"OK, Boomer!" Am I the last person on earth to hear this term? This week, for me, it was one of those things where you become aware of a phrase for the first time, and then all of a sudden it's everywhere. Has been for most of 2019, apparently. Not sure where I've been hiding to have missed it.
In case you, too, have been under a rock, "OK, Boomer," is a nasty little, condescending dismissal lobbed at us Baby Boomers by the late teen/early 20-something crowd, with a disdainful, petulant sneer, waving us away, intended to convey disgust as in, "Yeah, yeah. So's your old man!" or whatever saying you might be familiar with that means, "You're a tiresome old gasbag, you know nothing, I am a teen, and I know everything, and I'm not listening to you because you screwed up my chances of surviving on this planet. And besides I have to show you how to do ANYTHING on your iPhone."
As insolent as this sass may be, part of me thinks these kids have a point. And they seem to be making themselves heard, what with their climate protests and devotion to Greta Thunberg. I can see how it must frustrate the heck out of them to clash with climate change deniers and endure endless images on social media of glaciers melting and plastic straws lodged up sea turtles' nostrils. Frustrates me too.
But the other part of me wants to smack somebody. Don't give me, "OK, Boomer!" Our generation deserves more respect than that, dammit, and things are just not that simple.
Or as I heard an interviewer ask a teen at an earth rally in Montreal, "What about the gas heat for your house this winter?" To which the clever clogs replied, "I'd rather be cold than dead." Oh, that's smart. Try it at -20 degrees Celsius for a couple of days, kiddo. You'll be glad mom and dad paid the utility bill and didn't chop up your bedroom set for firewood. I'm not saying things don't have to change. I'm just saying that not every one of us boomers is solely responsible for the mess the planet is in. Okay, maybe we are.
Kids are supposed to rebel against their elders. It's their birthright. I get it. I'm sure we had equivalent eye-rolls or "Honestly, mother, can you hear yourself?" phrases that raised our folks' blood pressure several notches.
What makes me want to scream is the following: Who do they think started the causes they are crusading for now? WE DID! THE BABY BOOMERS! Maybe even our parents were on the forefront!
OUR generation:
Started an environmental movement in the 1970s.
Burned our bras for women's liberation and equality.
Protested a war.
Some marched for civil rights.
Ditched our parents' music for rock and roll, folk and protest songs, and R&B.
Began to stand up to #MeToo situations that lurked in the work place.
Became thoughtful about where our food was coming from.
Changed our eating habits — some even embraced plant-based diets way back in the day.
Recycled. Car-pooled. Composted.
Grew our own veggies.
When it comes right down to it, I am actually glad the youth of today are taking up the torch for the environment and other causes. They've got the energy and drive, and seem to feel a sense of urgency that we Boomers can't seem to muster anymore. We're tired out, for gosh's sakes! For the last 40 years or more, we've been working, saving, planning for retirement. Most have been raising families. We've been sorting trash into the proper recycle bins. Maybe we've bought fuel efficient vehicles or taken public transit. We yell at each other, "Turn the light out if you're not in that room!" We turn the thermostat down at night. We can only accomplish so much against corporate profits and government inaction. Your turn, kids. Go out and make it a better, vegan, plastic-free, alternate fuel world.
Just don't give me, "OK, Boomer," because you think we've let you down. We're still fighting the good fight. And we're not in the nursing home yet. When we are, we want the heat turned up to a comfortable temp. You will too. One day.
