With the rise in social media, streaming services, and binge-worthy series, are you afraid that we may be getting dumber? Well, according Joel Best, author of “The Dumbest Generation,” most Americans are significantly worried.
Besides older examples like “Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader,” there has been a rise in YouTube videos and prank-centered TV shows that seek to expose the ignorance of the common American adult. Whether it’s a riddle designed to trick people, or a simple political or historical question, the Americans in these videos are a disappointment to all of us viewers.
Joel Best offers some alarming examples of the ways in which our young adults lack in basic information. For example, in the midst of the war with Iraq in 2006, 63% of young adults couldn’t find Iraq on a map. Possibly even worse, 57% couldn’t locate Ohio on a U.S. map. In another survey that asked high school seniors basic history questions, only 43% knew that the Civil War (a pivotal time in U.S. history) occurred between 1850 and 1900.
This “stupidity epidemic” can probably be linked to the fact that over half of the American population is not satisfied with its education or the American educational system as a whole. This is because we’re constantly being told our education has been declining over time and that we’re lagging behind other countries intellectually.
The only quam is that these claims aren’t anything new. Critiques of the U.S. educational system date back to the beginning of public education itself. There are records dating back as early as 1840, that report on the less-than adequate teaching styles within the American classroom.
A book published in 1866, warned that U.S. public schools weren’t preparing their students for real world responsibilities. Later, a 1900 magazine article suggested that “the old days” were better when it came to educating the American youth. These critiques were oddly similar to those that would appear 25 years later and again 50 years later and again 100 years later.
In this light, it’s easy to see why Americans are worried about this impending “Stupidity Epidemic”. For over 100 years, the same claims have been made about the American education system: that American schools aren’t doing a good enough job; that American students aren’t learning as much as students in other countries; and that we used to be smarter than we are now. But, if we’ve been making these claims since the beginning of the schooling system, when were those highly regarded “better times”? Did they ever exist?
Joel Best argues that the consistency of these claims over time means that the American school system could surely be better, but that the notion that we’ve gotten dumber over time cannot necessarily be argued as true. I have to agree that the existence of similar critiques over the past century, definitely puts a damper on the argument that we’re living in the “dumbest generation”. But certainly, the increased usage of the internet and cellphone has affected our ways of thinking.
Primarily, information is now being thrown at us in every direction, but what information is deemed important and valued is no longer determined by the school system, but rather, by the media. Further, our schools aren’t teaching young people how to evaluate this new load information and utilize analytical thinking.
Secondly, due to our new, fast-paced lifestyles and tendency to multitask, our ability to focus in school and recall information has certainly declined. Studies show that young people today read significantly less than the generations before us, and most get their “facts” from unreliable sources, like social media.
It could be argued, that today’s generation has more knowledge of culture and information technology, which can give us an advantage in certain fields. But, in terms of history, literature, and basic facts, I would make the argument that we are, indeed, the “dumbest generation.”
Check out my vlog below, where I talk about the chilling documentary, “Internet Phones are Destroying Our Brains.”
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