage voting in your community or help make it more accessible for everyone? Check out https://swagyoungvote.weebly.com/ to see how you can partner with the Southwest Action Group (SWAG) to help motivate disenfranchised youth to vote.