For older people: do you think people are getting really dumb?

Question

Seriously. The questions kids ask, the things they don't know, the way they can't reason.

I fear for our future.

Is it tv, or has someone put stupid powder in the water supply?

Answer 1

No. People are no dumber or smarter than they've ever been. The difference lies in three areas. First, and I do not want to come across as especially politicized here, is that two generations of people now have been indoctrinated with neo-liberalism. This applies to Western Europe and the US. Critical thinking has not been merely abandoned, it is discouraged in favor of simplistic feelgood nostrums that allows everyone to think of themselves as good as long as they pay homage to liberal pieties. Secondly, the classic liberal arts education ('liberal' in a somewhat separate meaning) has gone the same path - and been pushed aside by technical educations that are more lucrative for the students. Last, the saturation of electronic media makes a real education seem no better than a chore.  

Answer 2

Not dumb, but too lazy to learn properly.  I've seen so much ignorance in these questions/answers because people are too lazy to learn how to research on their own, or to spell properly: eg.  THERE for THEY'RE/THEIR, ARE for OUR, HERE for HEAR, EXCEPT for ACCEPT, YOUR for YOU'RE, ECT for ETC, and so on.

I got a violation notice (as if I really cared) because someone asked "EXPLAIN .....", which was obviously a home work assignment. I told the boy to do his own work and quit trying to plaigerize. He didn't like it and reported me.."not an answer or a question."

Just pure laziness.  

Answer 3

older people? I'm 16 and I can see people getting dumber all the time-the year 9's are so screwed up compared to previous years at my school.

Answer 4

I believe some aspects of our modern society has a lot to do with it.  Take good spelling for instance, now that text messaging is popular, many do not know how to spell because they abbreviate everything.  In most homes both parents have to work long hours and spend very little time with their  children, so most of their knowledge comes from their peers and the TV and the Internet.  I too have noticed some of the questions here and think:  Don't they teach this at school?  Things must have changed on the educational level as well, because SAT scores are at an all time low.   It is scary.  

Answer 5

A recent study made on denmark boys and girls with age 12 - 18 stated that the QI of the new generations is drammatically falling down..aka: they're getting stupid. Too much (easy) s*x, too much videogames, top living standards, less studies, make a boy became dumb..I don't think it's a danish trend, but a european tendency: new generations born with everithing one can desire, so they have no need to rack their brains to reach what they really want.