Are We The Illiterate Generation?

[Kitty_Chan]

This is what my dad says, and I agree with him.

Us kids these days are always using horrible grammar and spelling, partially because of the Interent and cell phones. My teacher was saying how one of her students wrote:
"i like 2 hang wit my frends." In an essay!

A lot of kids are like this, and I'm glad to say I'm not.
It's one thing to just mispell something, but it's another to be lazy! I also can't stand it when people speak incorrectly as well, by saying things like:
Gooder
We won them
Look it
I don't got...
I didn't do nothing

It gets SO annoying to me! It's sad how we can't even speak our language right! Doing sometimes is okay, but I hate it when kids do it to be Gangstas or think it's cool. If that is how you just normally talk, I'm sorry if this offends you.

Now I think I know why my parents talk about how our genertaion is the sadest.

Does anyone here agree?

Please not that I'm not trying to offend anyone. I'm sorry if it does.

[elizaTrickster]

This is what my dad says, and I agree with him.

Us kids these days are always using horrible grammar and spelling, partially because of the Interent and cell phones. My teacher was saying how one of her students wrote:
"i like 2 hang wit my frends." In an essay!

A lot of kids are like this, and I'm glad to say I'm not.
It's one thing to just mispell something, but it's another to be lazy! I also can't stand it when people speak incorrectly as well, by saying things like:
Gooder
We won them
Look it
I don't got...
I didn't do nothing

It gets SO annoying to me! It's sad how we can't even speak our language right! Doing sometimes is okay, but I hate it when kids do it to be Gangstas or think it's cool. If that is how you just normally talk, I'm sorry if this offends you.

Now I think I know why my parents talk about how our genertaion is the sadest.

Does anyone here agree?

Please not that I'm not trying to offend anyone. I'm sorry if it does.


I completly agree. Absolutely I hate it when people do those things, though, I sometimes say lazy things to make a point, it's never because I mean it. :cool:

[Kitty_Chan]

I completly agree. Absolutely I hate it when people do those things, though, I sometimes say lazy things to make a point, it's never because I mean it. :cool:

lol, i do sometimes talk like that. But only when i'm making fun or trying to sound dumb XD

[elizaTrickster]

lol, i do sometimes talk like that. But only when i'm making fun or trying to sound dumb XD

"Whatev. I be who I be!" is the phrase I most often use.

[Kitty_Chan]

"Whatev. I be who I be!" is the phrase I most often use.

Lol, i like that

[7000dominos]

I think our generation has quite a few problems. Illiteracy is the least of our worries.

[elizaTrickster]

I think our generation has quite a few problems. Illiteracy is the least of our worries.

Though, illiteracy plays a part in our problems. Illiteracy and ignorance go hand-in-hand.

[Kitty_Chan]

Though, illiteracy plays a part in our problems.

Yup. It plays a big role in society

[7000dominos]

Yes, but stupidity in general causes a lot of problems, too: drugs and unsafe sex, and lots of violence. It's just stupid, and so many other problems come from these. Not to mention that whole new obesity thing. I'm not denying illiteracy as an issue, I'm just saying I wouldn't necessarily say we're the illiterate generation. I mean, we can read, and write, even if some of us aren't so great at it.


Speaking of which, I had to put a quarter in the "They're-There(-Their)" pig today....

[zippythewild]

A lot of kids are like this, and I'm glad to say I'm not.
It's one thing to just mispell something, but it's another to be lazy!


ok i agree with you and all but i just want to say that i just thought it was funny because here you are complaining when you misspelled misspell. You spelled it "mispell"

yeah but i agree with you in a more extreme note that we're growing up in a generation of immature people that don't like to think. I hate having to sit in class with people around me saying stupid things. The other day a student replied to this question, "Who is the most famous child prodigy?" with "Shirley Temple." <It's Mozart DDDDUUUHHHH>

Or when the class takes advantage of teachers that like to talk. The kids don't like to listen to their stories or advice. No, they like getting out of class work...

