As Seen By Mark Bauerlein: in Mark Bauerleins The Dumbest Generation - Book Report/Review Example

 Throughout history, individuals have sought to make their case for a specific subject(s), by relying upon the utilization of skills that others can therefore identify with. For some, they seek to inform the populous through the production of movies, or TV shows. While for others, they elect to do the same thing but through the use of books that they have written. In the case of Mark Bauerlin, author of ‘The Dumbest Generation: How The Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future,” would seek to impress upon the viewing audience, the issues surrounding the increase in media usage by the generation known as ‘Generation X’. Through his use of ethos, pathos, as well as logos, Mark Bauerlin seeks to argue that the level of reliance upon the electronic community would in fact be shunting the growth on all levels, of the present adolescent community. As he sets forth to make reference to the use of technology in the classroom that example in itself, would best be made by Bauerlin, as he would in fact have firsthand knowledge of classrooms, through being active in the education community as a college instructor. From a standpoint of seeking to make appeals to the emotional side of the viewing public, he would first do so, by means of the title of his work. By including the reference to the notion of having the future of mankind be placed into question, or at risk, would grab the attention of those who may identify with the topic and its greater implications. He seeks to bring forth the fact of there being far more educational opportunities and avenues for learning, than ever before but with the increased presence of these things, as far as he would be concerned, there would still be the strong gravitational pull in the direction of social networking sites. Labeling his work with the word dumb, thus evoking the negative connotation as a result, of a generation that would be devoid, for the most part, of any real interest in things that would exist outside of the computer. Further making his argument, Bauerlin would offer the inclusion of facts, as a means of proving his case. As he states, in terms of time spent doing homework, “Consider a measure of homework time, this one not taken from a dozen kids on their uneven way to the top, but from 81,499 students in 110 schools in 26 states- the 2006 High School Survey of Student Engagement. When asked how many hours they spent each week “Reading/studying for class,” almost all of them, fully 90 percent, came in at a ridiculously low five hours or less, 55 percent at one hour or less. Meanwhile, 31 percent admitted to watching television or playing video games at least 6 hours per week, 25 percent of them logging six hours minimum surfing and chatting online,” (Bauerlin, p. 23-24). Another factor that the author addresses is the need to go from the constraints of the usual behavior they take on and instead, reach out and experience things that they may not have done so before. In this case, “For education to happen, people must encounter worthwhile things outside their sphere of interest and brainpower,” (Bauerlin, p. 138). For many, the ability to read and ultimately comprehend the information that’s placed in front of the mind’s eye is an essential task. As far as Bauerlin is concerned, if reading is not taken up with any level of frequency, it can slip away from the individual over time. In his terms, “as the occasions of reading diminish, reading becomes a harder task. The more you don’t read, the more you can’t read,” (Bauerlin, p. 59). With his central argument being the hindrance of electronic activity, whether internet or some other means, the illustration of behavior patterns on the part of a selected group of those within the generation in question, would only serve to further illustrate his central argument on the matter. By not just mentioning individuals and instead making the mental note to include numerical data to further the example, Bauerlin would seek to place it within a wider consideration of the amount of time dedicated to the studies of educational disciplines, in comparison to the amount of time spent on leisure activities. In terms of fallacies, Bauerlin would most often utilize logical, as well as ethical fallacies, to further enable the progression of the case he was seeking to make. For the fallacies seen as being logical, they in turn, can be found to have been formed based upon information that may in fact lack the presence of sound judgment. With the introduction of the statistical data to show the reliance upon the idea that the generation as a whole, would fall into the same definition as those mentioned. While statistical data can be found to be helpful in times of research, they can also provide a false sense of the bigger picture, as it would become easy to generalize and further stereotype the group of individuals being studied. In terms of the argument being made by the author, he would be utilizing one of the sub categories within logical fallacies that would be known as stacking the evidence. From a definition standpoint, “Stacked Evidence represents only one side of the issue, thus distorting the issue,” (“Rhetorical”, p.1). With regard to the case made by Mark Bauerlin, his case would be stacked against the notion of there being any students, who would not fall within the category of being those that let the electronic world, supersede their other obligations in their respective lives. For the emotional side of the brain, the labeling of the generation as being dumb would play into the emotional assessment that the generation of individuals themselves, would in fact be devoid of any type of cognitive abilities that would be considered to be at the same level of other individuals. The arguments made by Mark Bauerlin in his text, are important in many ways. To further consider the level at which the world of technology, will have infiltrated the realm of a generation and in turn, caused it to closely align the actions taken, in response to the provided electronic stimuli. With the information that would have been gathered by Bauerlin, in the process of completing his work, it would further serve to show the dominance that comes into play for many, in terms of utilizing the numerous aspects that come into play within the realm of electronic media. While it would be the view of an individual, in regard to the generation in question, it would be an important view nonetheless. Many observers would concede that the use and in this case, overuse of technology at the expense of other things, would be something to consider. Without the presence of labels that would blur the overall issue to be considered and instead, concentrating solely on the issue at hand and seeking solutions to aid those most affected. There are many aspects that remain beneficial in terms of the tools utilized through the world of electronic media. In that respect, the benefits must be weighed equally with the consideration of the side effects. To operate within a medium of utilization of this multi-faceted tool and not submersion within it, to the extent of forgoing other things that comprise life. Reference Bauerlin, Mark. The Dumbest Generation: How The Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future. Published: (2009) Penguin Group (USA) Inc. New York, New York 10014. Pages: 23-24, 59, 138. “Rhetorical Fallacies”. Retrieved from http://projects.uwc.utexas.edu/handouts/?q=node/30 Read More