By God we're dumb.

[the_tralfalmadorian]

The dude's a total dick, but he has some relevant points. This generation does miss out on a lot of things, but at the same time HE has missed out on a lot of things. I mean, just because HE did something as a young person doesn't mean that is the only right way to live. he needs to understand that culture is a broad term describing a gambit of things, not just the things he knows about.


...arrogant ass hat.

 

[Sustenance]

"'we'?, this video and its statistics are boldybold applicable only to Americans, therefore I am exempt.boldybold"

I comprehended what you wrote just fine; "... applicable only to Americans, therefore I am exempt." is kind of hard to dance around that little gem with words.

Well then I have failed to comprehend what you are saying, perhaps it doesent make sense? If you agree with me that the statistics do not relate to australians, why did you make your sarcastic comment about what I said. In my opinion you are simply looking for a fight and arguing even when your argument doesent make sense. If you would like to explain what you meant or express your views on this topic I have nothing against you, however from what you have said and what you have posted in other threads you come across as a cynical troll.

I'm going to be the bigger man here and step away.

Also, Cynic rules.

 

[Larmo]

[quote In my own school I'm considered 'That Smart Kid' - most likely because I have a vocabulary that consists of more than 7 words.

Me: "Not in particular."
Random Kid: "Why do you always use big words?"[/quote]

I get that all the time, i don't think I'm using big words but onetime even a teacher stopped me and asked me what i just said.

 

[L.B. Jeffries]

The presumption he makes is that people were smarter or better informed before the internet. Teens are, by default, narcissistic. It's a part of the development process. We all get absorbed into our own world and our friends as we develop our personal identities. Once that becomes more firmly established, you start to branch out and explore other things. I don't expect them to use the internet's vast database anymore than I expected them to go to the library to look something up back in the day. How does being politically informed help you when you're 14?

I never really followed Baby Boomers who go on about this kind of nonsense. When I talk to people about the student protests or the riots back when they were kids, the vast majority of them weren't politically aware. It was just a big party to them. They were just as dumb as the rest of us back then. People, as they get older and politics actually affect their income & taxes, start paying attention. They start learning big words because they need them to get jobs and compete.

Just another old fart whining about kids today because he wishes he was young himself.

 

[Sustenance]

The presumption he makes is that people were smarter or better informed before the internet. Teens are, by default, narcissistic. It's a part of the development process. We all get absorbed into our own world and our friends as we develop our personal identities. Once that becomes more firmly established, you start to branch out and explore other things. I don't expect them to use the internet's vast database anymore than I expected them to go to the library to look something up back in the day. How does being politically informed help you when you're 14?

I never really followed Baby Boomers who go on about this kind of nonsense. When I talk to people about the student protests or the riots back when they were kids, the vast majority of them weren't politically aware. It was just a big party to them. They were just as dumb as the rest of us back then. And like me, as they get older and politics actually affect my income & taxes, they start paying attention. They start learning big words because they need them to get jobs and compete.

Just another old fart whining about kids today because he wishes he was young himself.

This guy knows what he is talking about. I love myself, minus my teefs; which I'm getting fixed.

Yay parents and cheap orthodontic care.

 

[roo18]

Isn't the age we live in now going to be a historical time period? Instead of ranting about how all teenagers don't like old classics and politics, why doesn't he learn more about what he means to be young today properly instead of making guesses based on statistics on what websites most teenagers go on?

 

[wgreer25]

OK, I'm over 30 so you can trust me.

Thought I would add my 2 cents to this post.

This guy is a bit of a pessimist but he brings up some very good points. I can only speak for America, so I have no idea what the teen generation is like in other countries. I do think the teen generation is a little to in love with their technology and the millions of ways to keep up with their friends. I think it would be more socially helpful if one could spend more time actually interacting with people face to face instead of Facebook and MySpace. When I was in High School I was part of many clubs (way back in the day before this crazy internet thingy). And maybe that is the case with many of you on this site, but I think a large portion is too addicted to pop culture and technology. They care more about what is happening with Britney than learning something new and useful.

