What is with the 'boomer' misuse?

[BarkingGhostar]

While seeking out my fix of dopamine I will usually go read content (fluff?) over at Reddit. There is certainly some good stuff over there and there is also a lot of crap. I noticed in recent months that the use of the term 'boomer' being applied to events, situations and whatever story it may be that someone being labelled as a 'boomer' just because they are not young. I know my autism tries to keep me in the justice lane a lot of the time but I find it insulting on the one hand and an example of Idiocracy on the other hand.

Cultural generations are defined by major changes in culture. For instance, the inception of my generation (X) was due to the Vietnam war. The Boomer generation, which came directly before mine, was the result of the end of WW2. The Y generation (millennials) came with 1980 and all of the changing starting events therein, and the Z-generation was the Y2K mistakes.

But I find it funny when someone refers to a 30-something as a Boomer just because they are not a teenager, or even a twenty-something. The term seems to be catchy, yet also an indicator of how the young seem to care not the original meaning and just blindly use a word for whatever they feel like using it for. And while I missed being a Boomer by a single year, if some snot-nosed punk called me one in person I would probably set forth a psychological war to ruin the fool's day, month or even life, while silently plotting their demise.

So, how do those of you from your respective generations find it when another generation mislabels your generation, or worse, mislabels you?

Note: Idiocracy is a movie from the early 2000's. It is a funny movie that has lost its comedy because as most like me have noticed it has turned into a documentary. The fall of the western civilization is upon us, IMO.

 

[sdifox]

Ok, boomer is a meme

 

[brianmanahan]

https://imgur.com/Yv2YhYn

 

[dank69]

... And while I missed being a Boomer by a single year, if some snot-nosed punk called me one in person I would probably set forth a psychological war to ruin the fool's day, month or even life, while silently plotting their demise.

...

That's boomer energy right there. If you don't want to be called a boomer, don't act like one. It's easy.

Look, the boomer generation took advantage of a lot of the benefits of a functional government and then burned it all down before Gen X (you and me) and the rest of the generations could benefit because they didn't want to pay for it like their parents did for them.

 

[brianmanahan]

for many people, "boomer" has now come to mean anyone that is older than them and that they happen to disagree with

 

[pmv]

While seeking out my fix of dopamine I will usually go read content (fluff?) over at Reddit. There is certainly some good stuff over there and there is also a lot of crap. I noticed in recent months that the use of the term 'boomer' being applied to events, situations and whatever story it may be that someone being labelled as a 'boomer' just because they are not young. I know my autism tries to keep me in the justice lane a lot of the time but I find it insulting on the one hand and an example of Idiocracy on the other hand.

Cultural generations are defined by major changes in culture. For instance, the inception of my generation (X) was due to the Vietnam war. The Boomer generation, which came directly before mine, was the result of the end of WW2. The Y generation (millennials) came with 1980 and all of the changing starting events therein, and the Z-generation was the Y2K mistakes.

But I find it funny when someone refers to a 30-something as a Boomer just because they are not a teenager, or even a twenty-something. The term seems to be catchy, yet also an indicator of how the young seem to care not the original meaning and just blindly use a word for whatever they feel like using it for. And while I missed being a Boomer by a single year, if some snot-nosed punk called me one in person I would probably set forth a psychological war to ruin the fool's day, month or even life, while silently plotting their demise.

So, how do those of you from your respective generations find it when another generation mislabels your generation, or worse, mislabels you?

Note: Idiocracy is a movie from the early 2000's. It is a funny movie that has lost its comedy because as most like me have noticed it has turned into a documentary. The fall of the western civilization is upon us, IMO.

I genuinely worry about this (as Gen-X). Anyone "old" is now a "Boomer".

I fear it's a sign that young people's resentment about Boomers will be transferred to us, once those Boomers start to die off - even though we didn't get the advantages (of a good economy, and affordable housing, and good pensions, and so on) that the Boomers did. And there aren't very many of us, so unlike Boomers we'll be outnumbered. Old age is probably going to be grim.

There's a clear sign of this here, with the "triple lock" (state pensions rising in line with inflation, wage growth, or 2.5%, whichever is higher) that has been Tory policy for ages, causing pensioners to increase in income faster than everyone else - but which looks as if it's going to be scrapped just as the first Gen-X reach pension age.

[EDIT] I mean, when I was young, pensioners, like my grandparents, were almost always very poor. That was just taken as a given, that old people were almost comically frugal and had no money. Then that changed for a long period (pretty much exactly the era when Boomers reached pension age) and recently we've gone through an era where a lot of pensioners were very well off.

Now I read its apparently changing back again (partly because it's become clear many future pensioners, from Gen-X onwards, won't be home-owners or council house tenants, as in the past, but will be renting privately in our very expensive and insecure private-rental sector, and partly because of reductions in how generous pensions are).

Combine that with the fact that Gen-X pensioners in particular will be small in number and so have very little political influence, and it feels a bit scary.

 

[brianmanahan]

I genuinely worry about this (as Gen-X). Anyone "old" is now a "Boomer".

I fear it's a sign that young people's resentment about Boomers will be transferred to us, once those Boomers start to die off - even though we didn't get the advantages (of a good economy, and affordable housing, and good pensions, and so on) that the Boomers did. And there aren't very many of us, so unlike Boomers we'll be outnumbered. Old age is probably going to be grim.

that's my expectation as well. "screw old people" will probably become a bigger thing over time, with benefits being cut and care becoming extremely expensive.

it's part of why i'm working a job i hate far longer than i might need to. gotta save a ton of money just in case.

