In the past few months, the United States has entered a new era of conflict. Not one fought with weapons or between nations, but instead, the US has entered a generational war. And the millennials have declared it on baby boomers.
Armed with the now-iconic two-word quip, millennials are finally making the statement that they’re through with the hypocrisy of the baby boomers. “Ok Boomer” has become the staple response of millennials to the criticism of the baby boomers.
This war among generations is not just the product of today’s youth hearing too many “when I was your age” stories and not just the result of Boomer memes and insults flying over the age gap. This cultural conflict is the result of years of not only neglect, but denial of major crises from the baby boomers leading our country.
The biggest sparks of the millennials vs baby boomers conflict come from millennials efforts to combat issues, such as economic inequality and climate change, and the older generation’s pushing back. The differences in how these issues are viewed are likely due to the viewpoints from one side of the age gap and the other.
From the view of a generation that has their entire life ahead of them, climate change is far more urgent than it is to a generation whose majority of years are behind them.
Baby boomers tend to have viewpoints developed from years of hardships and experiences that today’s youth could never comprehend. When looking at the friction between generations from both points of view, one can clearly see why both sides are so set in their ways. Boomers see the how far the United States has come since the Cold War era, if not the World War era. They see the country as far better than where it used to be, which really is entirely true. Meanwhile, millennials see America for what it will be years down the line.
And in reality, many of the battles today’s youth are fighting parallel those of the baby boomers. Millennials fight to create a greener, more equal America for everyone, echoing many of the issues of the 1960’s and 70’s, such as protesting the Vietnam War, or fighting for racial equality. The lives of today’s youth don’t differ so much from that the boomers in their prime.
With so much in common, it can be hard to believe there is so much conflict between cultures in the US. However, the fight for an America that works for the future of the country is exactly what every young generation has done. Satisfaction among millennials with how things are now would be far more alarming than the fight for their future which we see now.
The same thing can be said about baby boomers. The reluctance for change comes from a sense of pride for what they were able to build. However, boomers should also realize that America belongs to the youth and change should be expected. The mindset of baby boomers, particularly those in our government, should not be one of complacency or reluctance for change.
And that is exactly where the term “OK Boomer” was born out of. It shows the millennials have lost the last of their patience and are no longer concerned with changing the mindset of the older generations. They have no interest in whether boomers see them as “competent” or intelligent. Their only goal now is fighting for their America and for the generations to come, just as the boomers did for them.
Luke Gobel, Contributing Writer
gobellz17@bonaventure.edu
