2019 was the year of 'OK boomer' and rampant ageism | IOL News

This year it became "OK" to be ageist. It became acceptable to digitally flick off your elders or young'uns on social media, to respond "OK boomer" or "OK millennial," when, in truth, the people being addressed were often far from OK.

It was the year when it wasn't enough to be precociously talented if you didn't possess the wisdom of the ages. Billie Eilish, who turned all of 18 last week, admitted to Jimmy Kimmel that she didn't know who Van Halen is, and was trolled mercilessly on social media. Hey, she admitted it! When do young folks admit not knowing something when they have a Googleapedia in their hand? No, she's ignorant, even if "Jump" was released almost two decades before her birth.

While many people - though certainly not all - try to be more sensitive about race, orientation and heritage, ageist tropes ran rampant. "Age-based prejudice is the last acceptable form of prejudice," says New York University's Michael North, who studies ageism in the workplace. "People are making age-based generalizations and stereotypes that you wouldn't be able to get away with about race or background.

People are getting away with it. This year, the baby boom was blamed for almost everything: the fate of the planet, Congress, college debt, plastic straws, the ending of "Game of Thrones." An entire generation was perceived to be operating as a giant monolith, mind-melded in its intention to make young people miserable for the rest of their long lives. Never mind that old people were once young, struggling, loaded with debt, facing a lousy job market, expensive housing, inflation.

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