Dumbed-Down Generation?

Are the millions of people born between 1982 and 2000 part of an intellectually devoid generation? That's what Emory University professor and author Mark Bauerlein argued at the American Enterprise Institute on Monday during a debate with Neil Howe. Bauerlein claimed there is a decline in knowledge skills and intellectual learning among young people, pointing out the scores of students who have to take remedial courses in college and the average number of hours they spend surfing the Internet, playing video games, and watching television. He said the explosion of social networking using technology has led to young people becoming obsessed with their social lives. Instead of reading great literary works like The Divine Comedy or 1984, today's young people are reading their comments on Facebook, leading to stunted character development.

The other side of this argument will be posted later this week—Is This the Next Great Generation?

Do you feel that young people are less intellectual than previous generations? Does the advance of technology mean we should measure their knowledge skills in a nontraditional manner?