Young People Today Are Dumber Than Young People Of 20 Years Ago

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20 years ago, young people where much smarter than the young people today. The 1980s was the last generation of truly educated people.

BullDog

15 Apr 2008 02:37

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I think so for the majority of the population. Intelligence is the ability to think and solve problems. 2+2=4 is intelligence. Knowing the capital of France is not, that would be knowledge. Dumb can have two definitions. 1. Lack of knowledge.
2. General lack of intelligence.

Now if were talking about 1. Then i would have to say no children today seem more intent on passing school with flying colors and the majority of school is knowledge.
2. I'd have to agree people today make horrendously stupid decisions. I've seen people focus more on football, which will go extinct eventually probably because of me:), Then on college which will get them a good job to support themselves. I will not say that people 20 years ago focused on going to college because i don't know but id say students today are stupid.

Smito

17 Jun 2008 17:30

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I would say so even though they have more resources than they did twenty years ago.

higack

26 May 2008 00:32

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I agree except I would go back even further than the 80's since I graduated then. I don't think that I got that great of an education at all.

I think they need to take a look at the curricula from back then and realize that the "new and improved" is not what works for Math and Language Arts. The schools need to get back to teaching the basics and drop all this new fangled curricula. Teachers in all public schools should be the ones making curriculum choices for their classroom - not the administration.

momof3

26 May 2008 00:28

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Yes that is true cuz most kids sit in front of computers all day and t.v.s and don't use their pre-frontal cortex(the part of your brain you think logically and ethically with) there for our cortex 20 years ago used to be mature at around 23 yrs old and today it is mature at 35

celva_olva

21 Apr 2008 17:17

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The kids on this site sure back up this side of the debate. I don't think they are dumber as such but certainly more ignorant generally speaking.

StBalders

21 Apr 2008 17:12

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It makes sense that they (we) are more ignorant, we have lived for less time and therefore know less. But unless you have reason to believe that the kids now know less than the kids in the 80s knew in the 80s then it is irrelevant and unsurprising that people who are 20 know less than 40 year olds.

Quincel

15 Jun 2008 21:27

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No way for me to really prove it, but it seems that the kids of today are more egocentric and care little about history or anything that will not give them what they can benefit from at the given moment.

Graduating high school in '82 i kind of like this one.

innomen

21 Apr 2008 16:49

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you old fart, I feel young again.

StBalders

21 Apr 2008 17:10

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I don't want to say dumber, but certainly less educated and less credible. People 20 years ago could spell. Kids today think that using text speak is acceptable in general usage.

If you're typing and use "u" as a word, you've got problems.

Cephus

15 Apr 2008 06:27

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On the contrary, I think kids are smarter today than ever before. This generation is learning more about computers and technology, which wasn't taught a whole lot in the 80's. Did they know anything about iPods or the Internet?

bookworm3

22 Nov 2008 00:30

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Smart kids are getting smarter and dumb kids are getting dumber. Or maybe not, I wasn't alive in the 80's and I'm not exactly omnipresent and able to see how intelligent kids really are today. I can see why people might think kids are getting less intelligent but I can only speak from personal experience and say the people I hang around with are pretty smart. And we're not nerds :P

Carl

17 Jun 2008 16:58

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"Smart kids are getting smarter and dumb kids are getting dumber." perfectly put. I would also like to state that there is a difference in knowledge. Nowadays technology what most kids know. Back in the day it was other things.

Specter87

12 Oct 2008 00:58

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I think this is a nostalgic debate topic. Children today learn different things for a different age so they don't learn some of the things that people in the 80s learnt and valued highly. Also, I think people underestimate how stupid they were as kids and forget it now they are grown up and clever.

Quincel

15 Jun 2008 21:26

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I have to say you buck the trend with this intelligent comment and the one you made under mine on this page. You are living proof that I may have been wrong. I hope you are English, you have restored a lot of lost faith. Logical and well written, good for you.

StBalders

15 Jun 2008 22:35

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I am a 12 year old preteen. I think that I am smarter than others were in the 80's. We have to learn more now than middle schoolers did in the 80's. Like experts say....teachers, doctors (not just medical), mentors, and etc. Have to teach us things NOW for the modern future. So we have to learn what middle schoolers in the 80's learned PLUS what we need to know for the future...other than Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic that is!

BTDE-Vicky

15 Jun 2008 21:16

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Frankly I wasn't a kid back 20 years ago but am a kid now.

I'm here to defend our generation because there are some really intellectual people my age but also some 'dumber' ones...if that's a word.

It would probably benefit if I knew more about the Earth and read more into politics...but hey, I'm a kid. There's time to learn more of these things and get interested in them. Right now, I'm just trying to revise and get on with life!
It's common knowledge that it's harder to get into universities/colleges so loads of my peers are working there butts off to get A grades all round.

helenbobby

25 May 2008 19:42

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"There's time to learn more of these things and get interested in them. Right now, I'm just trying to revise and get on with life!"

I hope you don't mind me saying this but that is what is wrong with your generation - why are you in such a hurry to "get on with life"! As long as you are alive, you will be able to do that.

NOW you think there is plenty of "time to learn more of these things and get interested in them." But once the time has passed you will kick yourself in the behind and wish that you had learned more of these things and gotten interested in them WHEN YOU HAD THE TIME.

momof3

26 May 2008 00:38

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THANKS FOR THAT.
I'm glad you're interested in my life.

We're not in a hurry.
I'm at boarding school. If I have the time to read a newspaper, I will. Every time I get on the internet, I have a quick look at the BBC news website (and the weather). I never watch TV. Because education seems to be the key factor to get anywhere nowadays, that's what many of us are focusing on. 
And I agree that we need to learn these things now. I mean I suggested we start a 'current news' class but that couldn't fit into the already 'busy' schedule/curriculum. It's hard to explain.

Trying to get into your shoes, when you graduated...years ago? I know what we are like now and situations are changing. I wouldn't say we, as a generation, are becoming dumb but ignorant is a more responsive word. Ignorant is a big chunk of what my generation is. Most of them are wrapped up in the next party/exam and nothing else.
I'm being pressurized by all sides to get good grades so I at least have a chance to (possibly) get into St Andrews. I've got exams next week and I keep getting reminded that 'is this towards the path of your career?'
I want to become an environmental activist. Bring some change for the better. And study weather systems would be interesting. I wish I did have the time to learn everything there is to know out in the big world but time does run away...

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I have no idea what illegal drug you must have taken to agree with the pot-head that started this post. Although there are many stupid kids nowadays there were the same amount, if not more, in the 80's definitely.

This post, at least, doesn't apply to me.

wallaceg12

21 May 2008 20:56

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People 20 years ago couldn't have dreamed about the things we learn today.

bishop

11 May 2008 21:19

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I would love to hear some details or examples.

momof3

26 May 2008 00:32

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I wouldn't say so, I think they as smart as youth of 20 years ago proportionately if not smarter since we have advanced since then. Since there are more youth, there bound to be more ignorant youth as well. Added: Though I guess it could be said that this is slightly bias

Shizenk

21 Apr 2008 20:14

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"we have advanced since then"

Please share what you mean by that statement?

momof3

26 May 2008 00:32

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We have more knowledge of the world and are far less prejudice to other people's

And I do believe that if the 80's was the last generation of SMART people then the hippies, addicts and acid trippers were the second to last generation of smart people

Evidence

15 Apr 2008 15:16

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Not so sure about more knowledge of the world. I mentioned to some 20 somethings that i was planning on going to Nicaragua again and they had no idea where that was. Never mind what happened there in the 80s.

innomen

21 Apr 2008 16:52

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