 

[stargazr]

As far as mislabeling, I think a lot of people are unaware of the actual years associated with each generation. OP is right though, the boomer generation was already technically 18 years long but now extends far beyond that.

I think OP doesn't like being grouped together with the people who "burned it all down". Not everyone born in the sixties walked away with a pension or cheap housing.

One thing I don't like is the stupid memes about how great the old folks were compared to younger people because they didn't have smartphones, played outside and drank from the hose etc. It's a whole different world.

 

[dank69]

that's my expectation as well. "screw old people" will probably become a bigger thing over time, with benefits being cut and care becoming extremely expensive.

it's part of why i'm working a job i hate far longer than i might need to. gotta save a ton of money just in case.

I genuinely worry about this (as Gen-X). Anyone "old" is now a "Boomer".

I fear it's a sign that young people's resentment about Boomers will be transferred to us, once those Boomers start to die off - even though we didn't get the advantages (of a good economy, and affordable housing, and good pensions, and so on) that the Boomers did. And there aren't very many of us, so unlike Boomers we'll be outnumbered. Old age is probably going to be grim.

There's a clear sign of this here, with the "triple lock" (state pensions rising in line with inflation, wage growth, or 2.5%, whichever is higher) that has been Tory policy for ages, causing pensioners to increase in income faster than everyone else - but which looks as if it's going to be scrapped just as the first Gen-X reach pension age.

[EDIT] I mean, when I was young, pensioners, like my grandparents, were almost always very poor. That was just taken as a given, that old people were almost comically frugal and had no money. Then that changed for a long period (pretty much exactly the era when Boomers reached pension age) and recently we've gone through an era where a lot of pensioners were very well off.

Now I read its apparently changing back again (partly because it's become clear many future pensioners, from Gen-X onwards, won't be home-owners or council house tenants, as in the past, but will be renting privately in our very expensive and insecure private-rental sector, and partly because of reductions in how generous pensions are).

Combine that with the fact that Gen-X pensioners in particular will be small in number and so have very little political influence, and it feels a bit scary.

Fret not gentlemen. UBI is coming within our lifetimes. Billionaires have been fighting it tooth and nail as usual but it ends one of two ways: UBI, or UBI after eating the rich.

 

[Seba]

A global GULAG is also in the works.

 

[dank69]

A global GULAG is also in the works.

Russia can't even defeat expired NATO munitions, I think we're going to be okay.

 

[AdamK47]

Any attitude from someone older that is considered obstinate, stubborn, or selfish automatically gets the Boomer label. It's spillover of the overwhelming negative connotations this generation exudes.

 

[AdamK47]

DP

 

[BoomerD]

You fckn punks get the fuck off my lawn!

 

[WelshBloke]

Fret not gentlemen. UBI is coming within our lifetimes. Billionaires have been fighting it tooth and nail as usual but it ends one of two ways: UBI, or UBI after eating the rich.

I pick option two!

 

[dank69]

I pick option two!

A fellow man of culture. Break out the fava beans and Chianti.

 

[RPD]

You are over thinking it.

Basically it's two check boxes.
Are you older than the person making the statement and are you acting like a douche? If yes to both, OK Boomer.

 

[Torn Mind]

The reality is that the generations from boomer until the present are more similar than different, with technology and furniture changing more than the living experience. Grandma or great-grandma fell in love with a boy band(Beatles) or hottie singer(Elvis). If anything later gens are generally less violent because there was less rough shit to go nuclear over and create corresponding music with.

The youth fear the old because it is how will they end up. Boomer is a lazy cope insult.

Once things become old, perception of things get put in a "time blender", where the ridiculous associations of people with no relation to each other being contemporaries start showing up. 20 years is a big deal right here in the moment. But in 200 years? "Same of bunch of guys". Mention 1840 and 1820, and that's exactly the response most people have even though things did change a lot. Or consider a 90-100 year parent and their 70 year old offspring(Think Kirk and Michael Douglas). Different lives...but oh, grey hair and being old equals "same experience and upbringing".

 

[Charmonium]

There are cool boomers and ones that more fit the classic stereotype of the Ugly American. You have people that grew up doing all manner of mind altering chemicals and ones who grew up on beer and JD (Jack Daniels). They're two readily identifiable groups.

Of course I'm painting with a broad brush. But to the extent I've captured an actual difference, it tends to be expressed in their behavior. The first group might be boomers but they don't identify as such. So having that moniker applied to them might be feel vaguely insulting, but since it doesn't really apply, I think that most aren't offended.

From a certain point of view, age isn't relevant. Who you are is relevant and that's what people will respond to.

edit - people can only insult you if you feel insulted.

 

[dank69]

You are over thinking it.

Basically it's two check boxes.
Are you older than the person making the statement and are you acting like a douche? If yes to both, OK Boomer.

Yeah a younger twin can use it as a response to their older twin for extra lulz.

 

[WilliamM2]

I always thought generations were too long. I'm a boomer, if I had been born a few months later I'd be Gen X.

Boomer is defined as being born 1946 to 1964. What does a person born in 1964 have in common with someone born in 1946? Nothing. My dad was not in WW2, or any other war, he was too young.

I didn't experience the 60's, I was 5 when they ended. No war protests, no hippies, it was all over by the time I became an adult in the 80's.

 

[JM Aggie08]

Textbook boomer post.

 

[WilliamM2]

Textbook Gen Y post.

 

[sactoking]

My brother in law is 28 and went to EMT school recently after working several years as a ski patrol medic and paramedic. Most of the other kids in the EMT program were 5-8 years younger than him. They all called him Boomer.

 

[Seba]

To a 5 years old, a 12 years old is a boomer.