I fully believe we are devolving.
Just look at the music people listen to now, and what they listened to a hundred years ago, and then what they listened to two hundred years ago. Look at the modern attention span. If it doesn’t flutter by the screen, it’s “boring”. Look at old movies. People were expected to follow a plot, to pay attention to a script. Now everything is visual stimulation.
Kids were expected to learn Latin and Greek in school. They would learn famous quotes and memorize poetry. They are continually dumbing down tests, such as SATs.
I watch a lot of old movies. They often reference history and events, and expect the audience to get the references. Heck, I remember a line from “Beach Blanket Bingo” where someone says, “He probably doesn’t even know who President Wilson was!”, and they expected young kids watching the movie to understand the joke. Nowadays kids don’t even know the current vice president.
I’ve been in a local production of the musical, “Annie.” Many cast members thought President Roosevelt was fictional, they had no idea who Herbert Hoover was, and some didn’t even know who Harpo Marx was.
“Western Civilization Dumber Than 100 Years Ago”....
And WHO is really surprised at this? We may have lots of new technology, inovations etc., but the one MAJOR thing that is NOT being taught is plain old common sense. Without that critical element, society will continue to remain “Dumber that 100 years ago”.