--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The Boomers were the first modern…" description: "\"“The Boomers were the first modern generation to harbor really negative feelings about reality and science, and their success in undermining these good..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d06/bruce-cannon-gibney-13055_negative-feelings_the-boomers-were-the-first-modern-genera_732186.jpg" --- # The Boomers were the first modern generation to harbor… ![“The Boomers were the first modern generation to harbor really negative feelings about reality and science, and their success in undermining these goods has been tremendous. And by reposing ultimate truth solely in feelings’ subjective dominion, the Boomers were able to discount and dismiss the…” quote by Bruce Cannon Gibney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d06/bruce-cannon-gibney-13055_negative-feelings_the-boomers-were-the-first-modern-genera_732186.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d06/bruce-cannon-gibney-13055_negative-feelings_the-boomers-were-the-first-modern-genera_732186.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d06/bruce-cannon-gibney-13055_negative-feelings_the-boomers-were-the-first-modern-genera_732186.jpg) > ““The Boomers were the first modern generation to harbor really negative feelings about reality and science, and their success in undermining these goods has been tremendous. And by reposing ultimate truth solely in feelings’ subjective dominion, the Boomers were able to discount and dismiss the entire concept of expertise, scientific consensus, and elite opinion, previously a source of restraint on impulse gratification.”” [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. Boomers prioritized feelings over objective facts, eroding trust in expertise and scientific consensus, leading to unchecked gratification. **In simple terms:** Boomers chose feelings over facts, weakening trust in experts. Key Takeaway Question the value of feelings versus evidence. Themes generational conflict truth expertise science subjectivity Mood skeptical concerned critical Type analytical commentary When to use this quote - political discourse - public health decisions - education curricula - personal decision making Key Concepts Epistemology cultural shift media influence Questions to Reflect On - How do we balance emotional intuition with factual evidence? - What mechanisms can restore respect for expertise? A Different Perspective Feelings can be persuasive but may distort reality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Boomers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boomers/) [Generation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generation/) [Negative feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/negative-feelings/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Ultimate truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ultimate-truth/) ## Related quotes > [“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/) > [Old generation said ABSENCE makes HEART grow FONDER but in modern generation ABSENCE makes the HEART LOOK for ANOTHER.. : \|](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/old-generation-said-absence-makes-heart-grow-fonder-but-in-modern/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [ By the time \[of modern\] generation was coming of age sexually, there was already this idea of safe sex. But that didn't exist for… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-stipe/by-the-time-of-modern-generation-was-coming-of-age-sexually-there-was/) [Michael Stipe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-stipe/) > [My faith is in the younger generation, the modern generation. Out of them will come my workers. They will work out the whole problem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/my-faith-is-in-the-younger-generation-the-modern-generation-out-of/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [Zlatan is one of the best strikers in the modern generation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luka-modric/zlatan-is-one-of-the-best-strikers-in-the-modern-generation/) [Luka Modric](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luka-modric/) > [“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/) [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/) > [“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/) > [“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/) > [“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/) ## 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/) > [“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/) > [“Class size has become something of a fetish, and the overall pupil/teacher ratio has declined at a slow rate since the 1970s. It’s now—with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cannon-gibney/class-size-has-become-something-of-a-fetish-and-the-overall-pupil/) [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. 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