Watch: Millennial putdown ‘OK Boomer’ makes a cheeky appearance in the New Zealand Parliament
Or, how Chloe Swarbrick, a Green Party member put an older heckler in his place.
Chloe Swarbrick, a Green Party member of New Zealand’s parliament was giving a speech a on the Zero Carbon Bill when she was heckled by another National MP. Smoothly and collectedly, she clapped back with “OK Boomer,” and continued her speech seamlessly (seen in the above video).
The “OK Boomer” meme has become a symbol of collective exhaustion from younger generations like millennials and Generation Z, when faced with condescension from the generation of Baby Boomers.
“OK Boomer” has become something more than just an internet meme. It is both symptomatic of, and a response to the often insurmountable generational gap in debates between millennials or Gen Z’s and the Boomers. Younger generations are often written off as lazy, spoiled, narcissistic, technology-obsessed and perhaps most damaging, “snowflakes.”
In an interview with Stuff, Swarbrick explained “Young people have suffered a decade of jibes about how millennials have ruined everything and need to ‘pull our socks up,’ or something,” adding that “‘OK boomer’ acknowledges that you cannot win a deeply polarized debate — facts don’t matter.”
Ironically enough, those who come under the label of Boomers have been incredibly sensitive to the term “OK Boomer,” with one conservative radio host calling it an equivalent of the N-word.
Swarbrick herself has also responded to the Boomers’ anger at the term, “Today I have learnt that responding succinctly and in perfect jest to somebody heckling you about *your age* as you speak about the impact of climate change on *your generation* with the literal title of their generation makes some people very mad,” she said in a Facebook post.
Below is some of the recent OK Boomer discourse, and social media’s responses to Swarbrick’s piercing delivery of the same. Now included in the meme, is also mainstream media’s coverage of it:
Welp. (CC: @TaylorLorenz) pic.twitter.com/dXa8UnLzdC
— Kalhan Rosenblatt (@KalhanR) November 1, 2019
The rise and fall of "OK Boomer" is just further proof that nothing kills a meme quicker than the mainstream becoming aware of its existence. They really lose their shine once politicians and brands start using them, don't they? pic.twitter.com/O8NK4A0DzD
— Richard Lewis (@RLewisReports) November 7, 2019
"Ok, boomer" is similar to "Men are thrash" in the way that it's obviously not a literal blanket generalization, and shouldn't be regarded as such.
— Jaia Yap (@jaiayap) November 7, 2019
Rather, it's a criticism against a particular attitude and way of thinking—also enabled and supported by privilege.
Let's get a Boomer meme thread going: #okBoomer pic.twitter.com/TwK6h4IA8V
— 𝙊𝙠 𝘽𝙤𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙧 Brent► (@brentos93) November 5, 2019
Green MP @_chloeswarbrick was heckled by a National MP during her speech on the Zero Carbon Bill.
— Jason Walls (@Jasonwalls92) November 5, 2019
She fired back with "okay boomer" but the captions on Parliament TV clearly have not yet got the memo on millennial slang: pic.twitter.com/zF8Ogp4Geu
If you're offended by the "ok boomer" meme, relax. It's just a joke. In all actuality, nothing is okay.
— Alexandra Erin (@AlexandraErin) November 7, 2019
Millennials: [decades of arguing that our generation isn't overly sensitive and single-handedly destroying the economy/world]
— lord crunkington III 🇵🇭 (@postcrunk) November 6, 2019
Boomers: HA! what a bunch of snowflakes. Want a participation trophy?
Zoomers: ok boomer
Boomers: pic.twitter.com/K5EOhVtPGz
Boomer: “Go eat your avocado toast.”
— Just iPhone Thoughts📱 (@JustiPhoneThots) November 5, 2019
Millennial: “Ok, Boomer.”
Gen Xers: pic.twitter.com/zrX5ELFD9f
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