Dumbest Generation by Mark Bauerlien | Teen Ink

Dumbest Generation by Mark Bauerlien

March 26, 2010
By Caitm15 BRONZE, Clinton, Montana
Caitm15 BRONZE, Clinton, Montana
1 article 0 photos 0 comments

The Author of “The Dumbest Generation” by Mark Bauerlein, states in this book that we are clearly the dumbest generation. He shows statistics of how teens have been changed just from technology. Going into detail of how we don’t read as much as we use to some years ago. Stating that where we read stories, articles, etc., affects our knowledge. But most of all he contradicts himself many times in this book.

First of all, reading is reading and it shouldn’t matter where your reading, whether its books or computers. Bauerlein, states that teens go online to read stories now and that that has dramatically affected our knowledge. The one thing that he doesn’t seem to do is state where he is getting his information. So he is clearly not proving his point. When I researched on people in America reading, one of the comments, from an anonymous person, stated that he tends to get sleepy while reading. It clearly shouldn’t matter where you read your information though, because it’s still reading, so it doesn’t affect your knowledge just kills some brain cells if it’s online.

Secondly, people are most likely to use technology than go to a library but they use other technology rather than the computer. He confirms that teens are on the internet or using some other technological device rather than reading. Again, he does not state where he got his information, and again, doesn’t prove his point. In the video for The Dumbest Generation, he does show that in Korea that most people are on the computer by showing a room full of teens that are playing on the computers, even teens in therapy for using the internet too much. But in the book he does not say a curtain area he just talks about it. When I researched about this, one of the facts that I found it in America is: Those that have a college degree will read the most, but this is people aged 50 or older that will end up reading more than those who are younger.

Lastly, everybody is different and unique, we all use technology in different ways and it can be very useful. It’s the same with countries. Each country has different percentages of how many people either read or use technology. There is even countries, states, cities, etc., that are scarce of technology. In America you are most likely to find a TV set or a computer in each home. In some countries, you would be lucky to have that kind of technology. Besides, with this paper we researched, so people are also using technology in different ways. My point here is that, Bauerlein is just focusing on teens using technology to waste their day on video games, dramatically changing their education and not in a good way.

Technology is taking control of people’s lives, in good and bad ways. But it’s all around the world, so there’s no way of stopping it now. It’s obvious we will be using it for as long as we can. Not every single person uses technology, but a lot of people do.

Works Cited
“knowledge” http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/knowledge

“Percentage of how much people read” http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/11/19/young_people_reading_a_lot_less/


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