Yes, yes you do.Lastly, I don't have rose colored glasses.
Your glasses are so rose tinted they're opaque.
Uhh... yeah... there is a significant difference. You got kids these days that didn't know Titanic was a real event. Lincoln was indeed assassinated and not something they had just put in the movie. There are some really dumb kids as the education standard is being lowered and the priority for kids is anything but education first. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2fHQ9eULzk
Obviously, with video editing, the video could make it look worse than it is. But, when I was at that age, I knew the answers to the questions relative to the time period (obviously, as Joe Biden wasn't the VP at the time, etc).
Ok, let me try to put some thoughts into this.....
Like some pointed out, can't be 40+ when you're born in the 80s... You have to be born between 1964 (49 yrs old) - 1973 (40 yrs old) ..
Now we are getting somewhere.
Since we all are influenced by our surroundings, we need to look a little of the political, social, and cultural situation of said times. What heavily influenced the parents of the people who were born within said time period, and what did in part already influence the children, while they grew up...
What has a high impact? Music for example. Pretty much every human being likes music. Let's check real quick if there's a quality difference to find. For the generation of 40 yr olds, I grab the middle of the decade now, 1969.
The most successful Singles of 1969 are:
1. The Beatles - Get Back
2. Rolling Stones - Honky Tonk Woman
3. Zagar & Eavens - In the Year 2525
4. The Archies - Sugar Sugar
5. Elvis Presley - Suspicious Mind
Arguably, that's a lot of quality in the charts. Now, let's look at 2012....
1. LMFAO - Sexy And I Know It
2. Rhianna - We Found Love
3. Adele - Set Fire To The Rain
4. Kelly Clarkson - Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)
5. Katy Perry - Part Of Me
Arguably, there's little quality, but a lot of garbage in the charts.
By plain quality comparison of measurable skill regarding virtuosity of the artists, there is a huge decline noticeable between 1969 and 2012.
It's like looking at a restaurant menu from a steakhouse (1969) and a fast food menu from McD (2012). Bear in m ind, I am not comparing by likes. What a person likes to listen is taste. Taste cannot be argued at all. That's a personal preference. What can be measured however is skill. One can study music, one can study composing, instruments, and even singing. There is a system in place to evaluate skill. By that I go.
Which means, that it seems like people are easier pleased with less quality today.
What happened on social level? keep in mind, those people had parents too. What influenced them?
Well, the by far biggest social impact comes from the Hippie Movement. This started as early as 1960 already. Moved along, to the so called "Summer of Love in 1967, and the "Revolution" year 1968. Revolution as in, that during 1967/68 the ideologies of the Hippie Community made it's way into the mainstream. That's right.. If you only ever heard of Hippies, and or seen them only in movies, mags etc. They became a part of the mainstream society. Even fashion was all of a sudden the trend to dress like the hippies did. It waned off in the 70s, triggered by a concert tragedy. The Altamont Speedway Free Concert, which was meant to be a second Woodstock (That was also during the time period we looking at) turned into a social disaster, with lots of violence, leaving 1 homicide,3 accidental deaths, cars stolen, property damage, and the list goes on.. The concert became most famous, for the homicide. The Hells Angels have been the security crew for the power generators. And they took it to the extreme.
Killing one fan during the Rolling Stones gig in front of the stage.
That drove a shock wave through the society, and pretty much ended the era of the Hippies, which stood for the absolute opposite - love and peace.
Politically.. Well, I don't want to write a book. You can see for yourself, a summary:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1960s
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1970s
All in all now, that's the stuff that influenced the people back then, and shaped the generation of 40+ year old people, neglecting their own highly influential teenage years, which are of course then the mid 70's and 80s.
All in all, I wouldn't say that today's generation is dumber. They make as smart or as poor choices as people did back then. I am a little hesitant to tackle school performances. One thing in all fairness for the following generations. As we move on through time, the stuff kids have to learn in school increases. History builds only up.
Technology skyrocketed over the last 50 years. That's a lot more material kids today have to suck up, which former generations didn't have to. Time in school itself did not increase. So they need to fly through stuff a lot faster now, which was more handled in length still 30 years ago. Creates a lack of knowledge, which isn't their fault at all.
I have noticed a big decline on social values, in regard of manners and respect tho. Young people today have a mouth, I would have never dared to have against anyone, for the fear of my dad could hear about it, and beat the shit out of me, which I would have deserved right there and then. I - or we - have learned that everything we do comes with a price, which is consequences. If we do something positive, the consequences are something positive in return. If we do something negative, that spawns a negative consequence. Manners became poorer in overall. And where it is true that respect is not something one should be given automatically (except for the elder people), it should be earned. It should however be given once it's obviously earned, and there's a decline to see as well.
Yet, I believe it will level out over time. The current generation won't be any worse or better than the former ones. When time moves on, and people come in age, people usually adjust. That's part of maturing as an adult.
Last edited by Wildtree; 2013-01-13 at 03:55 PM.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmEp97yQcRQ#t=37s
I can also link videos and generalize that everyone above the age of 30 thinks that Iran lies in Australia. It's not as simple as linking a Youtube video and saying that that is the proof that teenagers are getting dumber.
It was a much different time. It was more innocent and people had higher morals in those days. Not saying they were perfect but they understood the price of indulgence. Today, there is no respect for anything. Everyone is out for themselves.
These video's are funny as hell.... But you find them for every country, for every age group.
Collections of Street Smarts that come across as complete idiots are just that, collections.
They never reveal how long it took to gather that many hilarious answers. They are therefore never are an indicator for the intellectual level of any countries society.
Bull crap... The only thing that has changed is the over abundance of media putting out extremes. It's as wrong to assume that's the norm, as assuming it didn't used to happen because there was less attention brought to it. If every generation was right about the perils of youth in coming generations, we would be back to living in caves. People get old, bitter, with memory that has been molded to sugar coat previous experience.
Don't forget, with experience of age comes the side effect of frailty. I never understood why the 'I've forgotten more than you can remember', has positive connotations to the old. Your on the swing to forgetting, while they are learning things that you never did in your youth. You are forgetting that you grew up with pet rocks, while they are learning how to use computers. Your brain is simply no longer as pliable as it is for the youth, while technology and the world, is not slowing down to accommodate you.
Folly and fakery have always been with us... but it has never before been as dangerous as it is now, never in history have we been able to afford it less. - Isaac Asimov
Every damn thing you do in this life, you pay for. - Edith Piaf
The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command. - Orwell
No amount of belief makes something a fact. - James Randi
Anyone older than me is Out of touch and uncool, Anyone younger than me is dumber and will be the downfall of Humanity. It's been that way for 1000s of years.
In reference to the OP. I think Smarter may not be exactly true, maybe Wiser or more mellow, more level headed.
Last edited by Mad_Murdock; 2013-01-13 at 05:11 PM.
I am so soooooo glad we don't have to deal with those giant filing cabinets for most applications anymore. Unfortunately, there are still some people living in the past though, where I go into their office and I see that they've printed every email they've ever received and put it into massive filing cabinets. I really don't understand people's reluctance towards change.
'Twas a cutlass swipe or an ounce of lead
Or a yawing hole in a battered head
And the scuppers clogged with rotting red
And there they lay I damn me eyes
All lookouts clapped on Paradise
All souls bound just contrarywise, yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!