--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Reform and its consequences may be…" description: "\"“Reform and its consequences may be intolerable for many Boomers, who resent putting others’ needs ahead of their own, and prefer expedience to hard wo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/175/bruce-cannon-gibney-13055_boomers_reform-and-its-consequences-may-be-intol_3194291.jpg" --- # Reform and its consequences may be intolerable for many… ![“Reform and its consequences may be intolerable for many Boomers, who resent putting others’ needs ahead of their own, and prefer expedience to hard work.” quote by Bruce Cannon Gibney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/175/bruce-cannon-gibney-13055_boomers_reform-and-its-consequences-may-be-intol_3194291.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/175/bruce-cannon-gibney-13055_boomers_reform-and-its-consequences-may-be-intol_3194291.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/175/bruce-cannon-gibney-13055_boomers_reform-and-its-consequences-may-be-intol_3194291.jpg) > ““Reform and its consequences may be intolerable for many Boomers, who resent putting others’ needs ahead of their own, and prefer expedience to hard work.”” [Bruce Cannon Gibney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cannon-gibney/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote critiques older generations who resist reforms that require them to prioritize others, choosing convenience over effort. **In simple terms:** Boomers may reject reforms that demand selflessness, favoring ease over hard work. Key Takeaway Recognize and address generational resistance to collective responsibility. Themes generational conflict social responsibility reform resistance self-interest convenience Mood critical reflective Type analytical commentary When to use this quote - workplace policy changes - community service initiatives - family caregiving decisions - public health mandates Key Concepts political sociology intergenerational ethics public policy Questions to Reflect On - How can policies be framed to appeal to both self-interest and collective good? - What incentives might reduce resistance to reform? A Different Perspective Not all Boomers share this view; socioeconomic factors also influence attitudes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Boomers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boomers/) [Boomers Resent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boomers-resent-5904535/) [Consequences Intolerable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consequences-intolerable-5904538/) [Intolerable Boomers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intolerable-boomers-5904536/) [Reform Consequences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reform-consequences-5904537/) ## Related quotes > [“That the economy has failed to live up to its promise is bad enough. That the Boomers have not made investments in future prosperity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cannon-gibney/that-the-economy-has-failed-to-live-up-to-its-promise-is-bad-enough/) [Bruce Cannon Gibney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cannon-gibney/) > [“What happened to the future? The Boomers did; they sold it off piece by piece. And”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cannon-gibney/what-happened-to-the-future-the-boomers-did-they-sold-it-off-piece-by/) [Bruce Cannon Gibney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cannon-gibney/) > [“Even a plague of generational locusts like the Boomers can do only so much damage in a lifetime, however unduly prolonged that lifetime may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cannon-gibney/even-a-plague-of-generational-locusts-like-the-boomers-can-do-only-so/) [Bruce Cannon Gibney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cannon-gibney/) > [“In a 2014 survey, a majority of Boomers did not know that humans descended from earlier forms of animal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cannon-gibney/in-a-2014-survey-a-majority-of-boomers-did-not-know-that-humans/) [Bruce Cannon Gibney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cannon-gibney/) > [“Instead of providing education and opportunity, Boomers focused their energies on the creation of an unforgiving penal state, furnished”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cannon-gibney/instead-of-providing-education-and-opportunity-boomers-focused-their/) [Bruce Cannon Gibney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cannon-gibney/) > [“The sociopaths’ goal is to wring every last dollar from the system, and any investment that could not be fully realized within Boomer lifetimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cannon-gibney/the-sociopaths-goal-is-to-wring-every-last-dollar-from-the-system-and-2/) [Bruce Cannon Gibney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cannon-gibney/) > [“The Boomers’ numerosity meant that even a modest tilt in any one direction (self-serving sociopathy, as a pointed example) influenced outcomes profoundly. In matters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cannon-gibney/the-boomers-numerosity-meant-that-even-a-modest-tilt-in-any-one/) [Bruce Cannon Gibney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cannon-gibney/) > [“Feelings would be the great enabler, allowing Boomers to undermine the whole edifice of fact and reason in favor of personal truth, expedient and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cannon-gibney/feelings-would-be-the-great-enabler-allowing-boomers-to-undermine-the/) [Bruce Cannon Gibney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cannon-gibney/) > [“And Boomer (and thus American) politics will continue to be driven by life cycle, with the Boomers’ desire to maintain old-age benefits overriding all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cannon-gibney/and-boomer-and-thus-american-politics-will-continue-to-be-driven-by/) [Bruce Cannon Gibney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cannon-gibney/) > [“The Boomers were the first modern generation to harbor really negative feelings about reality and science, and their success in undermining these goods has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cannon-gibney/the-boomers-were-the-first-modern-generation-to-harbor-really/) [Bruce Cannon Gibney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cannon-gibney/) > [“Nowhere did sociopathic avarice, deceit, imprudence, and political power combine more powerfully than in tax policy, which allowed the Boomers to reshuffle in their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cannon-gibney/nowhere-did-sociopathic-avarice-deceit-imprudence-and-political-power/) [Bruce Cannon Gibney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cannon-gibney/) > [“Once Boomers have been unseated, undoing