"University professor compares 'OK, boomer' to 'n-word,' students say By Theresa Waldrop and Pierre Meilhan, CNN

A University of Oklahoma professor has apologized after saying "OK, boomer" is the same as saying "n***er," the university's student newspaper.

When a student made the comment Tuesday that journalists must keep up with younger generations, the professor said that was "the equivalent of saying 'OK, boomer' to him," the OU Daily reported.

The university's interim president, Joseph Harroz Jr., condemned the comparison earlier in the day, 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."
[cnn.com]

My comments. I am interested to discuss two legal aspects of this situation:

1. As some people know (and it is not widely known to the general public), according to courts, the First Amendment protects only speech in public interests (as opposed to personal interests) and only unrelated to work (not at the workplace, not during the paid time, not as a part of your service duties for the university outside/outreach/community activities included, etc.).

2. The age discrimination is prohibited by law. I always wondered, if the prohibition of discrimination works only in one direction? Is it legal to pay less to somebody for the same work, when the person is younger, has less seniority etc.?