Any person born between the 1980's and today is considered 'The Dumbest Generation' as stated by Mark Bauerlein in his book The Dumbest Generation. It seems Bauerlein is not the only person that thinks this. As we get more technically advanced the Millennium Generation gets dumber and dumber. How could this be? Baurelein makes some very good points in his book, but I don't see how this makes an entire generation the dumbest generation. If we are so dumb why do more and more advanced things become available and why are more and more things invented? In my opinion we are not the dumbest generation. I believe that watching TV and playing video games doesn't make us dumb.

In his book Bauerlein states that we as a generation rely too much on technology and waste our time using that technology. How can Bauerlein use this against us when he probably uses the same amount of technology that we do? Older generations just view us as stupid teenagers because almost every one of us has a cell phone. Not all teenagers have cell phones but don't a lot of adults have cell phones too? Adults say that we are dumb because we use the internet as a research tool but not everyone uses the internet and not everyone has the internet. Most people use the internet because it is quick and easy.

Another reason they think we are dumb is because we are constantly obsessed with the latest technology that comes out. Not all teens are like this girl, who says 'I don't feel the need to buy them unless they're useful. Like the iphone I don't need that,' in an interview from Technology and Teens Too Much? Some teens, however, like David Hattan say, 'I'm just so used to it. It's like second nature.' Every teen is different and every teen has different uses for technology. If they use it to help them study or they use their ipod to listen to music, I don't see how this makes us dumb.

Bauerlein also mentions that teens and children watch too much TV. He also says that parents should monitor the amount of time their children spend in front of the TV. This subject I agree on, but I also disagree because watching TV for relaxation doesn't make an entire generation dumb. If you spend all day doing nothing but watch TV then yes eventually I think it does have an impact on you. If you come home sit on the couch and watch an hour of TV before doing your homework I don't believe that makes you dumb. If you come home and sit on the couch and watch TV for 5 hours and don't do your home work then yes this will have an effect on you and your grades. When I watch TV my parents normally watch it with me and we talk about our day and what went on. In an article written by Gayle Peterson titled Are your kids watching too much TV? Peterson states that watching TV with the family can bring the family closer but shouldn't be the only time you talk about things. Children that watch TV can also learn that TV time is a time to communicate but they should watch TV for only 2 hours a day and play outside or with other kids their age. I agree with this because today too many kids stay inside and play video games or watch TV. They should get outside and be active.
An article on USAtoday.com says that 2 hours a day of TV is a good amount for children and infants. However every hour that they watch extra increases a child's chances of having an attention problem by 10% for every extra hour they watch. If a child just sits and watches TV all day long it will have attention issues when it come to go to school and pay attention. I think that if they children want to watch TV they should be able to but parents should limit TV time.

Bauerlein also expresses his opinion about teens not reading enough books. He feels very strongly that we don't read enough and that this makes us the dumbest generation. I can see where he is coming from and I agree with him that we don't read enough books, but not reading doesn't necessarily make people dumb. It doesn't let them use their imagination or learn new words so people should start reading more books to enhance literary skills. An article written by Mark Manford titled 'You are not reading enough' says that you can't focus on reading because the internet and other technology is waiting for you to look at it. If you are really that addicted to the internet then maybe you should do something that takes you away from technology for a while. I don't use the internet that much just when I need to check my email for a quick second or do research for school. People shouldn't be so absorbed into the internet world, but also people should take the time to read a book.

I disagree with Bauerlein calling us the dumbest generation. He makes some good points that made me think whether we are the dumbest generation or not but after looking at all of the evidence I can not agree with him. We are not the only generation dealing with technology. Our parents and other adults are just involved with it as much as we. We shouldn't be called the dumbest generation when our parents are doing the same things we are doing. They don't read books and go outside. They stay inside watching TV or using the internet. I also think they helped us get where we are today. If we truly are the dumbest generation I would like to see better points than we watch TV and play too many video games.