Last weekend, students received yet another of President Claire E. Sterk’s trademark schoolwide emails; of course, Emory students are no stranger to mass emails, with talks about Israel-Palestine relations and the infamous “Listservgate” still in recent memory. Students are quite accustomed to the tone-deaf floundering with which these emails address complex issues, but the new email still caught people off guard as it explored the ramifications of the term “ok boomer.” Below is a copy of the email:
“Dear Members of the Emory Community,
It has come to our attention that certain exclusionary words have been circulating this campus and I want to make clear that this type of speech is not conducive to our culture here at Emory. Recently, a certain N-word-using law professor’s RateMyProfessor page has become flooded with reviews just reading “Ok, boomer.” Of course, Emory prides itself as an institution that protects the freedom of speech, but frankly I am disappointed that our community was so discriminatory against this poor professor who did absolutely nothing wrong except be born at the wrong time.
In a new age of information, we must be all the more conscious of the words we use and how our language changes over time. I was initially caught off guard with this new slur, because back home in the Netherlands, we used ‘boomer’ to refer to an exceptionally good blunt. Growing up, I was taught not to use hurtful slurs even though the Netherlands still had colonial holdings and things were still looking pretty good for us whites.
If only you open your hearts, you might realize that baby boomers are not so bad. I certainly worked hard in my day to achieve the success that I enjoy today. If I’m such a terrible person, how come I enjoy bubble baths in my mansion every night while you ungrateful little shits scuttle about your filthy dormitories? Maybe work for something in your life instead of cramming for exams you’ll just fail anyways and you might make something of your silly life. And remember to have compassion for those around you, especially your elders.
Inoffensively,
Claire E. Sterk
President**
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