AND MOST OF ALL!!!!!!!

I HATE the phrases:
"stupid smart person"
"snitch"
and "big words"

Well sorry I just don't understand your big words. Maia told the teacher we were misbehaving! SNITCH!!! Oh shut up you stupid smart person.

O and on the topic of reading and writing, the phrases I hate that I hear used a lot are

drawling/drawler (when i draw its called a DRAWING!)
stolded (my mom uses that a lot i hate it)
dawg (you call someone a b*tch and thats an insult... but you call them a dog, which means nearly the same thing and that means friend? wtf?)
when a person says me and jenny were just hanging out, well i hate this one because the proper grammatical way of saying it is "Jenny and I" and no one says it that way anymore so everyone learns to say it wrong, i make this mistake too

[Kitty_Chan]

ok i agree with you and all but i just want to say that i just thought it was funny because here you are complaining when you misspelled misspell. You spelled it "mispell"

ugh, i know. my backspace is broken and sometimes it gets stuck in -_- it did it then and i didn't noticed that it took off the other s

[NachtEngel]

hmm i dont see it as a big problem O_o if u can understand it all's good :|

[Death-Soldier]

heeeck i donent thenk your correkt me brian is smart

[NachtEngel]

not too smart ... lol

[Death-Soldier]

HAHA....yeah i really like acting stupid i do that to my english teacher all the time.gotta love hickabillies

[Caoko]

I wouldn't say we're the stupid generation. The next generation is probably gonna be stupider than we are.

And you know, sometimes, I'll make mistakes because I'm lazy or I'm not really thinking about things. Like, the "Me and Jenny" thing. I sometimes let that slip by, because I really don't care. I'm just talking with friends or family, so they don't care. It's not for a grade.

I often use bad grammar for comedic affect. And sometimes I just say somethin' and it sounds cool. But that's just me.

I'm all fun and don't care, but when it comes to writing essays or being in a class, I'll use correct grammar and I'll say things the way they should be said. But with friends, it doesn't matter, they're not giving me a grade or anything.

[Death-Soldier]

we smarter than the ppl in the 1800s i mean **** leaches dont do ****.

[zippythewild]

I wouldn't say we're the stupid generation. The next generation is probably gonna be stupider than we are.

And you know, sometimes, I'll make mistakes because I'm lazy or I'm not really thinking about things. Like, the "Me and Jenny" thing. I sometimes let that slip by, because I really don't care. I'm just talking with friends or family, so they don't care. It's not for a grade.

I often use bad grammar for comedic affect. And sometimes I just say somethin' and it sounds cool. But that's just me.

I'm all fun and don't care, but when it comes to writing essays or being in a class, I'll use correct grammar and I'll say things the way they should be said. But with friends, it doesn't matter, they're not giving me a grade or anything.

well i think thats the scariest part.... most people dont care that their stupid. They believe that the only reason a person should think is when its for a grade. And people usually find a route to get good grades and not think, like joining classes that require simple work. I think that people SHOULD think, and if a person strives to be intelligent, then they can teach their kids to be intelligent as well, and so if every kid in America actually started thinking and caring about being intelligent, then the next generation wouldn't be stupid!!! But no. People just care about what people tell them to care about, ie family, friends, grades, school. No one says stop being stupid and think!

[Guendolen_Sama]

I very much agree with you. Coherent written communication is almost a lost art. Schools that stress it are rare, even. I'm lucky in that I went to one that did. I remember in my senior year of high school, one of my teachers told us how his son asked him to review a paper he'd written. That paper would have failed in our school district, via their standards. In the district which his son went to, it got a B. Standards really have dropped. And no one knows how to write anymore. In my freshman year of college, I had a professor who gave us all-essay tests. So many of my classmates were utterly lost. They didn't know what to do, because they had to communicate effectively instead of just the "memorize and regurgitate" cycle. No one pays attention to that, anymore. It's both sad and frustrating. It's almost as though communicating coherently is "nerdy" or something. When I see some of the abuses done to the English language, I cringe. It's not "cool," it doesn't make you look trendy. It makes you look careless and uneducated. Please, people, pay some attention. You'll be grateful later in life. College was so much better to get through because of what I absorbed at an early age....

