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Generation Y: The Dumbest Generation

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By JOHN NASH

Of Cabbages and Kings

Published: June 6, 2008

Generation Y has been nicknamed the "Dumbest Generation." Now don't all you proud parents (of those born between 1983 and 1997) start shoving pins into cloth dolls sewn in my likeness: I'm just the messenger (although I tend to agree that Generation Y seems to be less capable of benefiting from formal education than has been any prior generation — which is, by itself, a most damning allegation).
Right at the start of a relevant discussion, we need to agree on the meaning of "dumb." My Webster's Unabridged establishes that "dumb" is, first and foremost, the "inability to speak, due to physical impairments;" only at the very end of a long list does it include "stupid, moronic and unintelligent" in that definition. I suggest to you that a very large majority of today's 5- to 35-year-olds are, therefore, literally, "dumb." They have serious problems with vocal communication; can't calculate the change they should receive when making a purchase for cash; doubt that man has set foot on the moon; can't balance a check book; and aren't able to name either the governor of their state, nor the German dictator that caused World War II, which they can't place in time.
As Forrest Gump's philosophical mother might have said: "Dumb is as dumb does." Yes, it hurts to admit it, but Generation Y is the dumbest we've produced; many will therefore energetically contest that conclusion. Two of those speaking out in emotional defense of that maligned generation are Sharon Begley and Jeneen Interlandi, whom recently wrote a lengthy opinion for publication in Newsweek ("The Dumbest Generation? Don't be Dumb.") Those authors begin their defense of Generation Y by digging up that old bromide about how adults have been needlessly and unjustifiably criticizing new generations ever since the beginning of recorded history. Having thereby hopefully discredited today's critics of Generation Y, the authors get into the meat of their argument:
Generation Ys have higher IQs and cognitive abilities than their predecessors.
They care less about knowing information, than where to find it when needed — such as the Internet and/or World Wide Web, www.
Their choice reflects not dumbness, but a perceptive way of viewing knowledge.
Writing off any generation before it even turns 30 is what's "dumb."
To those of us familiar with searching the World Wide Web for information, that rationale may sound reasonable, but it is fundamentally and fatally flawed. Trouble is: computers, calculators, GPS, cell phones, PDAs and the WWW are fragile and undependable resources. They are regularly interrupted in peacetime and will very likely be knocked out, for long periods of time, early in any future war between major powers.
Satellites, upon which most of things depend, can be destroyed or their signals jammed. Many of us — especially in Florida — know how lightning can knock out computers and other devices containing electronic components: Well, the electromagnetic pulse responsible for most of those outages can be manmade, and used as a weapon. In addition, there are various other ways to interfere with vital links to information, such as the WWW.
Yes, computers are a marvelous invention and a great way to multiply the power of the human mind, but they must not be a substitute for storing as much fundamental knowledge in the mind as may be possible. We need to know enough to decide what to look for in our search of cyber space for information; more importantly, we must be able to function well and efficiently without the electronic aids and crutches we've become increasingly dependent upon.
Here's a recent, and appropriate example of how, when the basic information isn't in the mind, our life can come to a halt when machines fail us. I had stopped at a fast-food restaurant in South Carolina, where I ordered a sandwich and drink to go. Just as my order arrived at the register, the store's electric power was cut off. Without electricity, the counter clerk couldn't operate the register, upon which he depended to calculate the prices, and then to display the change due back to the customer. The young man stood, as though in shock, like a deer frozen in a car's headlights.
I calculated the amount due by adding on the sales tax, and handed him the exact amount, but he refused it, mumbling that "Wait, it gonna be OK soon — jes wait!" Clearly the Generation Y youth had inadequate knowledge of the most basic arithmetic; knew where to go to get the answer; but the system was down. That scenario can happen on much larger and more serious scales — and it will.
I won't disagree that Generation Ys may have more capable brains than might their ancestors, and their hand-eye coordination (such as in playing games on computers or the television, or in activities such as skateboarding) is impressive, but their knowledge of basic subjects — history, mathematics, science, grammar, spelling, and geography — is dangerously and inexcusably dysfunctional.
The fault lies with parents, more than teachers. Parents have become ever less interested with and involved in their children's education. So that the spoiled children doesn't suffer from bruised self-esteem, grades are inflated, honors heaped on everyone and teaching too often focuses on passing state exams rather than on learning anything of lasting value. Our children have the distinction of having "Honor Student" status while being functionally "dumb."
Of course, there are exceptions to my condemnation. Many students do extremely well, but the majority of those seem to be new arrivals to these United States. Consider that, within the past week or so, the winners of the National Geographic Geography Quiz and the National Spelling Bee were both children of East Indian immigrants, whom apparently haven't bought into that attractive, but destructive, belief that there's no need to learn basic subjects while in school.
In addition, it was only just reported that a girl with the nation's record GPA, graduated from a Texas High School in just three years; she, also, was apparently of Indian descent — Anjali Datta.
I congratulate and admire those Indian students; at the same time, I join in the condemnation of their generation as the "dumbest."
Obviously there are very bright minds in that maligned generation, but we have failed to inspire them with the need to study and learn useful subjects while in school. Yes, we may now have the "Dumbest Generation," but it is prior generations that have made it what it is.
Only when parents and teachers return to doing the jobs they did back in the day of the Greatest Generation (those born roughly between 1900 and 1930), will there be a chance of stopping our national slide into computer-assisted ignorance.

John G. Nash is a widely published journalist and photographer whose works have been featured in more than 130 different publications. He welcomes rational comment to him at john@have-eye.com.

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