Baby Boomers are the generation born between 1946 and 1964. They came along when the birth rate spiked following World War II and are now between 59-77 years old. As the longest-living generation in history thus far, Baby Boomers have been able to secure quite the legacy. They continue to hold substantial economic and political power, even as they age, and there’s no question that their life experience has allowed them to amass wisdom that can be beneficial for youths.
However, just because Baby Boomers know about many things doesn’t mean they know about everything. The world has changed drastically since they were born, and it can be difficult to keep up with rapidly changing technology and an ever-changing world as we grow older. Baby Boomers have been deemed the “gloomiest generation” by a Pew Research Center poll, and have been known to emphasize the importance of being goal oriented and having a strong work ethic. However, for some, this means maintaining the “American Dream,” which many younger adults have realized is much different today than it was 40 years ago.
While you might view the Baby Boomer generation fondly, if you, your parents or your grandparents are part of it, there are some people out there who aren’t the biggest fans of this older generation. We’ve all heard the “OK, Boomer” phrase, which punctuated social media during 2020 and 2021, often in response to older generations sharing conservative political views online. “In essence, the meme emerged as a shorthand for Gen Z to push back against accusations of being a ‘fragile’ generation unable to deal with hardship,” Crystal Abidin and Jing Zeng explain in a piece for the Conversation.
“‘OK Boomer’ is a consequence of existing intergenerational discord, not its cause,” Abidin and Zeng went on to explain. “Gen Z faces growing threats such as climate change, political unrest, and generational economic hardship. Memes like ‘OK Boomer’ are ways to express intergenerational everyday politics to consolidate a shared awareness of the perceived failure of the Boomers.”
If you’re part of a younger generation, you may not be a fan of unsolicited advice from Boomers who don’t know what it’s like to be freshly out of university seeking a job nowadays. But of course, there are plenty of Boomers out there who aren’t out of touch. So to gain more insight on this topic, we reached out to a couple of our favorites: Jean Mader and Laura Bettinger of the award-winning OK Boomer podcast.
Jean and Laura created their show as a response to the famous phrase “OK Boomer,” which has become a dismissive act of ignoring a comment a Boomer says. “Instead of feeling upset or put off by eye rolls, we are here to gently remind Millennials and Boomers we are all OK! Let’s laugh and lean in together,” the hosts explain.
When asked about the topic of unwanted or toxic advice Boomers tend to give, Jean and Laura had a sense of humor. “You don’t want advice from the 1960’s? Really?” the hosts asked. “You get what you get, and you don’t get upset. Life is hard, get a helmet.”
“We’re just trying to help,” Jean and Laura noted. But if you don’t want their advice and simply want older generations to listen, the hosts are open to that too. “We can respect that!”
When it comes to what Jean and Laura want younger generations to understand about Boomers before dismissing or making fun of them, they told Bored Panda, “Give us grace with all of our tech traumas, challenges with the grocery store self-checkouts, and attempts to order DoorDash on a small phone with tiny print."
"Thank you for fixing our Wi-Fi and letting us share cute photos of you on Facebook," they added.
