Dumbest Generation Essay

Mark Bauerlein seems to believe that is the dumbest generation because research has shown that knowledge skills and intellectual habits have gone down, and although some people agree with him, others don’t. I believe this generation isn’t the dumbest because there are other things that need to be considered when calling someone, a group of people, or even an entire generation stupid or dumb, rather than just knowledge skills and intellectual habits.

According to Mark Bauerlein, who wrote The Dumbest Generation, Millennials know absolutely nothing and aren’t capable of being intelligent. He continues to think it is the dumbest generation and supports it with sloppy evidence. Throughout the years, people, particularly older “wise” people, have declared that the generation today is the dumbest of them all and the reason for this is due to the fact that technology is a huge part of the generation and this generation simply has it easier which is considered bad in their eyes. A generalization like this ruins the confidence of the majority of the generation. Of course there is always going to be some bad apples in the batch, but all of them? Absolutely not. Generation Y is not dumb and is maybe even smarter than the last. It is one of the most innovative and independent generations.

Is Generation Y the dumbest generation yet? In Sharon Begley’s essay “The Dumbest Generation? Don’t be Dumb” she brings up an author by the name if Mark Bauerlein. Bauerlein has wrote a book describing how he believes Generation Y is the “dumbest generation” and is blaming it on their ignorance with use of the internet. He uses very basic evidence, such as that there has been a decline in adult literacy from 40 percent of high school grads in 1992 to 31 percent in 2003. (Begley 90) Begley brings up a very good point as the definition of “Dumbest”. (91) She proposed two separate definitions, the first being “holding the least knowledge” and the second being “lacking such fundamental cognitive capacities as the ability to think critically and

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.

As R. Smith Simpson says, "My initial surprise was to find among the candidates an abysmal ignorance of so elementary a subject as the geography of the United States" (Source 5, R. Smith Simpson). However, this small knowledge of geography is just one example of a young person's intelligence. This lack of knowledge of geography doesn't point to a lesser intelligence of the younger generation, but rather a lesser need of knowledge. In past generations, people couldn't find out information about the works around at an instant via the Internet. They had to learn facts and memorize them if they wanted to be aware of something. The lack of knowledge of geographical information shown in some cases by today's youth points to easier ways of finding out information, instead of young people being dumber than their

The current generation in particular, cares “less about knowing information than knowing where to find information,” [Source B] and according to Bauerlein, today’s youth have “much more access and education” than their predecessors [Source A]. This is another example of humans taking their own advances for their personal advantage. The new tools and devices that come along with the technological advances have such a great assistance to every generation willing to use them. In fact, a study from the U.S. governments Foreign Service Journal in 1962 states the candidates had an ignorance to “elementary a subject as geography” and that few of them could “even place accurately the principal rivers” or even discuss other subjects that could be argued to simply be common knowledge [Source E]. This is proof; America is growing and changing in positive lights, not negative, and using recourses that have been made for the purpose of helping our generations. Although newer generations don’t generally learn knowledge in the same way as their elders, they have ways to do so with an improved efficiency and

A few years ago, I decided to learn sign language. It was not a project for a class, a requirement to graduate, or a fact that everyone knew. I just wanted to learn sign language, so I did what many twenty-first century millennials do and downloaded an app. The app showed me diagrams to learn basic phrases, videos to perfect the movements, and lessons to learn more efficiently. The technology of the app made learning sign language easy, and I could use it wherever I went. I thought that I was smart for using technology to learn specific things, but Mark Bauerlein, the author of a 2008 book called The Dumbest Generation, would disagree. According to Bauerlein, twenty-first century teenagers possess “low knowledge levels” when compared to past generations because of the increased use of technology. However, Bauerlein is mistaken. This generation is not “the dumbest generation” because we focus on different topics, we write more often, and we know that every generation has been called “the dumbest”.

Over the course of time technology has changed society’s views on various topics. In The Dumbest generation, Mark Bauerlein makes the argument that the youth generation is less knowledgeable than the older generation. This is not necessarily the case because the youth generation do not feel the need to know facts such as “who wrote the oratorio “Messiah” (which 35 percent of college seniors knew in 2002, compared with 56 percent in 1955) (Source B). As mentioned previously this is not by any means indicating that the youth generation is less knowledgeable, but instead shows that they have other resources to find out this information rather than just knowing it. Also, not knowing facts that were once very important to the older generations does

Which generation really takes the title of the dumbest generation? Is it people under the age of 30? How does age have a part in this statement? And why is there even a dumbest generation?

“The Greatest Generation” is a term used to describe the generation who were the children of the Great Depression and who became the adults of the Second World War (Brokaw). There may be strong reasons why other generations may be considered great. The generation born during the war undertook the task of putting a man on the moon. This is perhaps the most important of all human endeavors. They are certainly worthy of being considered great but not the greatest. In fifteen years America and indeed the world endured the crushing poverty of the Great Depression and the costliest war in all of human history. The enormous struggles and accomplishments of this generation is what makes it the greatest.

Dumbest Generation Synthesis Essay People of the Millennial Era would consider their generation to be the smartest . With all the technological advances and the upgrades on the way society functions it would seem clear that they are the most intelligent . According to social critic , author , and professor Mark Bauerlein , those under the age of 30 make up the “dumbest” generation in modern history .After his publication of his book, “ The Dumbest Generation,’’ it was brought to America’s attention that anyone after Generation X are apart of the dumbest generation .

Mark Bauerlain in his book The Dumbest Generation, makes the claim that the current under 30 generation is the “dumbest” in modern history, citing the fact that they “don’t know anything” (Bauerlain). This claim obviously comes from a place of ‘you youngins don’t know nothin’ syndrome, as the current under thirty generation is just as or possibly more competent (how?) than their predecessors.

It is said we are the dumbest generation, but that’s something that is apparently said about every generation. And that is exactly what R Smith Simpson is saying. He says there seems to be a lack of knowledge, when people were asked questions they’d reply with the “thinnest recital of facts” some couldn’t even “discuss them at all.” Although Simpson doesn’t provide a direct quote to indicate that each generation is going to be considered dumb by the previous; we take in consideration the year he wrote this and compare it to the rest of the articles we conclude each generation will be seen as the dumbest. (source 5)

Our generation has changed drastically from when the general population went into a book to look for words and definitions all the way to a portable search engine. Some millennials say that they are better when being up to date in news,but the truth is,they're not. Lately , kids seem like they are more informed on how many likes they get on Instagram or Kanye West’s bankruptcy. People from the past generation are more informed in what goes on now because they seem like they are aware of all the troubles or news flashes that occurred back then, so they think that they should be up to date with it now.This all sums up to the fact that millennials are not justified in being informed in this generation because most millennials use their electronic for checking their social media,this generation could be informed but not as much as older millennials,and older millennials also have jobs and careers to use as resources to learn more information.

When most people hear the label Generation –X they think of a hopeless generation of youth that have given into the pressures of the world. I would like you to think of the X as the Greek symbol for “Chi” which is used as a symbol for Christ. In this decade the youth involved in the Christianity has grown significantly. Youth are responding to the church in ways that the past generation did not. Where mom and dad embraced the tumultuous sixties their children have taken hold of Christianity. The youth organizations that promote the Protestant doctrine have seen the youth membership grow by 50% since 1990. Catholic Churches have witnessed their youth involvement double in the last decade. The youth are coming from all