The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future (Or, Don't Trust Anyone Under 30) by Mark Bauerlein

tricky titleby dried_squid

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11/29/2009: A. About the title

Purchased the hardcover July 2008. I was going on a trip. I wanted a real book - non-fiction, non-computer-oriented, and non-how-to. I wanted meaty. I wanted the book skinny and lightweight. To feel more astute, like university. Found "The Dumbest Generation" in the InfoAge section at my favorite brick-n-mortar bookstore.

The title aside, Professor Bauerlein's book was more than fun. I was taken by it.

Checked the author blurb, skimmed the table of contents, and a few chapters. I was curious what "dumbest" meant, how it was quantified, and what were the relationships and measuring sticks.

To me, the statisticals matter more than answers. The factoids were news to me.

Liked the book. I have quoted it, spoken about it, and purchased it for friends. Back in July 2008, I went through it once, then a second time. I noted pages and passages. Not many. Just a handful of nuggets.

Until November 27, 2009, I still didn't like the title. And yet, when purchasing books for my Gen Xer nephew and niece for Christmas, I ordered another copy for myself. I had given my hardcover copy. 2008 away at work. I still had my nugget notes.

Today, I looked up "dumb" on the internet. And, I received my new copy, the paperback edition copy. 2009. There's a new preface. I checked it. And reviewed the introduction, looking for Professor Bauerlein's declaration of "dumb".

It remains hidden. I believe purposely so. As a Baby Boomer and voter, I appreciate Professor Bauerlein's tact. What's dumb?

B. About Reading, and Writing

In the last few months, I read "How to Read a Book" rev. 2007 by Mortimer Adler and Charles Van Doren. I like Adler, and in these uncertain times, I thought it would be a help in dealing with problem definitions, and proposed solutions. Not just books, but all reading, and writing.

Adler's prose is crystal. His examples are discrete and sharp. He wrote "From your point of view as a reader, the most important words are 'those that give you trouble'. It is likely that these words are important for the author as well." Chapter 8 Coming to Terms with an Author.

Now the title means more.

Definition of "generation" - A form, type, class, etc., of objects existing at the same time and having many similarities or developed from a common model or ancestor.

I was in college in the late sixties. I was online with bulletin boards in the DOS days. Was I a prototype for the title? Just maybe.

C. A Nugget note - Introduction, pg. 10

"... All the ingredients for making an informed and intelligent citizen are in place.

But it hasn't happened ....

This book explains why and how, and how much, and what it means for the civic health of the United States."

D. Another Nugget note - Chapter Six - No More Culture Warriors, the last chapter, pg. 231

"... In a prosperous society, the institutions of learning lean toward insulation and professionalism, while popular discourse drops to the least common denominator of mass culture. Intellectuals draw both back from the extremes, synthesizing them into the best democratic communication, an intelligent analysis of ideas and facts accessible to vast audiences."

E. The content - The content is elegantly crafted, as in "read aloud", and worth considering. In an...

Good summary, but scary picture, of America's futureby badgerpackdgd

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11/21/2009: I would agree with some of the other reviewers that the author's lament has probably, and probably always will be, applied to the younger generations. I would also say that it might be a little too "academic" for some readers. All that said, it is worth reading, especially if you're mid-career like me, to try to understand some of the new and future coworkers. The first chapter alone, when he discussed the "Jaywalking" segments is enough to make anyone cringe. Given that the younger generation has all the technology available that they do, you do have to wonder why they seem to know so little about the world around them.