The Dumbest Generation: An Analysis

Technology nowadays always use to have so much information at our fingertips, but is this a good thing? That is what Jamais Cascio’s “Get Smarter” and Nicholas Carr’s “Is Google Making Us Stoopid?” both discuss; they specifically address the effects that new technology, such as the internet, has on the way humans think. The difference is that Carr argues that this new technology is making us stupid while Cascio argues that it is making us smarter. Nicholas Carr’s article discusses the negative effects of the internet and technology like it. It specifically mentions slight changes in the way people do things because of the influence of technology and gives many historical and anecdotal examples. Jamais Cascio’s article is about the advancements of technology and how it is makes people smarter. Cascio talks about Twitter, mental enhancement drugs and AIs, focusing a lot on the benefits of the advancements.

Graff explains why,” I believe that street smarts beat out book smarts in our culture not because street smarts are nonintellectual, as we generally suppose, but because they satisfy an intellectual thirst more thoroughly than school culture, which seams pale and unreal” (384). In other words, Graff believes that because street smarts involve in what is happening in the here and now, and not in theory, they seem more relevant and useful to students

This generation isn’t as dumb as Generation X thinks. In fact, it isn’t dumb at all but it is rather smart. It’s actually quite smart that the generation finds other ways to express or find answers in today's world. They also write much more and complex than young people in the 20th century. Meaning that they don’t just simply do or say something, they think outside the box and find different ways to deliver what they want to do or say. According to Andrea Lunsford, a Stanford professor, “Young people today write far more than any generation before them. That’s because so much socializing takes place online, and it almost always involves

In chapter one of The Dumbest Generation, Mike Bauerlein makes several statements about our generation and comes to a conclusion that helps set the groundwork for the entire book. His analysis of today’s youth states that the current generation is lacking when it comes to intellectual knowledge. He provides evidence that states that today’s under-thirty population in the United States does not have adequate knowledge, and their lack of knowledge with affect them greatly in their adulthood years.

Are Americans getting dumber? In the age of 24-hour News cycle and reality TV celebrities turn presidential candidates it would appear so. In fact, author Susan Jacoby wrote a popular editorial for the Washington post in 2008 called How Dumb Can We Get? Claiming that Americans are, well, getting dumber. Jacoby attributes the problem, one she calls anti-intellectualism, to the increased integration of technology into our everyday lives. However, before we heed the message of Susan Jacoby and brush up on our celestial navigation and nephology, let's consider a few things.

Bauerlein claims, “Young Americans have much more access and education than their parents did, but in the 2007 Pew survey on ‘What Americans Know:1989-2007,’ 56 percent of 18- to 29- year-olds possessed low knowledge levels, while only 22 percent of 50- to 64- year-olds did”(Bauerlein). This allusion to a Pew survey shows that more under 30’s are dumb, this is believed to be because of this generation’s access to new technology. Even though the older generations may have had less information they showed up smarter, this is because instead of having all information easy at the finger-tips they had to read and learn. Even with all of the technology they have, this

1. Moore provides evidence to support his contention that America is a nation of idiots by stating, “There are forty-four million Americans who cannot read and write above a fourth grade level –in other words, who are functional illiterates” (Colombo 122) and also explains how he feels as if America wants to keep individuals “stupid” and “ignorant” (Colombo 123). I do agree with his statement that there are many people who cannot read higher than a fourth grade level, but I do not believe that America wants to keep the public as being “idiots.” Many individuals are college dropouts and even high school dropouts in my opinion, but that does not

Are people under the age of 30 truly the “Dumbest Generation”? According to Mark Bauerlein, we are and our “slipping reading habits,” and “lack of general knowledge” are to blame (source 1). But this does not automatically make us the dumbest generation. Bauerlein lacks specifics on how this so-called “general knowledge” is measured, therefore Generation Y cannot simply be classified as a dud generation when there are complex components which tie into measuring knowledge. Our generation may be knowledgeable in different aspects of life, but is different equivalent to stupid?

Many people nowadays rely very much on technology. Those under the age of thirty are indeed “the dumbest generation”. These people are the dumbest because they were born into the new media world. There is three sources that enhance that the age we now live in, is ignorant however, there is also one source that says so otherwise. The sources are a combination of a excerpts, an article, and a political cartoon.

Today, almost everything is technologically motivated. Everything is at our fingertips with the push of a button; consequently, making our generation lazy or as Mark Bauerlein says dumb. What constitutes the term dumb? Is it a lack of knowledge, or understanding, maybe it’s the ability to retain the least amount of information? While this generation certainly has its setbacks in the field of learning and knowledge, it does not mean that this generation is the dumbest.

As the world transitions to a more technological society, generations are continuously adapting to suit these transitions by increasing their use and reliance of technology. This allows room for the generations to become skilled in multiple aspects such as literacy because they have access to a wide range of technology that has the ability to advance them forward in those aspects. However, this isn’t completely true and older generations are beginning to debate about the impact of technology on new generations. In fact, the older generations see these changes technology has on the new generations as negative and something that actually “dumbs down” their intellect. It is true that technology is a reliable source in which to educate oneself but it isn’t guaranteed that it really helps to build knowledge for those younger generations or in other words, millennials. Also, it can’t be ignored that technology is actually making a negative impact on mental ability. With that said, it is true that millennials are the dumbest generation because while they do have technology for educating themselves, the consumption and effects of technology makes them unintelligent.

“Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe.” (Albert Einstein). One of the most intelligent men to live believed us Americans are unwise. The United States is becoming much more stupid than any other country through the lack of priorities in our education system. The problem we face today are the amount of illiterate people walking amongst us. In Michael Moore’s Idiot Nation, he informs the reader with shocking statistics about how unintelligent us students really are. The problem with our education system is the political leaders pay difference to teachers, school funding problems, and corporate funding.

When one thinks of “the dumbest generation”, who do they think of? Do they think of the older generation with their lack of technological advances? Do they think of the younger generation with all types of technology glued to them wherever they go? Research agrees that, with their lack of general knowledge and reading habits, those under the age of 30 are “the dumbest generation”.

In our world, it is seen as the norm for technological advancements to grow at an exponential rate. Logically, it is also safe to assume that as technology advances, so does human intelligence as humans are the ones that created such state-of-the-art automation. But unfortunately, the disconsolate truth is that this is an inaccurate assumption for a generation known as the “Dumbest Generation” (those under the age of 30). They have been deemed to be the least intelligent generation because of the negative effects technology has on them . More specifically, how the new age of technology creates many distractions, makes them less ambitious, and because there is such a huge amount of information this creates an overwhelming sense which can cripple some people. All of these things and more contribute to why people under thirty are known as “The Dumbest Generation”.

When one thinks of “the dumbest generation” who do they think of? Do they think of the older generation with their lack of technological advances? Do they think of the the younger generation with all types of technology glued to them wherever they go? Research agrees that, with all the new advances in electronics and new ways of thinking, those under the age of 30 are “the dumbest generation”.