Leave the "Millennials" Alone

While reading chapter three of “The Dumbest Generation” by Mark Bauerlein titled “Screen Time” I couldn’t help but wonder what the big deal was?   The chapter was just was equally jammed with facts and figures from studies that I tried to interpret and understand.  While the facts he included about media access in the homes of 8-18 year olds weren’t surprising (99% of people had televisions in their home and 68% had it in their bedroom) I couldn’t help but get upset at his determination to put down my generation.         His opening few paragraphs about the Apple store and how it gets busy on Saturday afternoons was something that I had experienced first hand.  It doesn’t seem to me to be a big deal?  Children need something to do on the weekends and I think that their desire to learn about and possibly buy the next best thing in technology is a good thing rather than a bad one.  He refers to these people as “The Millennials”(Bauerline 73).   He says that this group is responsible for “not merely [being] passive consumers [but] ‘content creators’ making their own Web pages or posting their artwork, photos, stories, or videos online” (Bauerline 73).  He sees a problem with the sensationalism and technological fixation that the “Millennials” have but I personally think it is because of these children sharing ideas that we have come so far in so little time in the world of technology.  Going back to the way he opened the book, with Alexandra Robbins’ trip to the local high school and their stories of not being able to enjoy school because the drive to be perfect was so overbearing, I think that the best becomes even better when your successes are easy to share.  Especially when sharing can happen so easily, through the Internet makes people want to learn more about the Internet and perfect their blogs, photos, or other things they put online.           I think that Bauerline is denying the “Millennials” the credit they deserve.  I think that times have changed from when he was growing up.  Back then technology was developing and television wasn’t as predominant but today it is.  I started thinking about whether or not Bauerline has a TV in his room, or if he ever frequents the Apple store just for pure entertainment and I think that he definitely does.  I think that he needs to stop looking at all of the hours spent in front of the TV or computer as a bad thing and accept that these hours are spent to help the developmental process that occurs.  Without people’s desire to learn about the Internet or Video Games we wouldn’t be where we are now.  I like where we are now, I like having pretty much everything I need to stay in touch with family and friends or research important topics within an arms length.  I think that as long as people continue to go to school and learn something they shouldn’t be condoned.  Times have changed, reading and writing and arithmetic are still important, but now some people learn it from a television show or computer game.  Either way, knowledge is obtained and our world, I think is VERY well off.