View the clip The Dumbing of America. Matt Lauer of the Today show interviews Susan Jacoby, author of "The Age of American Unreason" and Noah Oppenheim, a Today Senior Producer, and co-author of "The Intellectual Devotional" book series. Jacoby believes that Americans are getting dumber, relative to their knowledge of the world around them, and are not only content with this condition, but also almost proud. Oppenheim agrees that society is currently somewhat lacking in knowledge, but maintains it can't be helped because of the Americans' busy lifestyle. A recent National Geographic survey says that most people in the U.S. under the age of 25 don't believe it's important to know a foreign language, or to know the location of countries where news is being made. Do you agree with this idea? Do you believe the constant stream of "dumb" media stories, and entertainment has made the population less mentally capable? What kind of media do you enjoy the most? Does it add to your intellect or detract from it?
The Dumbing of America (36953.0K)