I?m going to impart the knowledge of my age on you younglings. You teen years will be a crazy time and I hate to say it, but the friends you have now will be gone very soon. You will all move on with your life and that is what you should be preparing for. This is not to say that you shouldn?t enjoy your teen years, hell it is the last time you will be able to really live without responsibility. But guess what, the responsibility hammer is coming fast! If you want to actually make something of yourself, be a contribution to society, have a good job, earn good money, have a good meaningful relationship, you can start preparing now. Take advantage of you parent?s wisdom. Learn to cook. Learn to use power tools. Learn to do the laundry. Learn to iron your clothes. (My 28 year old wife didn?t know how to iron until I showed her). My god people, you should know these things before you are 18.

About the historical references he mentioned, I agree 100% with him. I remember when I went to go see that shittacular movie ?Titanic? with a girlfriend and a 17 year old niece. When the movie was over, I asked the niece, ?What did you think?? she replied ?I did think it would be so sad, and I had no idea the boat was going to sink, that sucked.? No joke. Also, I was in line at a Best Buy (buying a new game I?m sure) and there were two young girls in line behind me. One had recently seen the remake of King Kong and was describing the movie to her friend. It was obvious that neither of them had any clue that this was a remake and has been done a number of times before. I will now use my wife as an example. I will first note that my wife is brilliant. She has book smarts out the wazoo, but there are many culture references that fall short on her. When she was packing up all her stuff to come live with me she found an old book entitled something like ?Things all teenagers should know? and it had many historical facts and stories in it (Greek mythology and shorts on American history). It was actually a really good book. She didn?t know half the things in it. I knew about 90%. We had very similar educations, so I can?t blame the school systems. I think the difference was my father. He read all the time and we would have long discussions about historical events and the things he has read. So what I am saying is, parents should take a more active role in their children?s education (in America at least).

All this rant to make a simple point? enjoy your teen years, but when you hit your college years, get ready to be serious. If you want to get a good job, you had better start preparing. I have interviewed tons of newly graduated people and most of them have no idea what to do in an interview, how to act, or what questions to ask. I will forget your good grades if you don?t know how to act mature. I buckled down and studied my ass off in college, and did a cooperative education program to get experience before I graduated. As a result, I have an amazing job that I love that pays really good. So now that I am out of college and making my own money, I can afford whatever toys I like and still have plenty to save. Your Facebook/Myspace crap will not impress an employer, and since you need money to live, you will need a job. And once you have that job, you won't need to study anymore, your evenings are your own... to play COD4, have sex with your significant other, hang out with friends (the life long kind now).

Sorry for the rant. I?m not trying to talk down to anybody, I just would like to share some things that I can look back on now and say ?I wish someone had told me that when I was 18?.

 

[Nytehauq]

The presumption he makes is that people were smarter or better informed before the internet. Teens are, by default, narcissistic. It's a part of the development process. We all get absorbed into our own world and our friends as we develop our personal identities. Once that becomes more firmly established, you start to branch out and explore other things. I don't expect them to use the internet's vast database anymore than I expected them to go to the library to look something up back in the day. How does being politically informed help you when you're 14?

I must not have gotten this memo. I didn't know there was an age at which people were supposed to become narcissistic and an age at which people will begin to branch out and have political opinions. Aside from the fact that such standards are culturally biased and relative, I've gotten into a bit of trouble questioning my friends and acquaintances in school about their blanket acceptance of the notion that being a teenager has some prescribed definition written down somewhere. They didn't buy the notion that you can't be too young to think rationally.

Speaking personally, holding political opinions when you're fourteen helps a bit when you engage in political conversations at that age. Yes, it happens.

I never really followed Baby Boomers who go on about this kind of nonsense. When I talk to people about the student protests or the riots back when they were kids, the vast majority of them weren't politically aware. It was just a big party to them. They were just as dumb as the rest of us back then. People, as they get older and politics actually affect their income & taxes, start paying attention. They start learning big words because they need them to get jobs and compete.

Just another old fart whining about kids today because he wishes he was young himself.

You are correct that most people start caring about things as they begin to affect whatever it is that they want. Most people do a great deal of things, the point of the clip seemed to be that most of what most people do is fairly retarded. This becomes more the case when people have less to worry about as far as income and needs go. With all the work kids don't have to do these days, it's no wonder they can be so inwardly focused, unconcerned with all the stuff that gets done to provide them with the state of living they take for granted. It's almost as if people would like to argue that you really don't need to learn about politics and civics, things just magically take care of themselves and will continue to do so regardless of what anyone does.

It seems like a naive justification for a naive standpoint. Even if this generation isn't getting dumber, why is it perfectly acceptable that people stay as dumb as they've always been "at that age?" What could that possibly be good for?

