D is for DUMBING DOWN

     Sometime in October 2010,  I came across an interesting article about the importance of educating our nation's youth.  This subject carried the title "The dumbing down of America's youth" by Michael G. Williams, written for The Erickson Tribune (http://www.ericksontribune.com/ ).

     Williams was quoting Emory University's English professor Mark Bauerlein (author of The Dumbest Generation How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future, [Tarcher/Penguin, 2008]), getting his take on those we may now refer to as "Generation.Net".  Basically, he claims that it's the digital climate of our society that is aiding in the "dumbing down" of young people under the age of 30.  Access to the Internet, cellular services, and cable networks --especially an overkill of reality shows-- has promoted abandonment of the classroom, thus higher level think spots, and forged a spike in what I'll exclaim is textology!  (No it's not a word.  I checked.)  If you're not texting, you're not communicating.  Follow me?

     All of this information overload has finally reached a fever pitch in the ways this group creates meaningful dialogue without facial and verbal interaction.  Well, perhaps FACEBOOK has solved the former one.  And TWITTER, without audio, covers the verbal.  Hence,  it's an all out in-your-face, birds-of-a-feather" tweet together approach to socializing.  (Right about now you can play Michael Jackson's "Rockin' Robin".  That's the first time I ever heard the expression "Tweet, tweet.")  Says Bauerlein, according to Williams, " 'The digital world,...is an irresistible temptation to teenagers not yet comfortable with their place in life, and who want everything quick and easy'."  (Now play Lionel Richie's "Easy - Like Sunday Morning", and you'll get some of my meaning.

     Overall, we adults need to take another look at the failings of our social system and its temptations on our youth.  Learning is going on, but true academic progress is going down and further down as I write.  I believe that reading, comprehension, and composition are areas that might need reviewing for helping our youth strengthen themselves inside all halls of education.  Efficacy, I once learned, is the key to making a start, including a start-over.