Chlöe Swarbrick, who serves in the New Zealand Parliament as a member of the left-wing Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand, made international headlines with her quick “okay, boomer” comeback to a heckle during a parliamentary debate about climate change. She was speaking for a zero-admissions policy when a conservative member of Parliament heckled her about her youth. (She is only 25 years old.)
I wrote a while back about the fine art of heckling. But every good heckle calls for an even better comeback. Ms. Swarbrick showed us how to deal with a heckler. At that point in her speech, she had just remarked that the average member parliament was 49 years of age, implying that they would all be long dead before climate change ruined the planet. She reminded the honorable members that young people like herself lacked that advantage.
Since they can't defend pro-carbon policies on their merits, conservatives who subscribe to climate change conspiracy theories often complain that young people lack experience and are not to be taken seriously. Swarbrick turned the heckle against the heckler. Here’s why it worked:
1. Her response was quick and witty. Two words: “okay, boomer,” with a quick wave of her hand. She continued without taking a breath. Good speakers don’t get involved in arguments with hecklers. That’s a waste of time. That puts the debate on the heckler’s ground. You don’t want to do that. Just as good heckles are quick and witty, a good comeback needs to be even quicker.
2. Swarbrick’s anti-heckle was exactly on point. Her argument was that young people have a vested interest in the planet’s future. The heckler implied that she was too young to be entitled to an opinion. She put the heckler down quickly and efficiently. The exchange centered on age and Swarbrick never varied from that central element.
3. Well, I wouldn't know, but apparently “okay, boomer” is common parlance on young people’s social media. Since boomers won’t recognize the phrase, she was able to set the heckler aside for a moment while he thought about what she had just said. “Okay, boomer” was a young person’s response to an old person’s complaint. It reinforced her point about the generational divide.
I am a boomer myself. I still worry about the planet’s future. After all, I have children and grandchildren who need a world to live in, and I care about the human species in general. I cannot understand people who look for excuses to deny obvious scientific facts and urgent ecological needs.
World-wide media have feasted on Swarbrick’s comeback. She is now an overnight international figure. She admits that response on social media has been mixed: some people thought her anti-heckle was terrific, while others were offended. That’s how heckling, works isn’t it? In any case, why was her ad hominem comeback any more tasteless than the insulting ad hominem heckle that started her off?
Swarbrick's later reflections on the event are even more amusing:
"Today I have learnt that responding succinctly and in perfect jest to somebody heckling you about *your age* as you speak about the impact of climate change on *your generation* with the literal title of their generation makes some people very mad.”
Well, there you go!
P. S. If you would like to read my other posts about heckling and public speaking, click here.
P. P. S.: By the way, the New Zealand Parliament passed a zero-emissions policy. So, Swarbrick's side won.
P. P. P. S. I haven't forgotten Sen. Mike Lee's ridiculous "seahorse speech" against climate change. Conservatives need to get a grip on this issue. Reality awaits them.
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