What is bad, and what is good?

I don't agree with Will's elitist view on popular culture but I also have reservations toward Johnson's position.

I don't think we should expect popular culture to be extremely sophisticated or thought-provoking. Its primary goal is to entertain not to educate. Hence unlike George Will I don't believe popular culture is stupid nor do I think it is sophisticated.

On the other hand I think that we try to hypnotize ourselves by repeating that games and TV shows make us smarter. How do we measure smartness? Hand-eye coordination, multitasking, reaction speed? What do we do so much better than generations before us? When I look at the list of discoveries made in the twentieth century, when I read biographies of scientists, writers and artists of the nineteenth century, I can't help but marvel at how broad-minded they were, at their work ethics, and their strong will.

Ironically, the question I asked myself after reading "Everything Bad is Good for You" was not about what makes us smarter, but rather whether we are really smarter than our mothers, fathers, and grand-grand-parents? And if the answer is "yes", how do we prove it?