Regarding "dumber than dirt," it's worth noting that kids have essentially the same DNA (on average) that they did a generation ago, so naturally the abilities and tendencies of children aren't the problem (if there's actually a problem in the first place). It's ultimately a matter of the environment around them (inside and outside the school). It sort of falls upon society to realize its to blame.

To start off in assessing that idea, the "dumbing down" is still a bit overstated. Lots of kids get through learning squat, but lots of kids come out well-educated just the same. There's probably a lot more morons in the system now, yet many of those (and even some of the competent counterparts) may not have been in school in the past in the first place. It's not just kids that didn't have to work on the farm that get education now.

Perhaps the problem is, in part, that when any sort of watering down of diplomas and degrees started, many careers would perhaps require higher-level degrees to compensate. As such, you compel the weaker students to participate in a higher-level program that they are really able to handle, and many schools, perhaps in interest of keeping enrollment high, didn't hold firm on their standards. So the kids may not actually be dumber, but the degrees probably don't mean what they used to.

Another thing is that there are lots more information/distractions around kids (technology, several times more entertainment options, more potent advertising). With almost all parents working 50+ hours a week, that leaves little oversight as well. Even the sort of distractions we accept (playing outside) we end up prohibiting anyway: we don't let kids outside because they won't be "safe" out there, and hence they are essentially forced to remain indoors. Throw in the typical "generation gap" you have in parents failing to respond appropriately to their kids (which is further complicated by parents working all the time), and it's really no surprise kids have been left to fend for themselves.

And despite all of this bad news, this younger generation may provide some hope (assuming the baby boomers don't completely bankrupt them first): despite the older generation going crazy about religion, the younger crowd is relatively secular and accepting/tolerant. As such, you may actually see this group resort less to "faith" and self-serving argument stoppers and actually see the return/arrival of logic. Even the often hated media demands more of kids (TV shows have more complicated plots, mainstream music lyrics mean more than they typically did in the '50s, and video games can demand anything between finer moter skills and critical thinking), so maybe kids can take that skill and make their own mark on history.

I found that "dumber than dirt" article particularly annoying. Not that I disagree with the argument; but it was handled very poorly.

The author keeps mentioning "evidence;" even referring to "overwhelming evidence," yet he provides none. Instead, it is 100% opinion, "backed" by anecdotal observations of a retiring teacher in one of the worst school systems in the US.

In effect, the article not only adds nothing towards a solution to the problem; but actually encourages "dumb" thought. We can't expect our kids to do any better if this is the kind of example we offer up.

Last link's nonfunctional.

Thanks, I've fixed it.

"2. there is agreement among experts in the area of knowledge under consideration."

This is a tricky one. I'm thinking specifically of the debates around global warming. Is there concensus or not? Who gets to be included in the concensus? I agree with the sentiment but I have a hard time articulating what, practically speaking, this looks like.

Dumber then dirt?

I found the author to have the personality of an old man, the kind cursing "damn kids these days". We have no real way of summing up intelligence in the first place, let a lone saying it is grammatically correct sentences. The wonderful thing about smarts is there are numerous ways of showing you have some. All of his arguments were examples of fail education not lack of brains. So maby this generation of 20somthings should do what the others have not. Find a way of communicating with the next generation in a way that helps to fill the gaps.

"So maby this generation of 20somthings should do what the others have not. Find a way of communicating with the next generation in a way that helps to fill the gaps."

You mean like Ebonics?

Maelstrom:

I think you nailed it- "With almost all parents working 50+ hours a week, that leaves little oversight as well."

My brother-in-law is about to have twins. Both he and his wife work. They intend to put the kids in daycare, and then enroll them in a preschool while the mother continues working.

Tragedy! Who raises the kids? Underpaid, disinterested staff. Why does the mother work? So that she and her husband can maintain some sort of middle-class existence. This isn't a woman working for a Lexus, she's working for the mortgage.

To be clear: Dads are just as qualified to stay home. But somebody- mom, dad, grandma, whoever- needs to raise these kids. Sadly, after 30+ years of out-of-control inflation, it takes two incomes today to buy what one income bought a generation ago.

That is the most astounding thing of all!

We "lazy" Americans work longer and harder than the Europeans and Asians, and yet, our savings rate has only decreased as our productivity has increased.

This is THE issue; one of the few that truly affects us all.

Actually, kids in daycare do just fine. I read articles like this and think, "Where the hell IS this school system?" My kids (in public schools) were taught how to use rulers in pre-school and both take Calculus in High School, as do most of their friends.

Also, they (and their friends) are very politically aware and cannot wait to vote. If there's been a widespread "dumbing down" effort as part of some nefarious nationwide plot, I'm afraid it has failed miserably.

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