Oklahoma’s journalism school apologizes after professor compared ‘OK, boomer’ to the n-word
The University of Oklahoma’s journalism school apologized Wednesday after a professor said that using the phrase “OK, boomer” is equivalent to saying the n-word.
The apology, from the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Oklahoma, came via email to journalism students a day after the professor’s comments. In the email, the school called the comments “an inexcusable mistake.”
“By his own admission, a Gaylord professor made ‘an inexcusable mistake’ in class Tuesday with his choice of a word that has a historically racist context. It is a word that is hurtful and divides us,” the email read.
“Words matter. And so do you. We have all been deeply impacted by this. We seek for you as students to be whole and have a safe environment in which to learn and thrive. We are working to address this, now and in the future. We are here to listen and support you. Please reach out to someone you trust,” it continued.
The statement from the school follows an apology from the professor Tuesday evening, according to the OU Daily.
“I realize the word was hurtful and infuses the racial divisions of our country, past and present,” the professor wrote, according to the paper. “Use of the word is inappropriate in any — especially educational — settings.”
CNN has reached out to the professor for comment, but has not heard back.
The university’s interim president, Joseph Harroz Jr., condemned the comparison earlier Tuesday, saying “while the professor’s comments are protected by the First Amendment and academic freedom, his comment and word choice are fundamentally offensive and wrong.”
“The use of the most offensive word, by a person in a position of authority, hurt and minimized those in the classroom and beyond,” Harroz said.
The term “OK, boomer,” a viral meme among millennials and Generation Z, exploded last year on the TikTok social media app, where countless mocking videos are calling out what young people perceive as out-of-touch baby boomers and their patronizing opinions.
