Customer Reviews
The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age... 
2008-10-04
This book is a compilation of statistical information; it is a good, but slower read due to this. The information, however, is quite an eye-opener. We should take the ideology of this book to heart. This book would be a great reference for college students, education majors, and for parents.
I am part of the so-called "dumbest generation" and I liked the book 2008-09-30
As said above, I am part of the generation that Bauerlein calls "the dumbest." I was born in 1984 and had the good luck to be raised by parents who always encouraged intellectual curiosity. I also went to some pretty decent public primary and secondary schools. But many people haven't shared my good fortune.
Some of the reviews here exemplify the kind of mentality that Bauerlein discusses in his book: kids who are apparently convinced that any knowledge that they already have, regardless of how superficial or paltry it might be, is perfectly sufficient; people who are not only ignorant, but are aware of their own ignorance and consider it no obstacle to voicing whatever uninformed opinion bubbles up in their heads, like the guy who said he hadn't read the book and had no intention of doing so.
That they have this attitude is not entirely their fault, since many of them attended schools where climbing out of the ignorance that all of us are born into was considered optional, lack of effort was no bar to moving up through the grades, and academic rigor was thought of as a cruel imposition on their innocent lives of play or perhaps (horrors) "elitist." Their peer environment was little help, as it punished those with a taste for academic work by calling them "nerds" or simply ignoring them.
The "peer environment" theme is probably the strongest point in the book -- that kids are spending more time with each other, reinforcing the idea that the only thing that matters is the immediate, the present, and fun times spent among one's own age group; adults and their works are boring and irrelevant except insofar as they provide cash and new ways of connecting with friends. Of course, this is the same "extended childhood + prolonged adolescence" cluster of ideas that psychologists and sociologists have been toying with for decades, but I think it is worth considering.
Does Bauerlein *conclusively* establish the idea that this generation is "the dumbest?" I don't think so. He presents some statistics, yes, but the data I have read outside of the book looks equivocal to me. What he does establish, I think, is the existence of a steep decline in the reading of books for pleasure, and a decline in the *desire* (if not ability) to think about complex arguments and current events. These trends merit concern. As for the big question -- "What is to be done?" -- given Bauerlein's belief that the "dumbness" is primarily a result of extracurricular lifestyle, not of education practices, it seems logical that he would be pessimistic, and predictably the book ends with foreboding.
Dr. Males, the writer of the best negative review here, says that the book comes across as self-congratulatory, and parts of it certainly do. Members of the brainy class have always been complaining that the coming generations fail to measure up to their standards of intellectual excellence, and that conditions are looking ever-darker for the causes of academia, informed government, civil society...so I naturally look at these kinds of jeremiads with some skepticism, conscious that the complaints are old ones even if the specific circumstances vary. In the early nineteenth century, Thoreau complained that nobody read serious literature or classics anymore. Maybe we just have to accept that the audience for complex literary works has always been and *will always be* small, and that few people in *any era* will take on philosophical meditation or serious political involvement as a habit.
Depending on your view of the merits of different media types, you may think that substituting web-browsing for book-reading is a bad trend, a neutral one, or even a good one. I see it mostly as a bad one, and I say this as a guy who for years spent hours and hours of each day on discussion boards, social networking sites, and YouTube, only to once again make book-reading my main pastime when I concluded that most of my time online had done me more harm than good.
That was just my own experience, of course, and maybe others see things differently. Anyway, life's too short to throw away most of it sitting in front of a screen. I think I'll go read a book. :-)
Good Idea, but... 2008-09-23
The premise for the book is fascinating but the methodology was one long tie in of statistics, quotes and sources. I felt like I was reading someone's masters thesis which some may desire, but I was hoping for an insightful AND readable book.
Good Explanation of Problem But Wrong Cause 2008-09-21
I'm a member of Generation X, and most of the items Dr. Bauerlein blames for the ignorance of Generation Y were not in widespread use when I was a teen. We didn't have the Internet, cell phones, iPods, or sophisticated video game systems, and my town did not even get wired for cable until my freshman year of high school. Yet we did not spend our leisure time in the type of intellectual pursuits that Dr. Bauerlein imagines have been displaced by these modern items. Instead of literature, philosophy, high culture, political activism, or discussing current events we wasted our time on mindless drivel. We hung out at the mall or roller skating rink, gossiped on landlines, watched network soap operas, listened to pop music on the radio or our Walkman, flipped through "Tiger Beat" and other teen magazines, played video games on our Nintendos or Segas, and so on. And I really don't think my parents' generation was all that much different as teens, although the technology was obviously more primitive.
