Mark Bauerlein begins by laying out the foundation of his argument. He begins by presenting data and research from various interviews that highlight what he perceives as a decline in the general knowledge and intellectual capabilities of young people. He points to surveys and real studies from which demonstrates that youth have a weaker grasp and less motivation to learn about history, current events, elections, foreign policy, war, art history, etc compared to the older generations.
Also, he argues how it doesn’t quite make sense given all the resources we have available to us, however I would argue that that’s the reason. We have various social media platforms and websites that can be beneficial to us in the learning environment, however it’s also used as entertainment. Personally, it’s not that I’m purposely trying to ignore history or seem uninterested, but when I have numerous different distractions that can cultivate my attention, the emphasis is on entertainment rather than learning.
While I’m not trying to dismiss the internet’s potential, Bauerlein and I can both agree that it contributes to the knowledge deficit that the youth is currently facing.
In chapter two, Bauerlein’s main focus is the decline in reading among young people. He argues that this generation is becoming more “bibliophobic,” meaning we avoid or dislike reading. His argument that we wear “anti-intellectualism” on our sleeve is very inaccurate to me. My generation is one of entrepreneurs and go-getters. Those that came before us, at one point in time their primary source of entertainment were books. Now, we have phones, computers, TV’s, and so much more where we don’t have to read because the information is available to us within a click of a button. This expansion from chapter one paints a picture of a generation that increasingly disconnected from the world of books and the knowledge and insights they offer.
