The Know-Nothing Generation

[guncrasher]

They said the same thing about us 40 years ago.

Semp

[Simaril]

They said the same thing about us 40 years ago.

Semp

Difference is - now it's true!

[Penguin]

We are all screwed, our future is full of fruit cakes that listen to justin bieber and hannah montana...


-BigBOBCH

30 years prior:
We are all screwed, our future is full of fruit cakes that listen to Iron Maiden and Abba...

60 years prior to the top:
We are all screwed, our future is full of fruit cakes that listen to Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley...

90 Years prior to the top:
We are all screwed, our future is full of fruit cakes that listen to Roy Brown and Louis Armstrong...

As much as I detest Hannah Montana and Justin Bieber, there seems to be an interesting pattern.

-Penguin

[Simaril]

seriously, though, there are objective differences. The scores on SAT tests kept going down year by year, to the point that they reset the scale so it didn't look so bad. Then they redid the test.

US students score progressively lower on international achievement tests.

Even basic tasks - like figuring out what the best deal is at a store, or writing a simple letter -- students now flat out struggle. The number of kids needing remedial work before they can do college level work is also up.

On the bright side, it's much easier to look like a star -

[fbWldcat]

Know that not all of my generation is a complete waste of space and a horribly pieced together society of misfits. There are some out there, yes. Truth be told, I'm scared of what my generation will do, but the number of failures will not begin to subside until those who are supposed to take care of the youngguns actually take care of them. Morals and principles have been put by the wayside and saying someone isn't the brightest tool in the shed is grounds for a lawsuit. People want something for nothing and I think that is a heap of the problem. Be it the problem or not, we need a radical change in Washington to revive our tired and depressed country and bring about a renewed sense of national pride.

I hope I didn't just turn this into a thread of politics and hate.  

Yes, it was a very choppy and poorly put together paragraph.

[FYB]

Keep complaining. We have to clean up your "genius" mess.

[Jayhawk]

But they constantly change the IQ scale as well,  what 100 was years ago, would only be 90 today.

Although students struggle at certain things, they would probably run circles around you when i comes to computer systems, and a rapidly changing world.  A kid can pick up a touch phone and quickly learn the phone and access tons of information on the internet. By yesterday's standards, they might be failing, but by tomorrow's standards, they might be right on track.

There are a lot of things I disagree with about today's youth, but I'm not naive enough to think that this belief is anything new.

[Plazus]

i would say it's the 80% know nothing Gen, there are alot of really great kids that have there futures planed out, but the others seem to be in this give me give me mentality, cellphones and Ipods as soon as they can talk and walk, heads stuck into MTV or Facebook, Myspace, instead of School work, would rather text there next door neighbor who's there best friend instead of just walking and having a Face to Face talk, i feel alot of parents have use electronics to teach there kids and babysit them or throw money at them instead of spending time with them and teaching them what they need to know

Perhaps it's because the older generation either fails, or lacks desire thereof, to teach the younger generation. I see too many parents these days letting their kids get away with everything. Not teaching the concepts of discipline and authority. I blame the parents for today's generation of kids.

[Tupac]

In Texas, the public schools don't teach math, they teach the TAKS test. Were not learning math, were learning how to take a test, same goes for all other core classes.

I'm pretty sure it's the same thing in other states aswell.

[JunkyII]

Oh...it's nothing.. ya know.

you handled that hook well....touche

[68ZooM]

Perhaps it's because the older generation either fails, or lacks desire thereof, to teach the younger generation. I see too many parents these days letting their kids get away with everything. Not teaching the concepts of discipline and authority. I blame the parents for today's generation of kids.

well its always a certain percentage the parents, as a parent you have to instill good morals and values, teach your kids respect and a good work ethic that they will carry thru life, that's all we can do as a Parent, I'm 50  with 2 sons ones 25 married owns his own house, same jobs sense he turned 18 hard worker great respectful young man, my other son is 17 in high school, doing good in his junior year but i find more distractions as far as tech wise stuff then we had when my older son was in high school, yes times change but parenting hasn't it's our jobs to do the best we can and hope we did good  

[Ripsnort]

We are all screwed, our future is full of fruit cakes that listen to justin bieber and hannah montana...


-BigBOBCH

And those that admit they like Harry Potter.

[Tac]

A kid can pick up a touch phone and quickly learn the phone and access tons of information on the internet. By yesterday's standards, they might be failing, but by tomorrow's standards, they might be right on track.

The problem with that is... take that machine away from them and they're hopeless. I tutor freshmen in college and help/tutor my own teenage cousins and their friend with some of their stuff. I do see how they can google up almost anything in a snap but when you quiz them without the mighty G' they fail horribly.

Its almost as if electronics are replacing their long term memory. Perhaps in the future they WILL need to have RAM plugged into their cerebellum to be able to function 

[Jayhawk]

The problem with that is... take that machine away from them and they're hopeless. I tutor freshmen in college and help/tutor my own teenage cousins and their friend with some of their stuff. I do see how they can google up almost anything in a snap but when you quiz them without the mighty G' they fail horribly.

Its almost as if electronics are replacing their long term memory. Perhaps in the future they WILL need to have RAM plugged into their cerebellum to be able to function 

But over the last 60 years everyone has stopped learning how to hand wash clothes and now use washing machines.  Over the last 100 years people have stopped learning how to ride horses because they can drive cars.  Over the last 130 years people have stopped learning how to use Morse code because of the telephone and the internet.  (Not that these skills don't still exist, but not as prevalent as before). 

Why teach information that isn't relevant to the world of tomorrow?  Don't get me wrong, I think the education system is relatively poor but teaching kids how to access information via the internet isn't such a bad thing.  The world of tomorrow will continue to spread access to the internet across the world.  The Dean of the School of Education at KU told me once that (paraphrasing here) there was no reason to spend time drilling facts and figures into kids heads when they can pull out their phone and access them in a matter of seconds.  His focus was on teaching how to learn, and how to function in a changing world.  The real world doesn't give you a multiple choice test, but when faced with something you don't know, you're going to head to the internet to find out, why is that such a bad thing?

[oakranger]

Perhaps it's because the older generation either fails, or lacks desire thereof, to teach the younger generation. I see too many parents these days letting their kids get away with everything. Not teaching the concepts of discipline and authority. I blame the parents for today's generation of kids.

You nail it on the spot.  From what i been reading, <sup>Second-graders who can’t tie shoes or zip jackets. Four-year-olds in Pull-Ups diapers. Five-year-olds in strollers.

Teens and preteens befuddled by can openers and ice cube trays. College kids who’ve never done laundry, taken a bus alone or addressed an envelope.</sup>

In today world, both parents work full time, cellphone and computers are baby sitting the kids and we are not teaching thing that our parents tough us.  Not saying all kids are like this, but a growing issue.  
For example in a college class in a currently in.  We where talking about the earth tilling on it axis.  Most kids in the class did not believe that the earth dose that and a few really thought the sun moves.  I told them about balancing a egg on it end in the summer and trying it again int he winter.  I had one smart-ass argue with me that it was impossible to do it.