All These "OK Boomer" Memes Are Promoting Ageism in the Workplace
The “OK Boomer” meme that became popular in the final months of 2019 has led to one of the nastiest generational spats I’ve ever seen. It’s gotten so bad that in October, an article in The New York Times said the meme marked the end of friendly relations between generations.
I find the whole story to be equal parts frustrating and disheartening. Baby Boomers are those people born between 1946 and 1964. Aside from the amount of time they’ve spent on this earth falling within that 18-year window, what other commonalities do you think this group shares?
More than 500,000 surveys in the Valuegraphics database tell us the truth: NOTHING. Globally, Baby Boomers agree with each other on something just 16% of the time, so to accuse someone of “acting like a Boomer” does nothing but reveal ignorance. All Boomers believe and behave differently, and the same holds true for Generation X, Millennials, and Generation Z.
Stereotyping someone based on when they were born is merely a way for the group doing the insulting to feel better about themselves. It’s no different than stereotyping a group based on any other classification: race, gender, marital status, income level, education, etc.
The only difference? Lumping people together based on their age is not only acceptable, it’s encouraged! When “OK Boomer” hit the scene, it was trending on Twitter for weeks. Hashtags like #AdviceForBoomers took off, prompting a backlash from Boomers that included Myrna Blyth, an executive from AARP, saying Boomers “actually have the money.”
The truth is, when two groups commence with the mudslinging, everybody comes out dirty. One of the reasons I’m passionate about Valuegraphics is its potential to end the divisiveness we see with demographics, which are not only outdated but also inaccurate. We already have enough in this world that is driving us apart. Why add factors like age into the mix?
We’ve made tremendous progress in the way we talk to and about each other. We’ve come to realize that broad-brush statements are not only untrue, but they’re actually harmful. And yet, Millennials continue to be blamed for ruining everything from the diamond industry to homeownership, and, in response, joke that Baby Boomers destroyed the planet and can’t work smartphones.
Except it’s not a joke. These statements do nothing but push us further apart.
Generational Mud-Slinging Leads to Ageism
The other insidious side effect of all the demographic shaming we’re seeing is how it promotes ageism in the workplace. According to insurance provider Hiscox, 21% of people over the age of 40 have been the victim of age discrimination in the workplace, while 80% of people said it has impacted their career trajectory. Thankfully this disturbing trend is gaining more attention as authors and industry leaders like Ashton Applewhite and Patti Temple Rocks speak out against the only form of workplace discrimination we still tolerate. Still, so much remains to be done.
I frequently get contacted by people who are angry because they got passed over for a job due to their age. In advertising and marketing in particular, there’s a huge prejudice against anybody in a creative role after they hit age 40. After all, nobody past age 40 can be creative, right? That’s only the kooky 20-years-old with the crazy hair; they’re the creative ones!
If a 45-year-old is looking for a job because they got laid off from their last gig, they’re going to have a hard time finding anybody who wants to hire them because of two ageist beliefs:
“They’re going to retire soon, so why would we bother training them?”
“We’re not sure they’d fit in with the younger culture we have here.”
Judging someone’s creativity, loyalty, or culture fit based on their age is so incredibly shortsighted that it’s almost impossible to believe it happens—but it does, and far more often than you think. A huge part of the reason why is that we continue to use age as a way to slander each other.
We might think it’s harmless calling each grumpy old men, crazy old ladies, or young punks, but the truth is, each of these insults reinforces notions about each other that are harmful, and those harmful notions are the basis for ageist practices. At its core, ageism is an attitude built around a set of faulty beliefs about a group of people who share nothing in common except their age.
No Demographic Label Indicates Similarity
Think about it this way: you share your birthday with about 20.8 million people. What are the chances you have anything in common with them other than your birthdate? Even if you did, would you want to be judged for something as important as a job based on broad-brush stereotypes that had been haphazardly applied to your group of birthday mates?
Ageism is far from just a personal issue, too. According to a study from the Yale School of Public Health, ageism cost “$63 billion for a broad range of health conditions” in the U.S. in one year. It’s taking all kinds of productivity and opportunity out of the economy, out of individual companies, and out of people’s lives because they’re being put in boxes based on their age.
And this doesn’t just affect older workers, either. Younger workers can also be victims of ageism. As the results of one survey revealed: “employers are reluctant to hire people under 30 because they’re ‘unpredictable and they don’t know how to work.’”
Again, that’s an insane thing to say about a group of people who share nothing in common except the timeframe in which they were born, but it reminds me of some of the vitriol I’ve seen on social media lately. So, is it any wonder that vitriol seeps out when HR professionals and leadership teams go to hire new employees who come from a different generation?