![]() If you’ve spent much time on Twitter lately, you’ve probably observed ample activity around #OKBoomer and #boomer. ‘OK boomer’ may be offensive to some, but it’s not a slur ![]() Much like the poorly aged ‘90s slang “talk to the hand,” “OK boomer” is a derisive repudiation, a bit mocking in tone, like a verbal eye roll - and it’s directed specifically by a young person toward someone older. The development of the word as a pejorative is a pretty recent phenomenon, best exemplified by “OK boomer” - a phrase that has gained heavy traction on the social video app TikTok, among other internet platforms. “Boomer” is also, evidently, an insult to an older person, who may or may not technically be a baby boomer. Much like “millennial,” “boomer” doesn’t merely indicate a person born in a given time or place, it’s a blanket term referencing the predominant trends, values and concerns of an entire generation. Frequently shortened to “boomer,” over the years the phrase has been imbued with layers of meaning and implication. ![]() Back in 1963, when the term “baby-boomer” was first published in a Salt Lake Tribune article, it carried just one definition: a person born during the tail end or in the decade after World War II, when the United States saw a tremendous spike in births.
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