Ok boomer meme meaning

Ok boomer (Okay boomer) — ia a a derogatory phrase often used by millennials and zoomers in relation to the so-called boomers.

Origin of OK Boomer meme

The terms boomer, zoomer, and millennial come from a common Strauss–Howe generational theory. According to this principle, there are 4 main generations: baby boomers (or just boomers), generation X, generation Y (millennials) and generation Z (zoomers).

In 2019th, the meme Ok boomer became widespread. It is not known exactly who and when introduced this phrase into everyday life. But its first mention on Twitter dates from April 2018th.

Since January 2019th, various memes «Ok boomer» began to appear in social networks. One of the first is a parody of the meme «Ok retard». In this new version, the Doge meme has become viral on Twitter.

“Ok Boomer” — flashmob on TickTok

In mid-October 2019, the meme “Ok Boomer” began to be actively distributed on TikTok and Instagram. The most resonant was the video ticker @linzrinzz. She recorded her reaction to the moralizing speech of an elderly man who criticized the zoomers and millennials. In the video, the girl rolls her eyes, listening to this speech, and then writes on the notebook “Ok boomer”.

The video became viral, and other users began to parody it. As a result, a small flashmob was formed, which resulted in a whole movement. In parallel with this, on Instagram and Twitter, users continued to popularize the new meme.

The song “Ok, boomer”, written by student Jonathan Williams, became a kind of hymn to the zoomers. Later, a remix was made on it, which they began to actively use in TikTok.

“Ok Boomer” — The New York Times article and Boomers answer

The New York Times drew attention to a new trend, which released a detailed analysis of the phenomenon on the 29th. Other major media outlets wrote about the conflict between boomers and zoomers. These articles clarify that the phrase “Okay Boomer” is not just a youth protest, but a well-thought-out philosophy. It boils down to the fact that representatives of the generation of baby boomers are not able to accept social progress and do not care about young people. They do not care about the environment and even chose a president who shares their views. In other words, they betrayed the ideals of the great «American dream».

At the same time, Boomers like to criticize the Zoomers and Millennials, accusing them of frivolity and inability to change the future. They don’t understand how flash mobs, memes or T-shirts with inscriptions can somehow improve society.

On November 4th, radio host Bob Lonsberry tweeted that the word «boomer» is tantamount to a racist insult (same as N-word). The man quickly deleted his tweet, but managed to get thousands of messages with the phrase «Okay Boomer».

Ok Boomer meaning

The “Okay Boomer” meme in the broad sense is the reaction of young people to adult moralizing. But instead of engaging in polemics with the Boomers and trying to prove something, the Zoomers simply ignore them. The phrase “Ok Boomer” is equivalent to rolled eyes (hi Robert Downey Jr.). It could have sounded completely like this: “Okay, Boomer, you said you wanted to, but I don’t care about that”.

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