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Re:Why Gen Z’s 'ok boomer' retort–and the responses to it–ar... by uberman on Saturday November 09, 2019 @05:05PM (#21494725)
This quote from the article exemplifies why this term is a problem:

"If you have to say ‘the n-word’ you know it’s worse than ‘Boomer’, you moldy sentient banana."

As used in the context of the article, "boomer" is a clear cut case of othering, just like any of the more traditionally offensive terms used to other. No, I am not technically a "baby boomer". I do however feel that ageist comments just like racist and sexist comments should be called out as inappropriate. Whatever the "ist" is that is the genesis of the label, it is irrelevant. I would rather not be called by some label used to other me with hostility and I am sure most would agree with that.

There are lots of terms tossed around today that are used with hostility that currently fly under the radar of what is unacceptable. Unfortunately, we have found a new one to use.

Re:Why Gen Z’s 'ok boomer' retort–and the responses to it–ar... by ThrowawayR2 on Saturday November 09, 2019 @07:44PM (#21495608)
"OK, boomer" doesn't really work that well as an insult anyway since it's easily flipped around as "OK zoomer". Both Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoomer under "Other uses") and the Urban Dictionary have an attestation of zoomer as a reference to Gen Z, so they'll know what it means.
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Re:Why Gen Z’s 'ok boomer' retort–and the responses to it–ar... by uberman on Saturday November 09, 2019 @09:40PM (#21496066)
I don't think the issue that anyone has is being identified with a demographic, be they "Boomer", "Gen-X", "Gen-y" like myself or "Millennial". The heart of why it is offensive is exactly what gets tacked on implicitly or explicitly like your "PC baby" comment.

Some members of group "A" using a slight against the members of group "B" does not give some members of group "B" a free pass to reciprocate. Both slights are wrong.

This is no different than the systemic waves of racism that have plagued US immigration for a half-dozen generations.

What I find most depressing is that a generation so often connected with "woke-ness", "post-racial", and "post-gender" ideas in the end is no different than any other generation. Once their "other" is found they will apparently delight in poking at it with feigned ignorance of the offence they cause.

Re:Why Gen Z’s 'ok boomer' retort–and the responses to it–ar... by mvuijlst on Saturday November 09, 2019 @04:59PM (#21494686)
It's a bit facile. The argument is basically "if you're offended by it, then you're the kind of person it's meant for".

Let's just see how that would fly with "ok bitch". Or "ok [insert epithet of choice]", for that matter.

Re:Why Gen Z’s 'ok boomer' retort–and the responses to it–ar... by justForFun69 on Saturday November 09, 2019 @05:46PM (#21495018)
I find this whole getting upset over “ok boomer” thing hilarious!

Older people (including boomers) have been complaining for a long time about PC culture.

Now, they are upset because the younger generation isn’t being PC with them.

That is ironic!!!

Re:Why Gen Z’s 'ok boomer' retort–and the responses to it–ar... by ThrowawayR2 on Saturday November 09, 2019 @04:51PM (#21494634)
I must say, as the child of immigrants, I'm mystified at why "They don’t get that Gen Z is going to be the first generation that has a lower quality of life than those prior." is seen as a valid complaint. Is it some kind of American-only thing?

The country of my forefathers had its cities leveled and millions of deaths in a war and, so those that survived it and the chaotic aftermath (which includes my parents) definitely had a lower quality of life than the preceding generation. And given the way the world is changing, the possibility of it happening again doesn't seem so remote as it once did. I can't recall ever having any certainty of the future being better than the past.

Re:Why Gen Z’s 'ok boomer' retort–and the responses to it–ar... by anigbrowl on Saturday November 09, 2019 @05:02PM (#21494709)
The last time the US saw across-the-board declines in the quality of life was during the Civil War, so yes. Also, American social scientists fetishize generational differences to an extreme degree, possibly because it allows for easy and relatively non-controversial statistical analyses.
Re:Why Gen Z’s 'ok boomer' retort–and the responses to it–ar... by weare138 on Saturday November 09, 2019 @05:33PM (#21494926)
The issue is that many of the Baby Boomer generation seem unaware of this fact or just don't seem to care.
Re:Why Gen Z’s 'ok boomer' retort–and the responses to it–ar... by krapp on Saturday November 09, 2019 @05:10PM (#21494755)
Assuming you're talking about World War 2, the US not only went through that relatively unscathed, but also made a ton of money bankrolling the reconstruction of Europe, Russia and Japan. So yes, it's basically a US thing.
Re:Why Gen Z’s 'ok boomer' retort–and the responses to it–ar... by masonic on Saturday November 09, 2019 @06:51PM (#21495359)

  the US not only went through that relatively unscathed
Well, sure, if you ignore the over 400,000 combat dead... which was more than double France's losses, and also greater than England's.

Bear in mind that's mostly young men who never saw their peak earnings years, so consider their economic impact as well.

Re:Why Gen Z’s 'ok boomer' retort–and the responses to it–ar... by krapp on Saturday November 09, 2019 @06:57PM (#21495390)
relatively unscathed.

The rest of the world had their cities burned to the ground, and their infrastructures and economies destroyed. Russia lost millions of people. Japan was victim to the only atomic bombs thus far used in warfare. What the US went through, comparatively, while not nothing, was still a cakewalk.

Re:Why Gen Z’s 'ok boomer' retort–and the responses to it–ar... by ohiovr on Saturday November 09, 2019 @06:01PM (#21495087)
There is something ugly about automatic contempt of 74.1 million people.