[7000dominos]

we smarter than the ppl in the 1800s i mean **** leaches dont do ****.

Exactly. Then again, we have more oportunities. Most of us don't have to stay home and work on the farm during school days. We are requiered by law to go to school, so naturally we SHOULD be smarter.

But when did this get to be a conversation of intelligence? I thought we were talking about illiteracy rates. Was that my fault? Oops.

[zippythewild]

no i think that was more of my fault, because i don't care nearly as much about illiteracy than idiocy in general. I mean if a person can read and write but cant think then whats the point of being able to write? And reading does you no good if you cant think about what your reading

[Kitty_Chan]

I wouldn't say we're the stupid generation. The next generation is probably gonna be stupider than we are.

And you know, sometimes, I'll make mistakes because I'm lazy or I'm not really thinking about things. Like, the "Me and Jenny" thing. I sometimes let that slip by, because I really don't care. I'm just talking with friends or family, so they don't care. It's not for a grade.

I often use bad grammar for comedic affect. And sometimes I just say somethin' and it sounds cool. But that's just me.

I'm all fun and don't care, but when it comes to writing essays or being in a class, I'll use correct grammar and I'll say things the way they should be said. But with friends, it doesn't matter, they're not giving me a grade or anything.

I totally agree with you.

I'll do it to be funny a LOT. I also sometimes make a mistake if I don't know how to spell something.

Also, I'm not the type of person who thinks they have to read over their work and make it perfect. I just try to fix big mistakes 'cuz i seriously SUCK at typing :P

[Tracia]

I very much agree with you. Coherent written communication is almost a lost art. Schools that stress it are rare, even. I'm lucky in that I went to one that did. I remember in my senior year of high school, one of my teachers told us how his son asked him to review a paper he'd written. That paper would have failed in our school district, via their standards. In the district which his son went to, it got a B. Standards really have dropped. And no one knows how to write anymore. In my freshman year of college, I had a professor who gave us all-essay tests. So many of my classmates were utterly lost. They didn't know what to do, because they had to communicate effectively instead of just the "memorize and regurgitate" cycle. No one pays attention to that, anymore. It's both sad and frustrating. It's almost as though communicating coherently is "nerdy" or something. When I see some of the abuses done to the English language, I cringe. It's not "cool," it doesn't make you look trendy. It makes you look careless and uneducated. Please, people, pay some attention. You'll be grateful later in life. College was so much better to get through because of what I absorbed at an early age....

This is not only for the US or english speakers, it happens almost everywhere. The thing is, english is suffering this degeneration because it's becoming a world wide language. Sad, but I belive one day we shall all be english speakers.
Anyway, I'm told very often they thought I was a native english speaker because I happen to have a better english than many others, well, I also have a better spanish than many others....
I believe globalization of the language has been and it's being an important influence in the development, usage and evolution of the English Language, because in the end, everybody speaks it how they can pronounce it and then, eventually, english mixes up with national words that end up as common terms and even appear in the dictionary! It's not just the wrong usage of words, being written or spoken, but I also believe we're starting a face for the creation of a new, globalized language that will be the result of the "miss-usage" and mixture of English with every other language, be it french, japanese, spanish or any other out there.

[angelgirl1419]

Personally, it dosn't bother me, I mean, when your in a Role Playing game, thats when it tends to be especially annoying, but other than that I don't find it the least bit repulsive.

My very dear friend, talks that way a majority of the time, and is a well educated person. Thats just the was she talks. I tend to use slang, or not use "proper" english when i'm with my friends. Theres nothing wrong with it, as long as you know when to use slang, and when not to use it. I think its a matter of how you were brought up, like take people from the south for instance. My family is based mostly of southern people, or "hillbilly's" as the biast outlook suggests. The way they talk, is just a matter of who they are. It dosn't mean that their uneducated, or are ignorant, it's just who they are.

