Seriously. What is wrong with people and why does it seem like the average person's intelligence is dwindling?

Check out the movie "Idiocracy" with Luke Wilson. It's a great comedy, and shows how this is a steady progression over the years. As for the reason, you have to go much further back than a few years or the recent recession, as some others have suggested.

I'm working on a PhD in Education and studying the culture change *away* from educating and toward 'other interests. ' The reality is that all humans exhibit basic forms of behaviorism (think Pavlov's dog experiment) in their motivation, and are drawn to incentives and pushed away from penalties (or work to dodge penalties). In education, the current incentives are inwardly focused for educators and do not reward for teaching or connecting with students, but rather for other things like publishing, exam scores, and graduation rates.

This leads to disconnected educators and a failing education system. And when education fails, we all fail - this is evident in your observation about society as a whole. When it comes to current day, look first at the symptoms - what do people value?

They value their identity. And people who are funny. And things that are 'cool.' Where is 'being smart' on the list?

Probably near the middle. So if those are the symptoms, what is the problem and where does it come from? While this is where things get political, you can trace many, many links to our government and how their financial incentives continually pull people away from becoming educated.

It's a sign of bad things ahead (see also: the movie above). So observe these people who motivated you to ask this question, and think: what do they value? How did they get that way?

What draws them to those things instead of learning and growing? Let me know what you find!

I don’t thin the average persons intelligence is dwindling I think what is happening is that in our instant gratification society the average persons social skills are dwindling and no one really cares anymore and are taught to believe there is nothing they can do to effect any change so why bother.

This is just my own opinion but I have learned alot through my profession and just in life. We have for the most part become a society of whats in it for me. How is this going to benefit me?

I would love to help but I am busy! There needs to be more of us who enjoy helping others with their needs. The homeless, hungry children, battered women, children.Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Goodness just smile at someone and say hi. It may be such an uplift for that person. Maybe with the recession hitting more than just the 'poor' people it will make people realize that things are just that.............things.

People are whats important in life, being the best person you can possibly be to others. As for the intelligent factor, I have not noticed that, the decline. Just a lot of dumb mistakes that people make because they don't think Have a great weekend.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.