their decades of mismanagement will require a significant social reorganization, especially of retirement and health-care benefits, and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cannon-gibney/once-boomers-have-been-unseated-undoing-their-decades-of/) [Bruce Cannon Gibney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cannon-gibney/) > [“The sociopaths’ goal is to wring every last dollar from the system, and any investment that could not be fully realized within Boomer lifetimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cannon-gibney/the-sociopaths-goal-is-to-wring-every-last-dollar-from-the-system-and/) [Bruce Cannon Gibney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cannon-gibney/) > [Now, do I think the baby boomers tend to be self-absorbed? I do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/now-do-i-think-the-baby-boomers-tend-to-be-self-absorbed-i-do/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [“Yet GenX'er teens didn't slow down--they were just as likely to drive, drink alcohol, and date as their Boomer peers and more likely to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-m-twenge/yet-genx-er-teens-didn-t-slow-down-they-were-just-as-likely-to-drive/) [Jean M. Twenge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-m-twenge/) ## More by Bruce Cannon Gibney > [“More than anything, Boomer influence is a story of sheer numbers. As of the early 1980s, when the Boomer revolution really kicked off, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cannon-gibney/more-than-anything-boomer-influence-is-a-story-of-sheer-numbers-as-of/) [Bruce Cannon Gibney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cannon-gibney/) > [“What establishes the Boomers as a political generation is that the Boomers’ overriding policy ambitions have been defined not in conventional terms like race…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cannon-gibney/what-establishes-the-boomers-as-a-political-generation-is-that-the/) [Bruce Cannon Gibney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cannon-gibney/) > [“For those readers who are Boomers, or have parents or grandparents who are Boomers, it may be of small comfort that this book does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cannon-gibney/for-those-readers-who-are-boomers-or-have-parents-or-grandparents-who/) [Bruce Cannon Gibney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cannon-gibney/) > [“The sociopaths’ goal is to wring every last dollar from the system, and any investment that could not be fully realized within Boomer lifetimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cannon-gibney/the-sociopaths-goal-is-to-wring-every-last-dollar-from-the-system-and/) [Bruce Cannon Gibney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cannon-gibney/) > [“The pastoral Left, religious Right, and everywhere in between were afflicted by a resurgent sentimentality and desire for immediate gratification incompatible with the uncompromising…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cannon-gibney/the-pastoral-left-religious-right-and-everywhere-in-between-were/) [Bruce Cannon Gibney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cannon-gibney/) > [“Once Boomers have been unseated, undoing their decades of mismanagement will require a significant social reorganization, especially of retirement and health-care benefits, and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cannon-gibney/once-boomers-have-been-unseated-undoing-their-decades-of/) [Bruce Cannon Gibney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cannon-gibney/) > [“The point of this context is not to demand a return to the era of 90 percent taxation, but simply to remind that in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cannon-gibney/the-point-of-this-context-is-not-to-demand-a-return-to-the-era-of-90/) [Bruce Cannon Gibney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cannon-gibney/) > [“The sociopathic society of consumption depends heavily on goods turned out by dismal sweatshops (e.g., Boomer Kathie Lee’s/Wal-Mart’s Dickensian workshops, Boomers Steve Jobs’/Tim Cook’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cannon-gibney/the-sociopathic-society-of-consumption-depends-heavily-on-goods/) [Bruce Cannon Gibney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cannon-gibney/) > [“Reagan (or, at least, the public’s version of him) was tailor-made for the sociopathic electorate. Never again would the Boomers be told to save,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cannon-gibney/reagan-or-at-least-the-public-s-version-of-him-was-tailor-made-for/) [Bruce Cannon Gibney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cannon-gibney/) > [“Unfortunately, sociopaths are antisocial by nature, and their lack of empathy and foresight consigns them to view society only as a restraint on individual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cannon-gibney/unfortunately-sociopaths-are-antisocial-by-nature-and-their-lack-of/) [Bruce Cannon Gibney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cannon-gibney/) > [“Going forward, it would be “three strikes, you’re out.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cannon-gibney/going-forward-it-would-be-three-strikes-you-re-out/) [Bruce Cannon Gibney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cannon-gibney/) > [“What Washington cannot easily change is the culture itself—specifically the culture created by the Boomers. Until that happens, the parade of mediocrity, underfunding, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cannon-gibney/what-washington-cannot-easily-change-is-the-culture-itself/) [Bruce Cannon Gibney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cannon-gibney/) > [“Nowhere did sociopathic avarice, deceit, imprudence, and political power combine more powerfully than in tax policy, which allowed the Boomers to reshuffle in their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cannon-gibney/nowhere-did-sociopathic-avarice-deceit-imprudence-and-political-power/) [Bruce Cannon Gibney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cannon-gibney/) > [“The Boomers were the first modern generation to harbor really negative feelings about reality and science, and their success in undermining these goods has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cannon-gibney/the-boomers-were-the-first-modern-generation-to-harbor-really/) [Bruce Cannon Gibney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cannon-gibney/) > [“Failure to conform to social norms with respect to lawful behaviors… deceitfulness, as indicated by repeated lying, use of aliases or conning others for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cannon-gibney/failure-to-conform-to-social-norms-with-respect-to-lawful-behaviors/) [Bruce Cannon Gibney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cannon-gibney/) [Explore