A boomer is someone who was born between 1946 and 1964.
The concept of boomer , coming from the English language , is used in the field of demography (the study of a human group based on statistics, focusing on its historical development or at a specific moment). The notion is framed in the so-called generational theory postulated by Neil Howe and William Strauss .
A generation is a group of individuals who were born in a period of about twenty years. That is, these are people who are of a similar age, so they tend to share certain characteristics linked to their time.
What is a boomer
A boomer , or baby boomer , is a person born between 1946 and 1964 . The boomer generation succeeded the so-called silent generation (whose members were born between 1928 and 1945 ) and preceded generation X (made up of those born between 1965 and 1981 ).
After World War II , there was a notable growth in the birth rate . This birth explosion is called, in English, the baby boom . That is why those who are part of this generation are called boomers.
It is important to keep in mind that, although common traits are attributed to people who share the same generation, these qualities differ depending on the country. An American boomer may have very different habits, attitudes, etc. than a Chinese boomer, to mention one possibility.
The boomers constitute the first generation that developed alongside TV.
Most common features
Beyond these distinctions, certain characteristics can be mentioned that, on a general level, tend to be common in boomers. In the Western world, for example, the boomer generation was the first to grow up with TV. Series such as “Bonanza” , “Gilligan's Island” , “The Addams Family” (or “The Addams Family” ), “Bewitched” , “Batman” and “I Love Lucy” left a cultural mark on those children and young people.
The Woodstock festival, the Vietnam War and the landing of humans on the Moon are among the events that left a mark on the boomer generation. Regarding the predominant ideology of the group, scholars point out that boomers tend to share the values of their parents.
The expression “Ok, boomer”
Thanks to the Internet , in recent years the expression “Ok, boomer” has become popular. This is a kind of criticism from members of generation Z and generation Y to the boomers.
The origin of the phrase is related to a video that went viral on social networks, where an older adult maintains that millennials do not want to grow up. Faced with this accusation, young people respond condescendingly: “Ok, boomer” ( “Okay, boomer” ).
Saying “Ok, boomer” , in this way, means agreeing with someone older, but not because you believe they are really right, but rather as discarding their thoughts or downplaying their position .
Denying the existence of climate change and rejecting technological innovation are two of the attitudes or positions that new generations attribute to boomers. Thus, when faced with proposals that are framed in these perspectives, millennials use “Ok, boomer” and continue to maintain their vision .