Even though my teenagers sometimes say I am.
At least once a day one of of my four teenagers jokingly calls me “Boomer,” no matter how many times I remind them that I was an 80’s kid. Their good-natured ribbing occurs when I am struggling to figure out how to do something on my phone or computer. When I get frustrated enough, I begrudgingly ask one of them for assistance. They laugh a little, roll their eyes, and proclaim me to be a “Boomer” as they expertly do whatever it is I couldn’t get my blasted device to do on my own.
The first time one of them called me a Boomer, I patiently gave them a brief history lesson about the different generations and their corresponding names. I pointed out that, according to my birth year, I am a proud member of Generation X. I grew up in the 80’s, I exuberantly embraced jelly shoes, Day-Glo everything, and the original Nintendo entertainment system. Being that the Baby Boomer generation spans from 1946 to 1964, I couldn’t possibly be a Boomer. I explained that MY mother is a Boomer. In the face of that logic, I figured they couldn’t possibly think that I’m a Boomer anymore, but apparently I was wrong.
If you are called a Boomer by someone younger than you, they are referring to your state of mind or your opinions, not necessarily the year in which you were born. In fact, my daughters have told me that my mother is less of a Boomer than I am. Apparently my mom is the “hip Grandma” and hasn’t required their assistance with her phone or other devices. They love watching movies on the Disney Channel with her when we come to visit. They say my mom is “young at heart,” which I agree with.
The phrase “Ok Boomer” is sometimes thrown around by the younger generations, especially millennials and gen Z (which my teens are a part of), in a derisive way. They use it to describe an older person who is closed-minded and dismissive of the opinions of the younger generations. Calling someone a Boomer in that connotation may have come about as a way to combat the use of the word “millennial” as a put-down. A quick google search pulls up countless memes and jokes about millennials and baby boomers, and the antagonism that exists between the two generations.
I love my four teenagers, and we have a great relationship, even though they tease me about how much better they are at technology than I am. I appreciate that they can figure out 99% of the problems that I have with my devices, and that they are glad to show me how to do things with them. The next time one of them calls me “Boomer” though, I might have to remind them this “Boomer” mom and their dad pay for the internet and their devices that have taught them to be the technology whizzes they are. Take that, you bunch of Zoomers!
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Sources:
- https://www.nbcnews.com/better/lifestyle/ok-boomer-diving- generation-what-does-it-mean-ncna1077261
- https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/words-were-watching-zoomer-gen-z
- https://www.boredpanda.com/funny-millennials-vs-baby-boomers-tweets/?media_id=1210438
- https://cheezburger.com/10442757/a-little-dose-of-strange-zoomer-humor-for-the-generation-z-kids