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Not me, nor do any other members of my class. In fact, the entire youth and 20-something demographic is by no means stupid or ignorant. If we are, blame could arguably be place on society, as it really gives us no reason to feel ‘involved’ in its affairs.

However, one author, Mark Bauerlein, feels that the above mentioned demographics deserve membership into that group, and details his rationale in his book: The Dumbest Generation - How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future. Having had the chance to take a look, I found what was said…interesting, more or less.

Bauerlein spends the majority of the book arguing that due to today’s youth and 20-somethings of the world choosing to surf the internet, play video games or watch television, they have become ‘dumber’ and are thus unable to obtain the basic levels of intelligence necessary for survival. Essentially, he believes that by today’s youth centering their lives around technology, they lack the ‘critical thinking’ skills necessary for success, skills that can only be achieved, according to the author, through reading ‘heavy’ literature or studying. He continues by citing facts and figures that reiterate this point. As I was reading this book, I actually wondered if this author would be happy if technology never existed. Maybe to him, our world would be perfect if that happened.

On a serious note, the rapid rise of technology, in all forms, whether it be applied to video games, the internet, etc, has always led some to wonder what will happen to ‘old’ forms of media like books and newspapers. Thus far, it appears that technology has been leading the orchestra, with books and other ‘printed’ forms struggling to catch up. What is interesting about these new forms of technology, and what I have been (trying) to report on my blog is how it can be used for positive means as well as for pure entertainment. I have mentioned many times about Nintendo’s Brain Training games, along with other technological advances that can both inform and entertain as well.

The author does acknowledge that balance needs to be achieved between technology and the written word; however, it comes at a point when most readers would stop digesting the novel altogether.  I know I did.

While this individual may be more qualified to whine on a soapbox than give his views on the world, the truth remains that other individuals will argue about the legitimacy of technological media versus the ‘printed word.’ A much more detailed argument is presented on the New York Times here.

So, to close my thoughts on this book, I would compare it to something that I read by Ann Coulter; good ideas that are regrettably bathed in acidic vitriol.