Do you think we're getting "dumber?"

I agree but wouldn't necessarily say "dumber", but I would say lazy. They are too lazy to do homework, and too lazy to watch the news or tv, or listen to it on the radio, or even research current affairs in our wold today. But yet they are not too lazy to play video games, or download music or go on myspace, not too lazy listen to rap, rock, hip hop, etc. all day, or lay around on the couch watch reruns of movies they've seen 20 times already. It's a shame they are so ignorant to the learn in which they live in, it us up to us to teach our children the importance of knowing and understanding what is going on in our world and should help educate them and influence them.

I disagree man. I feel that the young generation nowadays is getting more and more intelligent (in addition to them being more courageous nowadays, I think). Not only due to the academic improvement, but also due to nutritional attention by parents during child's brain development, and probably some kind of human's evolution (lol!!), I think people are getting more and more intelligent. I believe that this intelligent young generation can push our world forward further, very interesting question though :)

Yes, they are. They are uninformed. They will swallow information that people feed them so they don't have to do their own research. They are shallow...Years ago people were happy with less. They were responsible.

Hi shamsta, I don't think we are getting dumber, but there is definitely a change in our way of thinking. I'm not sure that it's such a bad thing either, we haven't exactly produced the perfect society. Young people are thinking differently, but that is natural, since they are exposed to things that we never thought off. I feel sure that they will do fine when it's their time to take over the reins. Blessings.

I don't think it is the level of intelligence I think it is how that intelligence is challenged and directed. I think it is our educational system. I think it is our demands that young people step up to challenges. I think it is the enviornment that we do not reward excellence but rather we reward everyone simply for "being there". It really yanks my chain. I recently wrote an article about this particular issue. Ignorance vs. Stupidity Ignorance can be corrected through education. Stupidity is a choice that far to many people are making today. Ignorance unfortunately is not being corrected by our public education system today. It is instead being perpetuated. No Child Left Behind is in fact the final act of the dumbing down of America.

That is a tough one. I agree somewhat with vicneedscoffee. There does appear to be a growing socio-economic divide. Also, formal education costs more and is worth more, so that is the focus. Those who can afford it get as much as they can and those who can't go to work to eke out a living. In past generations, self-education and general know-how and skill counted more. More of the general public may seem dumber because once they are out of school, they tend to stop learning. People only learn what they HAVE to for their job or career and then they fill their free-time with entertainment - TV, movies, internet surfing, video games. In contrast, my grandparents spent their time outside of work learning; reading, learning how to knit or sew, or repair appliances, or build furniture, or learning music, or catching up on politics, etc. My grandparents were so much more widely knowledgable in a useful way, than I am. There is also so much more information out there today. You can never really catch up. You have to be really on the ball to stay caught up with the generation behind you. We could do better, but it is complicated. Heck, think how many more wars kids today have to learn about compared to their great-grandparents.

i personally think we are... we become too comfortable and convenient nowadays because of the advance in technologies... we are relying more and more on the technologies rather than our brains compare to the older generations... also, we want everything instant now and we hardly read nowadays... that's what i notice... i work in a large retail company and i receive lots of stupid questions from customers and they don't read signs right in front of their eyes which is really very annoying for me... take care and have a nice day...

I think as the population grows we do have more people who are less educated. As the socioeconomic divide enlarges we are losing some of our kids in the system. I don't think we are becoming dumber. I think a lot of kids don't get the support they need to do well in school. I am a high school dropout myself. I moved out on my own when I was 16. it came down to going to school or paying the rent. I had to pay the rent. Because of this I stress to my daughter the importance of education. When I was younger I was too busy taking the world by storm to watch the news or read the paper. It wasn't until I became a homebody and had a child that I realized how out of touch I was. Youngsters are worried about what they feel affects them. The future always seems a lifetime away when one is young.

As individuals, there are plenty of smart people out there... As a human race, I believe we're getting dumber by the minute... I was watching a stand up comedy the other day & some of the things that they brought up were so true to our current situation as a society... This one guy was going on & on about dumb stuff we do... You know those screens that you put inside your car during summer on front windshild to keep the sun out to keep your car cool...? Depending on where & what company you buy, some where on it has a warning tag that says something to the affect of, "do not drive motor vehicle with this in place..." You know what that means? Most likely, somebody had to have done it in order for them to put it there... We're mature enough to drive & operate a motorized vehicle but dumb enough not to know to remove it before driving off? I know it's just a comedy act & but core of it is, young people nowadays don't seem to have common sence we grew up with... They talk about internet predators but doesn't the phrase "don't talk to a stranger" doesn't work anymore? I remember growing up with nothing more than sticks & balls to play with... Now with young people, they seem to be more & more technically inclined but their common senses seem to have escaped... And generally speaking, they don't seem to be too interested in current events anymore either... Not everyone, just in general...

In my opinion the majority of people are getting dumber as a generation, however, it can't be forgotten that there are many technological and medical advances discovered by geniuses who could help pave the way forward. The media has screwed us over basically with the reality shows and ridiculous stories printed in magazines and papers.

I agree with you.I'm part of gen-next.And i honestly am not aware of current events.I do read the newspaper and watch the news sometimes but its mostly to read film trivia.I think i realised just a few days back that my generation isn't well informed at all.I blame the education system because they are making studies more and more bookish.I mean any bozo can do well at studies.Also,due to technology development theres an easier way to do everything now.Even our assignments are completed sitting at home so basically we don't do much.Experience teaches and thats something we don't get because we're so into finishing a task at hand as fast as possible and as easy as possible.And everyones so caught up in the competitive race to success (also having a fixed definition to mean "acquiring a job that pays well and settling down in a big house")that nobody cares about values.Thats the differnce between the generation before ours and us-that they did not consider growth only in terms of material gain but also the wealth of values that are acquired over time.But you can't blame us because in todays fast paced world we are not given the chance to grow personally.

No, they are not getting dumber; but rather they are growing more isolated from the world in general. Ask any youngster about the recent earthquake in China, or who won Obama or Clinton, and they will go like 'Huh?'. They are very good with computers and electronics, but are so caught in their own world of friends and interests that they don't look beyond. Unless teachers and parents have the time and energy to guide them and broaden their views with discussions of economy, politics, global happening, human issues, etc....

I think nowadays people have so much access to information but without the ability to handle it. I've read a book called Technopoly,and the whole idea of it was that technology is bombarding us with so much information that we can't handle or use most of it. I think thats the reason we seem so ignorant. People are spread too thin as opposed to the more focused and apt generations of the past.

Genetically speaking, I haven't seen any study that shows that we're getting dumber. I do, however, believe the embrace of anti-intellectualism is more of a cultural trend, and like most trends, it will eventually pass.

Yes I think people are getting dumber in some ways, or maybe it's just that dumb people are overpopulated. xD I think humans are starting to rely too much on technology and medicine and stuff. We have cars and planes to take us anywhere and food so readily made and available; we're loosing physical ability to a point where we worry about too fat. Plus we have interenet and TV and books where we can learn and get things instantly.

I am watching my daughter get her education and she will graduate next year from high school. When she has finished, she may have what amounts to a third graders smarts. yes, we are definitely getting dumber by the generation.