Dumbest Generation Problems

Older generations tend to believe that young adults, who are thirty years old or younger, are the “dumbest generation” ever. However, these young adults are not actually dumb, they are able to think more critically and deeper which helps them gain more knowledge and become more intelligent. It is invalid to compare the past with the present because in the present, technology and other developments are far more superior.

Mark Bauerlein, author of ‘The Dumbest Generation’, argues that today’s youth has had a decline in academics due to new technology in today’s economy. In retrospect, we’re growing up in a different time than the generation before us; the world and it’s products are different as to be expected, and with them we must learn new materials than they did. Today’s generation isn’t ‘dumb’, instead we’re adjusting to the times and retaining different knowledge than the generations before us.

actually affects our brains and the way we use them. Many people would argue that technology has more cons than pros, however it’s quite the opposite. We use technology in our everyday lives and it helps us to gain more knowledge than we’ve ever been able to before. The technology we have today is one of the greatest advantages we could have.

Over time Americans have become less literate due to the experiences they have endured as well as the technology acquired through time. Technology has affected the American culture by aiding research, health care and even education. It may therefore come as no surprise that some people may find various technological advancements as negative since they require less human effort and thinking. Some may even argue that inventions such as the cell phone or even the internet have all aided in child obesity, lower grades, and lack of knowledge when it comes to learning the “old fashioned way”.

In today’s modern society technology plays a huge role in everyday life. Technology has a big position in education. Today students use laptops for school on an everyday basis to take notes, work on assignments, and research. Many people agree that, when it comes to education, technology can either be very harmful or very helpful. Timothy D. Snyder, a history professor at the University of Yale has written five award-winning books. In Snyder’s article, “Why laptops in class are distracting America’s future workforce”, he believes that “removing laptops from the classroom gives students a chance to focus, and a chance to learn” (274). Thomas L. Friedman, who is a known author and reporter for the New York Times, would disagree with Timothy Snyder. Friedman, also an award winning author, wrote six bestselling books. Friedman argues in his article, “Come to Revolution”, that “online-only education is the solution to the problems of higher education”

In everyday actions and decisions, human nature dictates that ignorance is very common. Barbara Tuchman’s theory of “wooden-headedness”, can be applied to real life on many different levels. Wooden headedness consists of assessing a situation in terms of preconceived fixed notions while ignoring or rejecting any contrary signs. This is when a person acts according to a wish while not allowing oneself to be deflected by the facts. Ignorance plays a substantial role in human affairs, although some may think it is just how kids are raised by their parents. Frequently, people will not give in to admitting they’re wrong, even though there may be facts in front of them. Wooden-headedness plays a remarkably large role in human actions and decisions.

In Joelle Renstrom’s article “And Their Eyes Glazed Over”, she makes the argument that the increased use of technology among students limits their cognitive abilities within their classes. As a writing and research professor at Boston University, she witnesses this on a daily basis, and it happens to be her biggest pet peeve. Her personal experience with this issue is one of the ways Renstrom builds credibility, making her argument an effective one. Renstrom’s motivation for writing this piece was to inform and share the information she had discovered with fellow professors and students alike. Throughout the article, she sticks firmly to her exigence, straying from it only once or twice to acknowledge the usefulness of technology or her own

This generation no longer have to keep remembering every single material they are learning. Or have to go back to the library and spend hours to find the book they used for an assignment. As Kosil and Marcel say, “We are gradually changing from a nation of callused hands to a nation of agile brains … Insofar as new information technology exercises our minds and provides more information, it has to be improving thinking ability” (Source B). This shows people have technology right between their finger tips which enables them to think beyond just the facts. It is no longer only sticking to the facts. As a result people are allowing their brains to form another of thinking in a more broader way. People are applying their knowledge which they gathered from a variety of technological sources to convey a concept in their thinking

Today generations have more access to technology than previous generations. The technology is a way to expand and distribute knowledge. Technology has not made this generation dumber, but it actually helped this generation to think of innovative ways that furthered our society. It made our life much easier, but it surely does not mean that the current generation is the dumbest. It actually helped the generation to grow smarter and made our brain smarter. The old ways should not be seen as superior in comparison with the different way of thinking.

For Professor Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein, online communication is not as devastating as some critics argue that it reduces people 's ability to read, write, and think in a clear, logical and critical way. They point out considerable problems like reductive abbreviations substitute for complete words and sentences in writing and the fast speed message exchange reduce the time for thinking. On the contrary, Graff and Birkenstein argue that the Internet is only another field that can expose some weak and unsophisticated writers (171). The technology itself has nothing to be blamed, but it is essential for people to step back and discuss how to develop new ability to face the challenge of the new technology. After all, technology improvement

Technological advancements are capable of filling people with hope but fear as well. Nicholas Carr has written an intriguing article titled, “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” which discusses how technology is changing the way we as humans think. Carr believes that technology is changing us negatively by shortening our attention span and preventing in depth thought and study. Through his article, Carr effectively demonstrates the manner in which technology is negatively impacting the way we think.

She then lastly states that it is on the parents to show them what technology cannot do. In his article,”Is Google Making Us Stupid?”, Nicholas Carr elaborates on how the internet became the first source people would go to find information and because of that it is beginning to affect the ability to read books and other long pieces. The internet supplies snippets of answers which can cause people problems when reading a long piece in a book. Carr then states that this process may help people discover more knowledge in a faster pace, but it flattens our brian’s learning process. He then discusses what people are losing while using the internet for information. Carr emphasizes on how using the internet takes away the deep thinking in a human and it is becoming the number one concern. He does state the positives that the internet has on humans, but it seems that the internet is going to cause people to become more

The Dumbest Generation- How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes our Future (Or, Don't Trust Anyone Under The age of 30) published by the Penguin Group in 2008 was written by Mark Bauerlein. Bauerlein is a professor of English at Emory University and has previously worked as the director of Research and Analysis at the National Endowment for the Arts. During his time as director, he also oversaw American life and culture. The Dumbest Generation is a national bestseller and has caused a “swift and judgmental response from the media” according to Bauerlein in his preface to the paperback edition of The Dumbest Generation. In The Dumbest Generation Bauerlein writes about this generation's drive to learn and how it is dissipating quickly.

Carr opens up his argument with his personal struggle to focus on reading the text. Unlike the past when he enjoyed reading lengthy articles easily, he acknowledges that his mind constantly drifts away from the text and that he looks for something else to do. “I’ve been spending a lot of time online, searching and surfing and sometimes adding to the great databases of the Internet....Research that once required days in the stacks or periodical rooms of libraries can now be done in minutes… Even when I’m not working, I’m as likely as not to be foraging in the Web’s info-thickets”(Carr 348). He realizes that the increasing amount of time spending on the Internet has caused his intellectual pain. By exposing his personal experience and analyzing it, he successfully points out the issue he faces.

What do Measles, Jenny McCarthy, and Autism have in common? Each one of those things can be linked to vaccines or vaccinations. As with most things today we turn to the world wide web for information on a variety of different things, how to renovate your house, what types of cleaners will get out certain types of stains, what are the symptoms of this disease or that ailment. The question of whether or not to vaccinate your children also falls into this category. With the large number of unqualified celebrities now speaking out about why not to vaccinate your children there has been a reduction in parents choosing to vaccinate their children. With all of the scare tactics that are currently in place it is hard to tell what is real and what is false. A bonus of this could be that parents are more likely to look for information from both sides and make the best decisions they can for their child. Consequently, there are many parents that believe everything