[~[{Gaara*s}{Girl}]~]

Well, here's my tangent on this:

Can we really be called the illiterate generation? Sure, people today are more immature and take things less seriously than the generation before us, but the next generation will be worse than we are if we don't do something! Which is exactly why I want to be an English teacher...especially a high school English teacher.

But can a generation really be completely and totally illiterate? As long as there's still people who do care about more than popularity, being gangsta, etc., then my answer is no. Sure, we're less smart than our predecessors, but we're probably going to be smarter than our posterity - they're going to learn from us, but they're also going to expand upon it.

[Randomgirl]

I use alot of shortened words, like b/c, w/, &, etc.
I don't think it's a big deal, what bothers me is ppl who speak leet & stuff. (ex. $t3ph@n!3, Stephanie. My name.)

Even though I shorten some of my words, I'd never do that w/ school work or anything. That's just stupid & asking for a bad grade. -_-()

[~[{Gaara*s}{Girl}]~]

I use alot of shortened words, like b/c, w/, &, etc.
I don't think it's a big deal, what bothers me is ppl who speak leet & stuff. (ex. $t3ph@n!3, Stephanie. My name.)

Even though I shorten some of my words, I'd never do that w/ school work or anything. That's just stupid & asking for a bad grade. -_-()

I use shorthand a lot on notes as well. Especially with history notes...and shortening them to just the information needed and excluding examples and stuff like that. Yeah, I shorten note, XD.

But using shorthand isn't a sign of illiteracy...I think it shows that you're smart enough to shorten things up because you have a tight schedule. Weird, I know...but I'm weird.

[dark_angel_56]

This is what my dad says, and I agree with him.

Us kids these days are always using horrible grammar and spelling, partially because of the Interent and cell phones. My teacher was saying how one of her students wrote:
"i like 2 hang wit my frends." In an essay!

A lot of kids are like this, and I'm glad to say I'm not.
It's one thing to just mispell something, but it's another to be lazy! I also can't stand it when people speak incorrectly as well, by saying things like:
Gooder
We won them
Look it
I don't got...
I didn't do nothing

It gets SO annoying to me! It's sad how we can't even speak our language right! Doing sometimes is okay, but I hate it when kids do it to be Gangstas or think it's cool. If that is how you just normally talk, I'm sorry if this offends you.

Now I think I know why my parents talk about how our genertaion is the sadest.

Does anyone here agree?

Please not that I'm not trying to offend anyone. I'm sorry if it does.
thats how it like in england too, alot off ppl are always texting so...

[dark_angel_56]

belive it or not, some people in my school say "off the light" what they mean is turn off the light....lmao :P

[FrankieGlamRock]

This is what my dad says, and I agree with him.

Us kids these days are always using horrible grammar and spelling, partially because of the Interent and cell phones. My teacher was saying how one of her students wrote:
"i like 2 hang wit my frends." In an essay!

A lot of kids are like this, and I'm glad to say I'm not.
It's one thing to just mispell something, but it's another to be lazy! I also can't stand it when people speak incorrectly as well, by saying things like:
Gooder
We won them
Look it
I don't got...
I didn't do nothing

It gets SO annoying to me! It's sad how we can't even speak our language right! Doing sometimes is okay, but I hate it when kids do it to be Gangstas or think it's cool. If that is how you just normally talk, I'm sorry if this offends you.

Now I think I know why my parents talk about how our genertaion is the sadest.

Does anyone here agree?

Please not that I'm not trying to offend anyone. I'm sorry if it does.


i agree 100% and i used to type like that durring the summer and when i went back to school i started to write a paper like that and realised "damn i have to stop!!" and so now if i TRIED to type like that then well....to be honist.....its harder than to just type every thing out!

