Meanwhile back at the Supreme Court…. with DC all atwitter over impeachment and whatnot, this story about Chief Justice John Roberts’ question to a lawyer in an age-discrimination case caught my eye. At issue was whether the snarky phrase “OK, Boomer” would constitute an “actionable offense” if uttered by a hiring manager during a job interview. From the USA Today article:
The use of the phrase in a hypothetical situation drew laughter in the courtroom. “OK, Boomer” has become a biting slogan younger generations have used on platforms like TikTok and Twitter to express resentment toward older people, invoking the name of the baby boom generation.
Far be it from me to weigh in on such a momentous issue, but it did strike me that computer skills in particular were mentioned in the lawyer’s response to the Chief Justice’s question:
“If the decision-makers are sitting around the table and they say, ‘we’ve got Candidate A who’s 35’ and ‘we’ve got Candidate B who’s 55 and is a Boomer’ — and is probably tired and you know, doesn’t have a lot of computer skills, I think that absolutely would be actionable.”
Not sure what “tired” has to do with it. But in my book, the Luddite angle is particularly noteworthy. And I say that as the unabashed Boomer that I certainly am.
In any case…
Another article, this one from Quartz, also caught my eye today. In its own way it’s loosely related to the goings-on over at SCOTUS. Titled, “The Best Parts of Your Childhood Probably Involved Things Today’s Kids Will Never Know,” it details things that are part of cultural shifts over the past few decades. These include fewer opportunities for risk-taking, less abundant family-connections, and the loss of freedom from screen-time. Each has re-shaped childhood for today’s youth, and presumably has altered the landscape for us all.
Again, it’s not for me to presume or judge. Instead, let me offer a selection of family photos from my own childhood as testament to an earlier era. These were recently made available when my nephew (Thanks, Thom!) digitized all my parents’ and grandparents’ old slides from the years 1957 to 1988.
In case you missed it, I grew up on a farm. Was it better or worse than being adept at typing with your thumbs? My guess is that SCOTUS won’t decide that question this term, so you be the judge. I could tell you what _I_ think. But – sorry, Millennials – I won’t be typing it with my thumbs.