The Dumbest Generation

A new book by Mark Bauerlein claims that this generation is the dumbest generation thus far. The internet is helping to shape a generation full of dolts and narcissists, future leaders who are ignorant of almost everything and yet feel terribly important. Is this hoopla? Hogwash? Nonsense? Or is there something to be said for an argument that kids today are unaware of essential knowledge, trading it in for having hundreds and hundreds of “friends” on social networking sites? Is it possible he’s just a little bit correct?

I know a kid who just graduated high school as valedictorian of his class and will be off to college this fall with a full ride scholarship. I recently had to tell him who Malcolm X was, explain to him what prohibition was, and, even after being told how to pronounce the word paradigm, he was certain that wasn’t correct because it looked like it was pronounced para-dig-um and that’s how he intended to pronounce it.

And he’s one of the smart ones.