 

[Rolling Thunder]

Providing a host of unthinking, cheap and reliable labour who refrain from questioning the authority of the.... well, authority. Which is an important manifesto for goverment- too many intellectuals is almost as dangerous as too few.

 

[kinch]

Why all the long discussions and paragraphs in this thread? I don't have the time or the inclination to read them, I'm too busy socialising with other people my age...

Yes, this generation is that dumb.

 

[fluffylandmine]

Is this suppose to be a revelation? I am very much aware of my generation's idiocy. What's-his-face isn't making any points I'm not already aware of. In my own school I'm considered 'That Smart Kid' - most likely because I have a vocabulary that consists of more than 7 words.

Me: "Not in particular."
Random Kid: "Why do you always use big words?"

I know exactly what your going through.

Your responsible for yourself and what you do and what you learn.

Most of the things he said were pop culture at the time and can be irrerelevent nowadays as things today will be when we're this guys age.

 

[L.B. Jeffries]

You are correct that most people start caring about things as they begin to affect whatever it is that they want. Most people do a great deal of things, the point of the clip seemed to be that most of what most people do is fairly retarded. This becomes more the case when people have less to worry about as far as income and needs go. With all the work kids don't have to do these days, it's no wonder they can be so inwardly focused, unconcerned with all the stuff that gets done to provide them with the state of living they take for granted. It's almost as if people would like to argue that you really don't need to learn about politics and civics, things just magically take care of themselves and will continue to do so regardless of what anyone does.

It seems like a naive justification for a naive standpoint. Even if this generation isn't getting dumber, why is it perfectly acceptable that people stay as dumb as they've always been "at that age?" What could that possibly be good for?

No more naive than the older generation complaining that the younger generation is bad because they aren't like them.

My complaint is that he's accusing us, me, whatever, of being the dumbest generation. I just think it's the same as it ever was. All of the good points he makes are points you could make about Americans in general, at any time in general. Some people take the time to educate themselves, some people like to stay informed, and the vast majority like to just talk to their friends and study the things they care about. At what point was it ever any different?

We're having this debate on a website totally dedicated to video games, after all.

 

[milomalo]

first u got to accept that there is stupid people everywere... and i mean really stupid like the dude who wrote the book and second besides of the stupidity they are ignorants ...

you have to stop and think about it, because not everybody is the same i dont have a facebook ... but i like to read stuff in the internet... im not lazy...

really dont know how to put it... because this guy just generalize a whole generation... here not everybody is dumb not everybody likes the same games or music or are from the same country... to talk about a dumb generation ... at least i think that you have to the generation ends to fully analize it (like the generation x, or so)

maybe someone understand my point

 

[Drong]

guys a dick, personally I have all those networking sites and use them to help organise my social life but I don't live on them (don?t even use them that often really)
However every day, EVERY DAY (sorry to shout but condescending people like that annoy me) I pick at least one subject or person of historical or political interest and do a little research on them, just for the sake of it because.. shock and horror I enjoy learning, that's right I actually enjoy learning which granted I didn't really while at school, in fact it took me a good number of years after school to get interested as school had nearly trampled on my desire to better myself in anyway at all.

I think the school system and lousy parents have a lot more to answer for than social networking sites, I don't know if the school in the US is the same as here in the UK but here we have very strict curriculum?s of what is to be taught and any questions which go beyond that would always be answered with "that's not in the curriculum, you don't need to learn that" well excuse me for actually expressing some interest and anyway who are you to tell me what I should and shouldn?t learn? and what they do teach you is watered down and sterilised and there is a big thing of doing it at the pace of the slowest meaning that those of us who want to learn were actually constantly held back and spent most of our time in boredom, or mocked by our less intelligent peers as they try to make up for their own failings by inflicting misery on others.

 

[Nytehauq]

No more naive than the older generation complaining that the younger generation is bad because they aren't like them.

Naturally, but that would only mean that both arguments are equally invalid. I'm not sure it's fair to place the discourse firmly into the realm of "old guy complaining about young whippersnappers." Perhaps he has had the same complaints about people in his generation and his point is only that this generation is even worse than they were?

My complaint is that he's accusing us, me, whatever, of being the dumbest generation. I just think it's the same as it ever was. All of the good points he makes are points you could make about Americans in general, at any time in general. Some people take the time to educate themselves, some people like to stay informed, and the vast majority like to just talk to their friends and study the things they care about. At what point was it ever any different?

