Friday, February 4, 2011

Hey, we're not dumb!

So according to Mark Bauerlein we are the dumbest generation. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and even though his is very demeaning towards our generation I don't really mind. He thinks that instead of facebooking we should be reading or doing something more intellectual with our time. unfortunately the speed of our lives has gone up exponentially. Information can be accessed in seconds via a phone or computer. Who wants to spend time reading a novel or researching the past. Although these activities would make us a more cultured people, it just doesn't fit into our lightning fast culture.I don't think that having information more readily available to us makes us more lazy though. I think it makes us more productive because of the ability for us to do more things at once.
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 Probably the best use of  the song Carmina Burana


I admit, I didn't know half of the questions on part 2 today's quiz. Half of those questions weren't even important though. For example, the name of the composer that wrote Carmina Burana. We only care about information that is relevant to us. I'm guilty of this, if something happened 300 years ago why should I care. I definitely found the quote " Two thirds of high-school seniors in 2006 couldn't explain an old photo of a sign over a theater door reading COLORED ENTRANCE" interesting. It would seem that our generation doesn't even know our own history or what we discussed in groups that racism is slowly starting to decline. As a member of another group pointed out, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it". Despite the fact that our generation probably doesn't know the meaning of the sign, I still believe that there is less racism in our generation.

Mark Bauerlein can think what ever he wants. I love living in such a fast paced culture. I don't think I would be able to live in a society that's not. If that makes me dumb then oh well. 
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4 comments:

  1. DarcyFebruary 5, 2011 at 10:23 AM

    I agree with what you are saying about us living in a fast paced culture, and that the fact that people not knowing what the sign means could mean that racism is dying down. I feel like history is important and reading is important but just because not all people care about it doesn't mean that we are the dumbest generation. I hope that peoples perception of our generation changes and realizes that american culture has changed.

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  2. BradleyFebruary 5, 2011 at 9:43 PM

    I agree with what you said that why does it matter if we know about a composer from so many years ago? I can guarantee you that our kids generation won't know what the hit songs from our days. Certain historical facts are important to remember and know, but why does literature and music matter. Also, our fast paced culture lets us know so much other things that the generation above us won't ever know.

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  3. AnonymousFebruary 7, 2011 at 9:33 AM

    I agree with liking our past paced lifestyle. I love being able to just google something on my blackberry and finding out the answer in seconds.

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  4. Chelsey ScaleseFebruary 7, 2011 at 10:00 AM

    We definitely live a fast paced lifestyle, which is very unfamiliar to the generations older than us. I think that is why they are so critical, and have such a hard time accepting it.

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