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Say Hello to Generation Duh

Tech-savvy, yes, but far dumber than age cohorts past

By Clay Dillow,  Newser Staff

Posted May 13, 2008 12:24 PM CDT
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(Newser) – Today's youth are dangerously dumb, Mark Bauerlein writes in his new book, The Dumbest Generation. Here's why:

  1. Check out Jay Leno's "Jaywalking," where "the ignorance is hard to believe."
  2. They boast "a new attitude," taking pride in their illiteracy.

  1. They can’t spell: IM'ing sparked the decline, and spellcheck finished it.
  2. Peers on MySpace ridicule anything that resembles original thought.
  3. Hours, days, months, of playing Grand Theft Auto IV: $500 million in first-week sales?
  4. They don’t read and remember: They surf, forward, and instantly forget.
  5. In an era of "self-esteem grading," teachers don't tell them they’re dumb.
  6. They are, after all, still young.

She's tech-savvy all right, but OMG is she ever dull.
She's tech-savvy all right, but OMG is she ever dull.   (IndexPhotos)
Our tech savvy teens are using the Internet as a repository for things they should be remembering.
Our tech savvy teens are using the Internet as a repository for things they should be remembering.   (IndexPhotos)
Talk. Text. Send. But can they really communicate?
Talk. Text. Send. But can they really communicate?   (IndexPhotos)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 3 comments
Mr.C
Sep 9, 2009 2:49 AM CDT
just saying.. not all bad
Mr.C
Sep 9, 2009 2:49 AM CDT
The young generation does more volunteer work than any prior generation.
JohnnyDummkopf
Sep 8, 2009 12:16 PM CDT
Aside from the obvious jibe at considering Myspace a forum for Creative Thought...Contemporary youth culture subsists on the expressive and the experiential, which are lavished upon them by particularly clever marketers. That creativity and self-expression are encouraged as means of finding self-identity does not inherently detract from a society's level of intelligence; however, in all of my education I've seen an aversion for the more pragmatic pursuits that ranges from ennui to contempt. This will undo us.

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