So if teens have been wasting their leisure time on mindless pursuits for decades, why then is Gen Y so ignorant compared to previous generations? Dr. Bauerlein pretty much lets the schools off the hook in "The Dumbest Generation" but I believe that the "dumbing down" of the curriculum is the root cause. Today's teens were raised in the era of the "self esteem" fad, "whole language", "constructivist math" (aka fuzzy math), and all sorts of politically correct multiculturalism nonsense. Little wonder then that so many of them struggle with academic basics.
"The Dumbest Generation" is an interesting book, but the author's arguments in support of his main premise did not strike me as particularly convincing.
Incredibly Flawed 
2008-09-07
As a member of "the Dumbest Generation," I was intrigued by the title and was curious what was being said about people my own age. To be frank, I'm surprised that the editors at Penguin allowed this to be published. The book is full of allegations that lack any real substance, and which are unfortunately most often wrong. The use of statistics from multiple-choice surveys about education is highly questionable. It appears that the author did not bother personally interviewing any members of the generation he's speaking about for the book, or if he did, those interviews did not make their way into the text.
Rarely have I found a piece of writing so ignorant, so incorrect, and so offensive. I feel strongly enough about it that in the future, I may write more about the flaws in this book on The Huffington Post. In the meantime, skip this book and buy another.
Some good facts in need of better analysis 2008-08-22
This shocking, lively exposure of the intellectual vacuity of today’s under thirty set reveals the disturbing and, ultimately, incontrovertible truth: cyberculture is turning us into a nation of know-nothings.Can a nation continue to enjoy political and economic predominance if its citizens refuse to grow up?
For decades, concern has been brewing about the dumbed-down popular culture available to young people and the impact it has on their futures. At the dawn of the digital age, many believed they saw a hopeful answer: The Internet, e-mail, blogs, and interactive and hyper-realistic video games promised to yield a generation of sharper, more aware, and intellectually sophisticated children. The terms “information superhighway” and “knowledge economy” entered the lexicon, and we assumed that teens would use their knowledge and understanding of technology to set themselves apart as the vanguards of this new digital era.
That was the promise. But the enlightenment didn’t happen. The technology that was supposed to make young adults more astute, diversify their tastes, and improve their verbal skills has had the opposite effect. According to recent reports, most young people in the United States do not read literature, visit museums, or vote. They cannot explain basic scientific methods, recount basic American history, name their local political representatives, or locate Iraq or Israel on a map.
The Dumbest Generation is a startling examination of the intellectual life of young adults and a timely warning of its consequences for American culture and democracy.
Drawing upon exhaustive research, personal anecdotes, and historical and social analysis, Mark Bauerline presents an uncompromisingly realistic portrait of the young American mind at this critical juncture, and lays out a compelling vision of how we might address its deficiencies.
Children reflect on their parents 2008-08-20
And if the children can't make it, the elder generation has to be responsible. This sort of smug bashing is not helping anyone.
Degenerate Luddite 2008-08-20
First off, I have not read the book. I will not read the book. I will discourage everyone to not read the book. All it is a collection of fearmongering "good ole' days" propaganda from a Luddite who can't keep up with the shifting culture of information consumption and new ways to learn both new and old lessons. Like the majority of people who find change scary, he demonizes that which he willingly makes no effort to understand, and uses platitudinous anecdotes with no real bearing on reality and manipulated statistics to make far-reaching claims about how dumb my generation (yes, my) generation is, and makes the logical face plant jump about trustworthiness.
I find even the title and the implication that my digital "lifestyle" as it were has done anything other than enhance me as an informed, educated, individual. There are plenty of better written, more balanced arguments exploring both the pros and the cons of the current state of information culture. Do yourself a favor and do your own research, and find your own conclusions that aren't based on fear and anxiety.
A fairly dumb book 2008-08-17
I have been reading this book, and am so far impressed by two apparent facts.
First, the title is a lie. All the author proves is that the kids are as dumb as us. How exciting.
And then, second, will this book do any good? I doubt it. As Ortega y Gasset noted, almost a century ago: "The commonplace mind, knowing itself to be commonplace, has the assurance to proclaim the rights of the commonplace and to impose them wherever it will."
