The Dumbest Generation Essay

Many people regard the younger generation, those under 30, to be the dumbest generation. One of the main blames, according to Mark Bauerlein (2008), is of “the eighties and nineties economy and the digital revolution” (pg. 168). A lot of older generations believe that technology is separating the younger generations’ ability to retain knowledge, communicate, and have common sense. I do not believe this claim is valid, but instead, I believe there are changes that are misunderstood. I think the argument of technology being a bad thing is not so much the technology itself, but change in general. The technology is caught in the middle. As each generation develops, it is clear they cultivate their own set of ideas, values, circumstances, and ways of life, resulting in generational differences that separate age groups through change.

I grew up with some technology, but technological advances has made it so different from when I grew up. Looking back, the change is drastic, but it has gradually evolved over many years. In this progression, counting years even before me, studies have shown that IQ’s have been rising since the 1930’s. (Sharon Begley, 2010, pg. 168). Begley proceeds to cognitive thinking, stating that, “Gen Y’s ignorance of facts reflects not dumbness, but choice.” (pg. 168) In saying this, Begley is saying that younger generations’ IQ tests compare differently than older generations. The change in values and ways of life, as mentioned before, weigh heavily on the scores. Politics, world affairs, and the economy could influence the generations in what they had to know for the time being. For example, Begley states that 60% of people in 1966 said it was important to keep up with political affairs, compared to the 36% who agreed in 2005. (2010). The older generations were in the midst of a war and had to know certain information for survival. We, on the other hand, are not in a major