I think i_robot73 nailed it.
It’s not intelligence, we as a race - are no dumber now than what we were in the 30-60’s. What has changed? Well, there used to be 18 yr old getting married, buying a car, working a job and affording a home. Why, many owned a home, a car and were starting a family while they were in their early 20’s. Why?
Taxes and Gov’t. Used to be a time when a young person could earn enough to work, while his wife stayed home and took care of housework and raising a family. He could earn a comfortable wage, provide for his family, his retirement, live in a decent home, and live comfortably. What was his tax rate? What Gov’t assistance programs were available? It was a time of personal responsibility and honest work.
Today, how many 20-somethings do you know who own their home and are embarking on a family with a stay-at-home wife? Back then, a reasonable house was approximately equal to ~2-4x their annual salary. Today, what is the cost of a home compared to a couple’s annual salary? Now, of that annual salary - how much do they get to keep versus 40 yrs ago?
Now, look at the business environment. Never before have we had so many businesses failing, off-shoring and layoffs. I remember when IBM announced layoffs in the late 70’s. The first to go were Sr. Managment; they got the company in that shape to start with. That is exactly the opposite way things work today.
The kids aren’t dumber, it’s not lack of educational opportunties - it’s a variety of reasons, and all of them are out of the ability for the ordinary person to control.
I think the biggest force for all that is that we keep delaying adulthood. When 18 year old got married and owned cars they could also drink. There was an expectation then that when you turned 18 you were an adult with all the responsibilities and privileges. Now when you turn 18 you get almost none of the privileges, and parents aren’t forcing the responsibilities. And really why take on more responsibility than you have to, any kid who paid any attention at all to their parents’ lives knows responsibility blows.
And the parents keep putting up with it. My in-laws are completely tolerant of their 27 year-old unemployed loser, they don’t expect anything from him, he doesn’t have to contribute to the household at all, and they still give him an allowance. Yeah they bitch about how irresponsible he is, but for the price of listening to them complain a couple hours a week he gets a free room, 3 squares, and $50 for his pocket. The year I was about to turn 18 my mom said I’d get June for free because I was graduating high school, and July for my birthday, but starting in August I was going to be paying rent, better get a job.
When you get right down to it people don’t want responsibility, it gets forced on us. Except that large portions of the current youth generation aren’t getting it forced on them. They’re allowed to stay irresponsible and so they do. They get to live the life that on some level we all want, no alarm clock, no job, nothing to do but hang around and relax. Most of us would adopt that lifestyle in a minute if we had half the chance. And they’re getting the chance. If we want them to get out there and be useful we need to stop giving them a free pass. That’s what I’m always telling my in-laws, kick him out and cut him off, he’ll only grow up when he HAS to. Just like all of us.