But of course -- everybody is equal!!! (And if they aren't, they can always find somebody else to blame......)
Here's Generation D's Failing Report Card 
2008-08-15
[Fred Allen, radio/TV comedian of the 50s, once "predicted" that the then mass of new TV-watchers would eventually have "brains the size of peas and eyeballs the size of cantelopes" if they didn't get the excesses of the"vast wasteland" (words of then FCC Chairman, Newton Minnow) -watching under control. Well...] Seems we just may have reached the point Allen had in mind, our having fostered a generation who's life is routinely about being glued to all kinds of electronic screens...not to mention getting musically iWired, making big money, looking good and having fun
Nevermind brain-power enhancement. For youngsters, gaining knowledge, writing, shaping values, and just plain reading are not the "cool" things to do these days.
--Or so author and university English professor Mark Bauerlein claims. Risking minor wrath of 12-to-29-year-olds by describing their lifestyles as mind-dulling and narrow, he describes a youthful way of life that's devoid of the curiosities of even everyday learning. --But lest the reader be fooled that this is a book repleat with armchair opinion, here's one bold, serious effort that takes on a generation in need of a mind-set overhaul, a generation unashamed of its open apathy toward reading and learning --and what it means for all of us. The book makes its point relying on a myriad of convincing references, results, and conclusions from studies, surveys by reputable academic think tanks, associations, ed boards, conferences and committees.
In fact, sometimes the read gets a little dry with all the numbers, percentages, comparisons, charts, quotes and definitions offered. Indeed, The Dumbest Generation [the book, that is] is not a loose work designed to lampoon a vulnerable, younger people. Quite the opposite, it's an up-close examination of the relationship between lack of learning and disdain for reading...and a resulting dismal future for our democracy. At first, this sounds like a stretch, but Bauerlein is a credible voice and does a good job showing we've got a problem on our hands: a generation of very capable youth...that openly rejects the past, rejects authority and mentors, rejects schoolwork...only to fill the void with over-abundant screen-watching, never-ending peer contact, time-consuming jobs, and dreaming about/planning for hefty future incomes.
We find out our "kids" know little about math, tradition, history, philpsophy, art, current events, science, the world around them...and, says Bauerline, we're going to pay for it. He claims the low levels of general knowledge comes from too much time spent in self-serving, ego- boosting activities...like texting & iPoding & watching TV, web surfing, playing video games, and more. The author claims "Generation D," shall we say, reads little, spells poorly and writes even worse....and doesn't much care about the difficiencies.
He takes no cheap shots. Bauerlein drills into nobody and affixes little blame but does make a sound case, outlining how too much Internet and too little reading have lead to poor general knowledge, which ultimately results in the demise of a democracy. [Appropriately, he includes a good reference to Jefferson and his comments about "a literate electorate...."]Our author puts his research of "how it is" out for all of us to think about...as he concludes that declining values, a reduced quality of life and crumbling political process are in store.
Unfortunately, the book falls short in making no clear connection between youth's passion for electronic gear and fun-time...and the the multinational corporations' infatuation with youth's cash. That marketeers expect billion$ and billion$ from this group annually is no small point, and "getting smarter" almost Requires the rejection of (at least some of) the hip, modern, "cool" electronic toys the 12-to-29ers infectiously require. ["I couldn't live without my cell phone," laments one of The Generation's respondents in the book.] We get only passing notes on the enormous pressures put on them to buy. Bauerline might
have shown some cause and effect. Why not here and now address the relationship between pandering companies and low achievement? As there's, apparently, no money in getting smarter these days, Bauerline passes up a perfectly good opportunity to briefly clarify...even though up front he tells us that the scope of this book is limited and would not include
such examinations.
So, the Internet's the culprit in all this window-watching the young generation's "into"? --Hard to disagree, especially when we see so much of youth culture forever plugged-in, on-line, and checked-out. An important, laudable work...yet the author is apt to make some mad --like middle school and university teachers who, he claims, have lost the responsibility for teaching kids to learn How To Learn --like some members of "Generation D" who (unfortunately) may criticize this laudable work as an personal affront instead of a blueprint for change. [--But, then again, they'd had to have Read The Book first....] Given that the intellibots of the "dumbest generation" are, in fact, great at mastering Web offerings, Blackberry and cell phone manipulation, and 40-level video-game challenges, 50s funnyman Fred Allen probably should have included: "...and thumbs the girth of tree stumps."