all 52 Bruce Cannon Gibney quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cannon-gibney/) ## More Boomers quotes > [“Yet GenX'er teens didn't slow down--they were just as likely to drive, drink alcohol, and date as their Boomer peers and more likely to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-m-twenge/yet-genx-er-teens-didn-t-slow-down-they-were-just-as-likely-to-drive/) [Jean M. Twenge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-m-twenge/) > [Now, do I think the baby boomers tend to be self-absorbed? I do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/now-do-i-think-the-baby-boomers-tend-to-be-self-absorbed-i-do/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [“He thought rightly that we Americans, by inclination at least, have been divided into two kinds: “boomers” and “stickers.” Boomers, he said, are “those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/he-thought-rightly-that-we-americans-by-inclination-at-least-have/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [I don't know if the idea of a career in show business or in the arts in general was looked down upon as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-sudeikis/i-don-t-know-if-the-idea-of-a-career-in-show-business-or-in-the-arts/) [Jason Sudeikis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-sudeikis/) > [Like so many Boomers, I saw 'Lawrence of Arabia' in 1962 when it was first released and when we were young teenagers. I'm not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-doria-russell/like-so-many-boomers-i-saw-lawrence-of-arabia-in-1962-when-it-was/) [Mary Doria Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-doria-russell/) > [Jews took it very seriously to marry other Jews and repopulate the Jewish bloodline, and my father's generation gets very serious in my household…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/logan-lerman/jews-took-it-very-seriously-to-marry-other-jews-and-repopulate-the/) [Logan Lerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/logan-lerman/) > [Every generation trash-talks younger generations. Baby boomers labeled Generation X a group of tattooed slackers and materialists; Generation Xers have branded millennials as iPhone-addicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-blumenthal/every-generation-trash-talks-younger-generations-baby-boomers-labeled/) [Neil Blumenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-blumenthal/) > [Packed with fascinating personal perspective and testimony, Michael Takiffs A Complicated Man wholly justifies its title. The book is far more than a kaleidoscopic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-hamilton/packed-with-fascinating-personal-perspective-and-testimony-michael/) [Nigel Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-hamilton/) > [When the boomers started to have kids reach adolescence, there was suddenly this feeling that they needed to protect their kids from all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/when-the-boomers-started-to-have-kids-reach-adolescence-there-was/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [“The sociopaths’ goal is to wring every last dollar from the system, and any investment that could not be fully realized within Boomer lifetimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cannon-gibney/the-sociopaths-goal-is-to-wring-every-last-dollar-from-the-system-and/) [Bruce Cannon Gibney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cannon-gibney/) > [Maybe it will be a great thing when the Baby Boomers finally die out. In real life, it's not a matter of the good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-bowman/maybe-it-will-be-a-great-thing-when-the-baby-boomers-finally-die-out/) [Jack Bowman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-bowman/) > [Retirees who are on Medicare will suffer the consequences of 700 billions of Medicare dollars instead being used to cover the skyrocketing cost of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-somers/retirees-who-are-on-medicare-will-suffer-the-consequences-of-700/) [Suzanne Somers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-somers/) > [Americans need to call on Boomers, in their next act onstage, to behave like grown-ups. And there is no better way for them to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-liu/americans-need-to-call-on-boomers-in-their-next-act-onstage-to-behave/) [Eric Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-liu/) > [The Boomers are a core audience for us, and we want them to have a resort experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-ross/the-boomers-are-a-core-audience-for-us-and-we-want-them-to-have-a/) [Ryan Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-ross/) > [“Boomers, the more than 76 million people born between 1946 and 1964, began turning 65 three years ago and all will have reached that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/boomers-the-more-than-76-million-people-born-between-1946-and-1964/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 126 Boomers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boomers/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Reform and its consequences may be intolerable for many Boomers, who resent putting others’ needs ahead of their own, and prefer expedience to hard work.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bruce Cannon Gibney" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cannon-gibney/reform-and-its-consequences-may-be-intolerable-for-many-boomers-who/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Boomers" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cannon-gibney/reform-and-its-consequences-may-be-intolerable-for-many-boomers-who/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/175/bruce-cannon-gibney-13055_boomers_reform-and-its-consequences-may-be-intol_3194291.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/175/bruce-cannon-gibney-13055_boomers_reform-and-its-consequences-may-be-intol_3194291.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/175/bruce-cannon-gibney-13055_boomers_reform-and-its-consequences-may-be-intol_3194291.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Reform and its consequences may be intolerable for many Boomers, who resent putting others’ needs ahead of…” — Bruce Cannon Gibney", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Bruce Cannon Gibney", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cannon-gibney/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Reform and its consequences may be...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cannon-gibney/reform-and-its-consequences-may-be-intolerable-for-many-boomers-who/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cannon-gibney/reform-and-its-consequences-may-be-intolerable-for-many-boomers-who/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```