Young People Are Starting To Say "OK, Millennial" And Here Are 30 Examples

According to Know Your Meme, the Encyclopedia Britannica of memes, "OK Boomer" is a "dismissive retort often used to disregard or mock Baby Boomers and those who are perceived as old-fashioned and being out-of-touch."

The most prominent example of this comes from Chlöe Swarbrick, a New Zealand parliamentarian. After making a statement asserting that the average age of parliamentarians stood at 49 years old, her Gen X counterpart Todd Muller interrupted her, prompting Swarbrick to fire back with a well-timed "OK Boomer" retort.

With a significant presence, Generation Z encompasses approximately 26% of the global population, which translates to a staggering 2 billion individuals. Notably, Generation Z stands out as one of the most racially and ethnically diverse generations within the United States, with figures such as Greta Thunberg and Earthling Ed, reflecting a rich tapestry of backgrounds and cultures.

At its core, the "OK Boomer" meme originated as a concise way for Generation Z to resist claims of being an overly sensitive or incapable generation in the face of adversity. However, it has since evolved into a versatile response directed primarily at older generations, particularly Boomers, when they express opinions that are deemed presumptuous, patronizing, or politically incorrect. It serves as a retort to counter such viewpoints and challenge the perceived condescension inherent in them. As the New York Times called it: "It’s the digital equivalent of an eye roll."

As expected, Generation Z has turned their attention towards Millennials, or Generation Y, who were previously believed to share common grievances. However, according to social researcher Claire Madden, Millennials find themselves in an interesting position. “Millennials still feel young and feel a sense of relevance, but they’re also a bridging generation. What might be surprising to Gen Y is how quickly [they] are being superseded by the more tech-savvy generation who are emerging and entering the workforce and redefining the way we socialize, work, play and build relationships. That suddenly makes Millennials feel older than [they] perhaps realized,” she explained to The Sydney Morning Herald.

But is the bashing of millennials justified? Has the generational torch been dropped? It is the boomers, however, who have been accused of engaging in "generational plunder" by exploiting the nation's housing economy, consistently reducing their own tax burdens, funding wars through deficits, neglecting the urgency of climate change, overseeing the demise of America's manufacturing industry, and ultimately leaving future generations to grapple with the consequences of their actions.

As Bruce Gibney, author of 'A Generation of Sociopaths: How the Baby Boomers Betrayed America', argues: "This is a generation that is dominated by feelings, not by facts. The irony is that boomers criticize millennials for being 'snowflakes', for being too driven by feelings. But the boomers are the first big feelings generation. They’re highly motivated by feelings and not persuaded by facts. And you can see this in their policies."

Speaking with my 21-year-old journalist colleague Daniel Fauzi from the UK about the prevalence of the 'OK Boomer' meme, they believe "it mostly comes from younger generations rejecting the boomer’s values, making the traditions they care about seem trivial." While Fauzi personally hasn't had an opportunity to use the meme in real-life interactions, they observed many of their peers taking advantage of it when the situation called for it.

"There’s definitely something to be said about Gen Z differentiating themselves from millennials by doing so - I guess every generation wants to be doing things differently," Fauzi said to Bored Panda in a message. While Fauzi admitted to not being familiar with the 'OK Millennial' meme, they did notice a shift where Gen Z started directing their aim towards millennials. "I guess every generation wants to be doing things differently."

Jamie Cohen, a digital media culture expert who studies memes academically, shares the same sentiment with Fauzi. "Millennials deserve some of the pushback because Gen Z is so distinct from them. Millennials lived through 9/11 and a bunch of recessions, but Gen Z had a pandemic, 'Zoom school', school violence, and the wasting away of social media just as they're growing up. The last thing they want to hear is some Millennial telling them what to do or how great the '90s were," he told Bored Panda in an email.

According to Cohen, the notable influence of the 'OK Boomer' meme, to the extent of inspiring its contemporary iterations, can be attributed to its collective nature. "It's become quite clear that views held by boomers are unaligned with their younger generation counterparts as the boomers are likely the last generation (ever) to benefit from the capitalist growth of the industrial revolution," he explained. "So a good and effective retort to their outdated ideas is a simple, 'OK Boomer' which even sounds sarcastic."