[Tracia]

I do not agree with you.
People has not changed. We're not smarter than our predecessors, we just know more things because there are more things to be learned. The level of ignorance upon this things is still about the same than a century ago.
I either believe our children will be worst in an educational matter, but i do think so in a cultural matter. It is our parents and teachers fault we don't have the discipline to read and pay attention to our reading, because they just won't insist. Today, if a teenager says: I dont want to, the parents says: Fine. Parents are making many mistakes, and it will be our fault if the next generation is worst than us.
Nevertheless, that is unrelated to the subject.
I believe globalization is an important fact here. Aside from the fact of the wrong usage of words and the little interest youth pays to the proper learning of the language, we are being influenced by other cultures and languages different from english.

there's also another point. Lack of interest.
I don't know how many times I have corrected the word: "Bored" in this site and people just keep on writing it uncorrectly. Many many words, not just that one. IF people had a little interest in proper speaking and writing, they would not say: "Well, english is not my mother tongue" and use that as an excuse, because it is no excuse. It's not mine either, and when I fail to spell a word I accept gladly any corrections made because I do want to learn.

That's all I think it is: lack of interest.

[Randomgirl]

~;863222']
But using shorthand isn't a sign of illiteracy...I think it shows that you're smart enough to shorten things up because you have a tight schedule. Weird, I know...but I'm weird.

Haha. Yes. I agree. :)

[premiumdancer]

Literacy isn't just being able to read and write, it's being able to comprehend what is being read. I think that comprehension level is very much down, and teenagers' vocabulary is deplorable. The kids I go to school with have awful vocabulary, anyway. Part of it is that they don't want to know. They just don't care. If the students at my school are any example of typical teenagers in America, no one really cares about learning. While this probably isn't new, it does seem like it's grown.
Also, ignorance and stupidity are not really the same thing. A person can be very intelligent, but still ignorant and still do ignorant things. There is a difference.

[Kitty_Chan]

Okay, I'm getting really pissed off of people thinking that I'm calling our the generation the stupid one.

I AM NOT CALLING OUR GENERATION DUMB!!! I KNOW WE ARE THE SMARTEST!!! LOOK WHAT WE HAVE COME UP WITH!!!

Just because I say we are illiterate, doesn't mean I think we're dumb. Being illiterate isn't the same as being dumb. I think it is being lazy or confused or just unknowing. I am, in NO way, calling this the stupid age. I don't know WHERE any of you got that, but try to make sense of what I'm saying, okay???

[helpme848]

I'm sure this has already been said but:

Our generation is relying on computers, e - mail, etc, so they don't think that they need to know how to speak correctly. In all actuality, they do in the real world. If they want to get a nice job.

Anyways, that's what I think.

[Kitty_Chan]

I'm sure this has already been said but:

Our generation is relying on computers, e - mail, etc, so they don't think that they need to know how to speak correctly. In all actuality, they do in the real world. If they want to get a nice job.

Anyways, that's what I think.

I agree completely with you. Teens always have cell phones or online so they learn to use abbreviations.
'Course, I don't have a cell phone, so I think I'm good :)

[helpme848]

I do. I spell most of it out. Some times I take out a colon or a comma so I don't get caught in Science... Dx But otherwise I still spell correctly... [ Most of the time, it's hard to do with so little time. ]

[Kitty_Chan]

yeah. if i'm writing or typing too fast, i quite often misspell words and even forget commas or letters.

[helpme848]

yeah. if i'm writing or typing too fast, i quite often misspell words and even forget commas or letters.

Looks better if you capatalize, and all, don't you think. ^-^

[Kitty_Chan]

Lol, yeah. MKy handwriting really sucks, tho

[7000dominos]

I do not agree with you.
People has not changed. We're not smarter than our predecessors, we just know more things because there are more things to be learned. The level of ignorance upon this things is still about the same than a century ago.


Which is my other point: Are we talking about illiteracy, intelligence, or "being smart?"

