Do you feel like we're getting collectively dumber as a population, or smarter?

[anvi]

As I've said on a previous thread, I don't think Americans are on average any smarter or dumber in the abstract than they were before.  I do think, however, that we are far more selfish and stubborn than most other generations of Americans.  In the 1930's and '40's, Americans went through a depression where unemployment reached as high as 25% and stayed high over a prolonged period of time, as well as fought an unwanted world war against two major world powers, and people to a large extent were strong and got through it.  Now we are going through a very tough time, with prolonged 10% unemployment, two wars against minor powers and the challenges to the gulf coast.  But, in response, we cry like babies, point fingers at everyone else besides ourselves, and tolerate proposed solutions only to the extent that they give us everything we want and demand nothing of us in return.  In my view, the biggest problem Americans have these days is not an intelligence deficit, but a character deficit.