We're having this debate on a website totally dedicated to video games, after all.

You did claim that teenagers are generally naturally narcissistic. I'd disagree that people are naturally that way, but I agree that people do tend to be that way. I think the question is to what degree they are. Most people have never been particularly intellectual, this is true. But things like the declining quality of American education relative to say, the rest of the world, do mark a change in trends. The point of the video seemed to be that young people nowadays are dumber than normal, not that people of yesterday were particularly smart.

I talk to people who read Shakespeare as part of their schooling thirty five years ago. Their parents were never educated. I don't imagine the uneducated parents were lecturing their children on being dumber than they were. I don't imagine that the parents of those uneducated parents were lecturing anyone either.

There was also a time in history when illiteracy was the norm. I don't think you can really draw upon "the same as it ever was" - was it "ever was" has never been the same as anything. Things ebb and flow. The only constants are what principles and precepts work in general: not being a narcissistic ignorant lazy bum at any point in your life is generally a good principle to go on. If we notice an upsurge in such activity and a decline in awareness, even if people are going from dumb to dumber, people are still getting dumber, and this may still be the dumbest generation. I'm just going to continue pretending I don't belong to it.

Yet, to be honest, the points brought up in the video seem to be anecdotal and labeling an entire generation of anything reeks of hasty generalization. Even so, from what I've seen, I wouldn't doubt that most of what was said had some bearing. It's easy to write it off as the cliched stereotype of some old guy complaining about kids, but that's as best equally stereotypical. If you look up scientific studies on educational standards and see some global perspectives on American culture, it paints a clearer picture of this and other issues.

A bit more than just discussion on videos games goes on here from time to time, apparently. I should really just stick to watching Zero Punctuation

 

[Rooster Cogburn]

In the twelfth century, the Norman nobles were furious because the young men wanted to wear their hair long like Saxon warriors. I'm a 20 year old American, and I think this video only proves the author's inability to look beyond his own personal sphere.

 

[philman15]

Me: "Not in particular."
Random Kid: "Why do you always use big words?"

*sigh*
A scenario pulled right from every other day of my life.

 

[L.B. Jeffries]

Yet, to be honest, the points brought up in the video seem to be anecdotal and labeling an entire generation of anything reeks of hasty generalization. Even so, from what I've seen, I wouldn't doubt that most of what was said had some bearing. It's easy to write it off as the cliched stereotype of some old guy complaining about kids, but that's as best equally stereotypical. If you look up scientific studies on educational standards and see some global perspectives on American culture, it paints a clearer picture of this and other issues.

Yeah...I downsized the quote but your right. I'm mostly just reacting to him calling my generation the dumbest. It'd be easy for me to rant about the foibles of people my age and younger. There are plenty, just as with any generic stereotype.

But what do you want me to do? I'm under 30 and that guy just labeled me a selfish, stupid brat. I'm trying to launch a career and live a decent life. I'm confronted with a job market that is populated by one generation who has vowed to work until they die and another generation that changes jobs every ten years. All signs indicate I've got one helluva fight ahead of me.

The fact that some Millenials have had life handed to them doesn't mean they won't be able to get it together when they find out money doesn't grow on trees. We have to live in this world too, and this guy calling us all morons isn't going to help.

 

[John Galt]

Providing a host of unthinking, cheap and reliable labour who refrain from questioning the authority of the.... well, authority. Which is an important manifesto for goverment- too many intellectuals is almost as dangerous as too few.

Precisely, I love this ignorant generation. The fact that most are simply too apathetic about education makes for a lack of competition when I'm going for scholarships and spots in nice colleges. While I think the speaker makes some Neo-Luddite and generally ignorant statements, I can't help but agree with him. Being someone who only uses the television to watch the History Channel, I must agree that this generation has no concept of how important history is. However, no generation appreciates history until they've already written it. Who wasn't a narcissistic dullard at one point in their lives? Anyways, while swimming through the sea of ignorance, I take comfort knowing that none of them can compete with me. Sure the society as a whole will suffer(then again, more proles could be a good thing), but I'll be able to make the best of this intellectual drought. So, to Millenials lamenting the ignorance of our peers, just remember that every person who thinks a C average is the best they can do is one less person to compete with when it comes time to grab scholarships.