I think we are more INTELLIGENT than people from, say, the 1800s, because we know more. In other words, they were more ignorant then we, though not necessarily smarter. THat was a poor choice of words on my part.

But apparently, intelligence and "smartness" don't factor into this AT ALL. We're talking about illiteracy. I have something to say about that, that is, the relationship between those three words, but I'm not sure what, yet.

[Kitty_Chan]

Which is my other point: Are we talking about illiteracy, intelligence, or "being smart?"

I think we are more INTELLIGENT than people from, say, the 1800s, because we know more. In other words, they were more ignorant then we, though not necessarily smarter. THat was a poor choice of words on my part.

But apparently, intelligence and "smartness" don't factor into this AT ALL. We're talking about illiteracy. I have something to say about that, that is, the relationship between those three words, but I'm not sure what, yet.

thank you.

Illiteracy and being dumb aren't the same thing. Someone can be VERY smart but not know grammar or how to spell. And vice-versa.
My dad can't spell worth a crap, but he's EXTREMELY smart and wise.

[7000dominos]

thank you.

Illiteracy and being dumb aren't the same thing. Someone can be VERY smart but not know grammar or how to spell. And vice-versa.
My dad can't spell worth a crap, but he's EXTREMELY smart and wise.

Pretty much. :rolleyes:

Having knowledge and being smart. My little cousin in four years old, and he obviously isn't very knowledgeable....BUT he's brilliant.

I am quite good at science, but history manages to poo all over my face, daily. -_-

[Kitty_Chan]

Pretty much. :rolleyes:

Having knowledge and being smart. My little cousin in four years old, and he obviously isn't very knowledgeable....BUT he's brilliant.

I am quite good at science, but history manages to poo all over my face, daily. -_-

lol, my lowest grade is a B in Algebra ^-^
I'm REALLY smart (and i don't mean to brag) But i'm not the best at spelling or grammar.

[7000dominos]

lol, my lowest grade is a B in Algebra ^-^
I'm REALLY smart (and i don't mean to brag) But i'm not the best at spelling or grammar.

No, I now what you mean. I DESPISE vanity, but I am so proud of my....erm...smartness. Which is why I HATE history. I don't mind math so much, but science and english are my favorite.

[Kitty_Chan]

No, I now what you mean. I DESPISE vanity, but I am so proud of my....erm...smartness. Which is why I HATE history. I don't mind math so much, but science and english are my favorite.

i love english the best. Everything else is so... blah. I only like science cuz of my teacher.

[7000dominos]

i love english the best. Everything else is so... blah. I only like science cuz of my teacher.

I don't know where my love of english came from....I know I love biology probably because of my parents: they're both doctors.

[Kitty_Chan]

I don't know where my love of english came from....I know I love biology probably because of my parents: they're both doctors.

ooh. i love english cuz it's easy. lol

[7000dominos]

I just like writing. And reading. And writing. Especially writing. OH! And reading. And, of course, writing....I can't choose which I like more.

[Kitty_Chan]

I just like writing. And reading. And writing. Especially writing. OH! And reading. And, of course, writing....I can't choose which I like more.

lol, same here. i want to be a manga artist or novelist.
Have you ever heard/read a series called Ender's Game? It's really good and sad.

[7000dominos]

lol, same here. i want to be a manga artist or novelist.
Have you ever heard/read a series called Ender's Game? It's really good and sad.

Yeah. I don't read it, but my little brother likes it.

[Kitty_Chan]

Yeah. I don't read it, but my little brother likes it.

it's really good.
kids have never heard of it at my school, tho, except for one. he's kinda insane....

[7000dominos]

it's really good.
kids have never heard of it at my school, tho, except for one. he's kinda insane....

Hmmm...that could make for any uncomfy situation....

[Tracia]

Which is my other point: Are we talking about illiteracy, intelligence, or "being smart?"

I think we are more INTELLIGENT than people from, say, the 1800s, because we know more. In other words, they were more ignorant then we, though not necessarily smarter. THat was a poor choice of words on my part.

