These days I just see lots of people consisting of an idea which has been titled “Dumbest Generation Theory” by Mark Bauerlein. This says that “how the digital age stupefies young Americans and jeopardizes our future”. It’s not just about Americans. There are also same discussions and concerns in Persian community in my home country, Iran, and I am sure there would be same anxiety in other nations as well. Also, this is not just a concern for jeopardizing the language, it’s a concern about the decay of the young generation i.e. our generation.
When I watch this perfect lecture by Steven Pinker, I recalled another speech by Yousof Abazari, an Iranian sociologist who declared that young generation attitudes are deteriorating quickly. “There was a generation who used to listen to Mozart and Beethoven instead of vulgar and illiterate Persian pop music which is favorite among these spoiled and deviant youths!” he said (with some minor changes in quoting).
Here is a part of this lecture* by Steven Pinker indicating that Dumbest Generation Theory is not a new phenomenon among Mr. Abazari and other “new money” intellectuals. Indeed it used to be popular even within ancient hieroglyphic fiction authors!
Note that Steven Pinker quotes regarding declining of the language. But you can assume similar Dumbest Generation doctrines about other topics such as music, culture, and art.
[The thing is that complaints about the imminent decline of the language can be found in every era such as 1961 in which a commentator complained: “Recent graduates, including those with university degrees, seem to have no mastery of the language at all.”
We can then go back before the advent of radio and television. 1917: “From every college in the country goes up the cry, ‘our freshmen can’t spell, can’t punctuate.’ Every high school is in disrepair because its pupils are so ignorant of the merest rudiments.”
1785: “Our language is degenerating very fast… I begin to fear that it will be impossible to check it.”
And now an ancient grammar police: “Oh, for crying out loud… you never end a sentence with a 🐤 (bird )."]
*Link of the lecture
**Picture reference.
When I watch this perfect lecture by Steven Pinker, I recalled another speech by Yousof Abazari, an Iranian sociologist who declared that young generation attitudes are deteriorating quickly. “There was a generation who used to listen to Mozart and Beethoven instead of vulgar and illiterate Persian pop music which is favorite among these spoiled and deviant youths!” he said (with some minor changes in quoting).
Here is a part of this lecture* by Steven Pinker indicating that Dumbest Generation Theory is not a new phenomenon among Mr. Abazari and other “new money” intellectuals. Indeed it used to be popular even within ancient hieroglyphic fiction authors!
Note that Steven Pinker quotes regarding declining of the language. But you can assume similar Dumbest Generation doctrines about other topics such as music, culture, and art.
[The thing is that complaints about the imminent decline of the language can be found in every era such as 1961 in which a commentator complained: “Recent graduates, including those with university degrees, seem to have no mastery of the language at all.”
We can then go back before the advent of radio and television. 1917: “From every college in the country goes up the cry, ‘our freshmen can’t spell, can’t punctuate.’ Every high school is in disrepair because its pupils are so ignorant of the merest rudiments.”
1785: “Our language is degenerating very fast… I begin to fear that it will be impossible to check it.”
And now an ancient grammar police: “Oh, for crying out loud… you never end a sentence with a 🐤 (bird )."]
*Link of the lecture
**Picture reference.