Originally Posted by WaspStar

First of all, I think all generations tend to be disdainful of their younger counterparts, particularly when the matter of "intelligence" comes up.

I think you're right about the Internet playing a large role, but for a different reason. Because so much information is now readily available, people don't bother to commit it to memory. (Why should one bother learning about the intricies of Brazil's economy when that information can be accessed in five seconds?). As Seltzer pointed out, some people confuse factual knowledge with intelligence.

That said, I can see how "intelligence" (read: creativity, originality, critical thinking) could be found lacking in our generation (well, I'm 19, but that's close enough) simply because of the popularity of electronic games and the woeful state of our educational system (NCLB, anyone?).

The true problem is that it's unfair to call an entire generation less "intelligent." Different generations have different values. How many young people these days find I Love Lucy or Bob Hope to be funny? The way we measure intelligence is subjective (how do you define intelligence?).