But apparently, intelligence and "smartness" don't factor into this AT ALL. We're talking about illiteracy. I have something to say about that, that is, the relationship between those three words, but I'm not sure what, yet.

Forgive me, sometimes is hard for me to think in english.

I still substain that first part. We are NOT more intelligent that people from ,say, the 1800's because we know more. We KNOW more BECAUSE there are many more things to know than back then and because the thing we know today that were unknown back then, were impossible to know at that time. That does not make you more intelligent, just proves technology was not so advanced, not because in the past we were dumbest, but because knowledge is a process, and that includes the development of proper technology for the next discoveries.

About iliteracy, the comment was based on another one pages behind.

[Ryoken]

This is what my dad says, and I agree with him.

Us kids these days are always using horrible grammar and spelling, partially because of the Interent and cell phones. My teacher was saying how one of her students wrote:
"i like 2 hang wit my frends." In an essay!

A lot of kids are like this, and I'm glad to say I'm not.
It's one thing to just mispell something, but it's another to be lazy! I also can't stand it when people speak incorrectly as well, by saying things like:
Gooder
We won them
Look it
I don't got...
I didn't do nothing

It gets SO annoying to me! It's sad how we can't even speak our language right! Doing sometimes is okay, but I hate it when kids do it to be Gangstas or think it's cool. If that is how you just normally talk, I'm sorry if this offends you.

Now I think I know why my parents talk about how our genertaion is the sadest.

Does anyone here agree?

Please not that I'm not trying to offend anyone. I'm sorry if it does.Compared to many years ago...and i mean REALLY long ago....When a majority of mankind couldn't read or write, then we can't be considered illiterate compared to them

[7000dominos]

Forgive me, sometimes is hard for me to think in english.

I still substain that first part. We are NOT more intelligent that people from ,say, the 1800's because we know more. We KNOW more BECAUSE there are many more things to know than back then and because the thing we know today that were unknown back then, were impossible to know at that time. That does not make you more intelligent, just proves technology was not so advanced, not because in the past we were dumbest, but because knowledge is a process, and that includes the development of proper technology for the next discoveries.

About iliteracy, the comment was based on another one pages behind.


No problem, to that first bit. I was kind of asking Kitty what this conversation had turned into. And yeah, I realized that after I posted on that last bit.

I, too, however, must stick to my point. I believe that we are more intelligent, that is, less ignorant because we know more. We aren't as ignorant as we once were, for example, about the hazards of smoking. Though overall, I guess this all depends on your definition of "intelligence."

Ryoken--exactly. I don't think we can say "THE illiterate generation," because we've come a long way, and we may very well keep going.

[dead sephiroth]

Forgive me, sometimes is hard for me to think in english.

I still substain that first part. We are NOT more intelligent that people from ,say, the 1800's because we know more. We KNOW more BECAUSE there are many more things to know than back then and because the thing we know today that were unknown back then, were impossible to know at that time. That does not make you more intelligent, just proves technology was not so advanced, not because in the past we were dumbest, but because knowledge is a process, and that includes the development of proper technology for the next discoveries.

About iliteracy, the comment was based on another one pages behind.

tracia i agree with u 1000000%

[Kitty_Chan]

Forgive me, sometimes is hard for me to think in english.

I still substain that first part. We are NOT more intelligent that people from ,say, the 1800's because we know more. We KNOW more BECAUSE there are many more things to know than back then and because the thing we know today that were unknown back then, were impossible to know at that time. That does not make you more intelligent, just proves technology was not so advanced, not because in the past we were dumbest, but because knowledge is a process, and that includes the development of proper technology for the next discoveries.

About iliteracy, the comment was based on another one pages behind.


you raise a really good point there. We do know more because of the people back then. We are probably only smarter in some fields like medicine and technology. But we only are because those before us gave us new ideas and research

also, if you don't speak english or it's not your native tongue, i don't think that is illiteracy.