Are people dumber now than they used to be?

Question

It sure seems that way. Some of the grammar people use online is atrocious. I read of someone who was discussing a "pair of skies", for example. Another talked about "World War 11". I don't think a lot of people realize that there, their and they're are differnt words. I see "man on the street" videos on tv where people can't indentify the vice-preseident. Is it just me or has anyone else noticed this

Answer 1

I've noticed it, as well. The grammar is atrocious. One constantly sees posts spelled like one would speak in the "streets," for example, "wat do I do ta get a girls name dat I like for a date?"

I'm thinking they need to forgo dating until they can write a proper paragraph, but that's just me.

Most people can't name their own senators but they can tell you whom Brittany is flashing this week.

I was actually interviewed by a British gent for a man on the street piece in New York and I had all the questions correct, as did 2 people as I stood and watched. None of us made it onto the video, but the imbeciles did. Those videos are made by those who have an anti-American agenda and one has to take them with a grain of salt, but you're right in general.

This is just proof for my belief that there should be a litmus test before anyone should be allowed to vote. Some people are just too stupid to be allowed anywhere near a ballot box...or a video camera.

Answer 2

I believe that part of the problem is that there is so much more information out there now, so much more to teach and to learn, I can't see how the schools and teachers can keep up with it. I can't see how the students can concentrate on what they are suppose to be learning when there is so much distraction everywhere,we are assailed by it from all sides, constantly. We have TV, computers, cell phones, ipods, games and god knows what else going all the time. There is hardly anwhere we can go that we are free from it. And what catches most young people's attention is the siren call of entertainment.They are so busy listening to music and calling each other, movies, that they don't have time for learning. It is no surprise to me that they don't even know who the president is, he is not a priority for them.
Texting has made the English language into a shortcut something we don't even recognize any more. Besides that, thousands of words are being added every year, the dictionaries can't even keep up. Science is advancing at the speed of light, history is piling up on itself, the world changes on a daily basis. Things get lost in schools, decisions have to be made what to teach and what can be left out.
You are not the only one who has noticed it, but I assure you the majority of young people, whose who are in highschool and college, just take it in stride. I don't know what it will take to change it, I rather fear that it is a downhill slide.

But not to be a doomsinger, I do know that there are many young people who are intelligent, well spoken, aware individuals with a real interest in learning and in the world they are growing up in. I know a lot of them.

Answer 3

We spend $800 million dollars (federal) to teach to the lowest 5% of IQs. And less than $800 thousand on the highest 5%.

When all the focus is on the lowest common denominator, it is inevitible that the entire curve would go down. All it takes is a cursory study of bell curves to figure that out.

In order to "not hurt feelings" we have decided as a society that stupid = accepted & happy and intelligent = too much to ask & outside the norm.

What would we expect? The only thing that I, as a parent can do, is to require more out of my children than the masses require of theirs. As I told my son's teachers, "I don't care if everyone else's kids are uneducated morons, I only care about my son".

The downside is that ignorance truly is bliss, and I am definitely not blissful, and neither are my children.

Answer 4

From some of the questions I've seen in here, they are either DUMBER or LAZIER. Some questions asked on here can be answered by doing a simple google.com search. I agree with you about the grammar. There/their, our/are, here/hear, your/you're, and so on. I guess they don't teach things like that in school anymore, or appearing half intelligent just isn't cool anymore.

Answer 5

Yes some sure are. You ought to spend the day with me at work while I help assist people read their bill because they can't read their bill or understand it. I thought people went to school. I thought just about most people at least has a calculator. It is very depressing.

Answer 6

I've also noticed that. The whole not knowing the difference between "there, their, and they're" annoys me so much! Kids just don't care about education anymore. But they do seem a bit dumber than normal. =/

Answer 7

It appears that way. I had a cashier at K-mart give me a hard time about the thirty-five cent I gave her. She insisted the quarter was a nickel and said I gave her fifteen cents. She finally, realized what a quarter was.

Answer 8

very real and a few of them i do myself whilst im havin a blond 2d I asked my pal the different day who replaced into older her or her older brother i meant to invite how previous he replaced into. lol

Answer 9

yes, back in the day before television people read books and did artistic things for entertainment.

Answer 10

in my opinion yes they are. why do i think so? people wont treat their kids the way they were treated as a kid and theres so many laws saying you cant even spank a kid in public.