Alex Henderson

Here Are Some Far-right Reactionaries the Term ‘OK, Boomer’ was Perfectly Designed For 

 ALEX HENDERSON, ALTERNET, JANUARY 1, 2020 

During the 1960s, some members of the Baby Boomer Generation were fond of saying, “Never trust anyone over 30.” And now, ironically, Boomers — or at least some Boomers — have become targets of the dismissive expression, “OK, Boomer,” which is used primarily by Millennials and members of Generation Z. The expression certainly isn’t aimed at everyone over 60; Sen. Bernie Sanders, who is 78, and the 70-year-old Sen. Elizabeth Warren aren’t the typical targets of “OK, Boomer” — in fact, Sanders enjoys more support among Millennials and members of Gen-Z than he does among people his own age. But it is typically used out of frustration when a far-right Boomer says something that is clueless, reactionary and painfully out-of-touch; for example, a Millennial or Gen-Z member might offer a mountain of evidence on medical bankruptcies to show how broken the United States’ health care system is — and when the Boomer, indoctrinated by Fox News and AM talk radio, still insists that the U.S. has the best health insurance system in the world, the Millennial or Gen-Z member might respond, “OK, Boomer.”

Here are some far-right reactionaries who the expression “OK, Boomer” was tailor-made for.



1. Rush Limbaugh

Radio host Rush Limbaugh, now 68, has been wrong time and time again — and no amount of evidence will change his mind about the War on Drugs (which he has wholeheartedly supported), the Iraq War (a foreign policy disaster he championed) or the health care crisis in the U.S. Even when Limbaugh had an addiction to OxyContin in 2003, he wouldn’t acknowledge that the War on Drugs was a failure. And when he was admitted to the hospital in 2010 after suffering chest pains, Limbaugh asserted, “I don’t think there’s one thing wrong with the United States health system.” Sure, millionaires have easy access to top-notch health care; others suffer medical bankruptcy or avoid going to the doctor when they get sick because they can’t afford it.

2. Ted Nugent

During his youth, Ted Nugent went to great lengths to avoid serving in the Vietnam War. But these days, the hard rock singer/guitarist and far-right activist, now 71, views himself as hell-belt for the U.S. military and insists that liberals and progressives could never be as patriotic and pro-military as he is. Democrats have a long history of being hawkish militarily, from World War I and World War II to the Korean War; regardless, Nugent clings to the notion that only far-right Republicans love the military.

3. President Donald Trump

President Donald Trump is full of contradictions. He has hardly lived the life of a Christian fundamentalist, yet he panders to the Christian Right. Trump claims to be a fiscal conservative, yet the U.S. has a huge federal deficit under his watch. Trump claims to sympathize with the millions of Americans who lack health insurance or are seriously underinsured, but he has tried to roll back the modest gains of the Affordable Care Act of 2010, a.k.a. Obamacare. And when he is contradicting himself on Twitter or at a MAGA rally, there are no doubt plenty of Millennials and Gen-Z members thinking, “OK, Boomer.”

4. Bill O’Reilly

Inundated with sexual harassment allegations, Bill O’Reilly left Fox News in 2017. But that hasn’t prevented O’Reilly, now 70, from ranting about the Culture War and insisting that he is a staunch social conservative. It was O’Reilly who, more than anyone, pushed the silly conspiracy theory that there is a “War on Christmas” being carried out by liberals and progressives. One can point out to O’Reilly that even in the most Democratic U.S. cities, one is surrounded by Christmas songs, Christmas lights and Christmas decorations — yet he still insists that the “War on Christmas” is alive and well, no doubt inspiring some of his younger critics to roll their eyes in frustration and say, “OK, Boomer.”

Alex Henderson is a news writer at AlterNet and veteran political journalist. His work has also appeared in Salon, The Raw Story, Truthdig, The National Memo, the Philadelphia Weekly, the New Civil Rights Movement, Democratic Underground, L.A. Weekly, MintPress News and many other publications. Follow him on Twitter @alexvhenderson.