I have to agree in large part with the author's lament w.r.t. American students. There seems to be a new generation that is especially glib and shallow. There a

I have to agree in large part with the author's lament w.r.t. American students. There seems to be a new generation that is especially glib and shallow. There are many counter examples of course, but in general it is no surprise that they are drifting away from tougher fields. And the grade inflation at U.S. universities, oh my... In the final analysis it smells like decline. And yes I agree that it probably has cultural roots.