Okay, Boomer This

Rodney Dangerfield was onto something when he said, “I get no respect.” 

Elders are now left behind like forgotten books on a shelf. Historically, they were revered, but now, they might as well be put on ice floes and sent to the palace in the sky. Growing up, elders commanded respect. If they were walking down the street, people would make room so they could pass. Their wisdom would be sought after, not something you’d scroll past on social media.

But now, we’ve become the new elders, and it’s as if we’ve turned into the relics of a bygone era. That comment might be a broad brush stroke, but I’m floored by how all the accumulated experience and wisdom we’ve gained gets reduced to a meme or dismissed with a snarky “Boomer” when we’re more like a boomerang. 

We were the ones burning bras, demanding equality, and having to tolerate a level of sexual harassment that today would send HR into a tailspin. Back then, there was no one to complain to, never mind HR. But apparently, we know nothing about raising kids, having opinions, or other vital matters. Today’s generations don’t understand the trenches we’ve been through, so it doesn’t register.

If I were in the younger generations’ shoes, perhaps I’d be the same way. I was taught as a child to speak when I’m spoken to, to respect my elders, and to address adults by Mr. or Mrs. I’d like to think I’d experience at least a little courtesy at this age. Case in point: I was out with a friend, who held the door open to a building to let me pass. A young lady quickly sauntered through, eyes glued to her phone like we were her personal doormen—no thank you, no acknowledgment. What happened to manners, considerations, and courtesies? I’m not asking for Emily Post. I was busy picking my jaw off the floor, but who cares? On the same walk, a row of young adults refused to move aside to accommodate us on the sidewalk, forcing us onto the road so they could continue in a row instead of sharing the space in a line. 

We’re among the most powerful and resilient demographics, yet society seems to have ghosted us. It’s wild, sitting on decades of life experience, yet somehow, we’ve become invisible. We’re like Wi-Fi—everyone uses it, but no one appreciates it until it’s gone. We’ve survived world-changing events, fought for equality, raised families, built careers, and, let’s not forget, we figured out how to master the internet all without being born with a smartphone in our hands. But do we get credit for it? Nope. Instead, we get eye-rolls and the occasional “Okay, Boomer,” like our collective wisdom is a punchline.

And here’s the kicker: we’re not just any demographic. We’re the ones with the spending power. We’re making decisions, driving markets, and shaping the world in ways the younger generation hasn’t even begun to realize. But somehow, the narrative has shifted to where we’re seen as out of touch, irrelevant, or—heaven forbid—uncool. We are the original rebels, for Christ’s sake! We disrupted the system and continue to march for change, and, yes, maybe rocked a few too many questionable fashion trends along the way, but we did it with purpose! And now? It’s like we’re the last ones to be consulted, even though we’ve seen so much.

But that could be the problem. Our experience has shed light on how things end up because we’ve been through various versions. Maybe that’s why our advice gets shrugged off—it’s like a spoiler alert for life, and no one wants to hear it. But guess what? You can only reinvent the wheel so many times before realizing it’s still a wheel. It seems no one cares that we actually know what we’re talking about. Instead, we’re left contemplating life’s existential questions while getting cut off in the coffee shop line by someone who thinks courtesy went out with the rotary phone. It’s tempting enough to want you to start wearing a T-shirt that reads, “Respect your Elders.”

I’m continually playing catch-up. Every day, it’s something new—more technology, another cell phone upgrade, the latest gadgets, apps, and cultural shifts you can barely keep track of. It’s like adapting has become a full-time job. And we’re doing it despite being born when things were already moving fast. We’ve become chameleons, constantly adapting and evolving. But does anyone recognize that as resilience or strength? No. Instead, it’s laughed off as us still being “too slow” or dismissed as “cute.”

What is funny, in a cosmic, last-laugh kind of way, is that no matter how many influencers go viral or how much nonsense is out there, the fact remains, if we’re lucky, we’re all going to get old, and we’re all going to transition. A straight-up, no-escape, universal truth. So why not tap into the wisdom of those who’ve already walked this path? Why not preserve the precious heartfelt knowledge, the life hacks—the recipes, the survival strategies, the grit and grace that got us through tough times? The experiences that sculpted our awareness with laser accuracy while wrapping us in a cloak of unshakeable wisdom. Why not embrace the lessons from those who have been there, done that, and pay it forward?

I think it won’t hit them until their bodies start to change—their breasts drop, their six-pack turns into a party keg, their indomitable spirits wobble, and they start feeling their vulnerabilities. Maybe then they’ll finally understand that those who’ve come before them deserve respect – for the decades we’ve lived, the battles we’ve fought, the adaptations we’ve made, and the positive changes we’ve helped create to make their lives easier and better in the same way that they will want respect in their senior years.

But for now, even that thought gets no respect.