OK Boomer is a catchphrase and internet meme which has recently gained popularity as a way to reference the tension between the baby boomer and millennial generations. Join the Rampant Discourse crew on a meandering discussion over lunch about generations: Which do we associate with? What are the first major events we remember? And does it even make sense to divide people up based on the year they were born?
By our powers combined, we are Rampant Discourse! Or Captain Planet. Or form Voltron. Or Superion. Or Megazord. Or Gogeta. Or something.
(millennial or gen-X) Defining moments of our generation: I didn’t hear mention the Gulf War ’91 or the O J Simpson trial ’95. These definitely effected me more than the challenger explosion ’86 or the berlin wall falling ’89.
Those are good ones! I regret not having given them a mention. A good middle ground before the ones that were a little too early to grasp the full impact of (Challenger and Berlin Wall) and later where we were already basically adults (9/11).
I remember both very well, of course. Some vivid memories around Gulf War and the first few days of it. After that, it sort of tails off. The problem is that a war isn’t as fixed a moment in time, making it harder to form those jarring and defining moment/memories. And the start of that war was fairly fluid. Schwarzkopf’s strategy depended on that.
The OJ trial, similarly, has a bit of a bifurcation. There’s the white Ford Bronco slow highway chase. Then there’s the acquittal. Even then there’s the later conviction in civil court to muddy the waters. I remember watching video of the Ford Bronco, and I remember where I was when people listened, fascinatedly, to their car radios about the criminal trial’s verdict.
Ultimately, though, none of those were as impactful on me as the things I mentioned. Which is probably why I continue to identify more with Gen-X.