This generation isn't stupid, we're just different.
 

So, I noticed this odd running theme when conversing with older people about how this generation (By that I mean the 20 somethings and 30 somethings) are less intelligent than their generation is. So I decided to bring up this discussion with my mom where we discussed the differences in generation and it seems that older people have this perception based on some lapses in knowledge about things that really just don't apply to us.

Of course we're not knowledgeable on every topic because sometimes we just don't care. It isn't that we're less intelligent, its that we're more apathetic. And I think that it is largely due to the internet. I mean, we don't necessarily need to know everything about all the social mannerisms, geography, or traditional business models because for the first time in history all societies are one and the same and located at the same place. It used to be that we learned a certain set of manners, but can that same set of manners really be applied now? Probably not when you consider that the social norms in Germany, China, and Sweden are all different and I can now sign on at any hour and talk to people from all 3 places almost as if they were in my living room. It used to be that business had to be done a specific way, but with the internet marketing and commerce are really different, especially in media based businesses.

With that said, does anyone feel this generation is highly misunderstood because we recognize how much different the internet makes society as a whole or even that the internet as a whole is a new sort of society in and of itself?

our generation has a vast expanse of knowledge across a huge range of subjects because of the internet
but the specialization of previous generations is lost forever
...so maybe we are actually at least equal to or greater in intelligence but just in a more general sense.

Your post is all over the place. I don't see how intelligence (or knowledge) has anything to do with manners or business tactics. How does being apathetic justify the lack of knowledge? How does the internet come into the story? If anything, it should increase your knowledge given the fact that never before has there been so much of it so readily available to so many people.

the whole concept is just an old people "oh in the good old days..." thing anyway
of course people are more intelligent we have wider access to information and education
plus we can learn from the mistakes those same old people made

That's not intelligence you're talking about... it's knowledge. ;)

point taken.

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?).

Times and people are different nowadays. I don't think it's a question of intelligence. There are "smart" people and dimmer people in every generation, no matter what time you're from. I don't think your generation has anything to do with it. Customs are different, certainly. But then again you can have an old fashion 20 or 30some year old in this generation. It's all based on how people are raised really, they can either go with it or reject it. I agree with WaspStar that intelligence is subjective... but the belief in things being subjective is however more common in this generation. Older people in their 50s/60s generally tend to be more closed minded and possess a "this is the way it is" type of posistion. Though I hate to generalize people based on their age. I do believe everyone is different in their own way and it doesn't matter what their age is. To me it's not your age or your education level, it's what you've gone through and how that's affected your disposistion. A 20 year old that's lived on the streets all their life is probably more street smart than a 50 year old white-collar executive who comes from a yuppie family. See what I'm getting at here?

Yea, one old women told me I didn't "know enough" about politics SIMPLY because I told her I was voting for Obama. She got all snarky and asked why I was voting for him, luckily I was able to name about 7 things off the top my head.
I think a lot has to do with apathy.

She was most likely a republican.

Like, a hardcore "conservative till I die" type.