I read slowly. It sucks, but it's not from lack of experience or lack of education. Reading speed seems a weird metric to start wondering if people lack intelligence.

Being able to read quickly is a valuable skill. I don't think I could handle jobs like editing, policy making, or lawyering simply because there are not enough hours in the day to make up for my reading deficit.

Of course, your anecdote is about a group, and mine is about one person. But the sweeping conclusion (if even it isn't a firm one) on generations irks me. Every generation has its outliers. There will never be a generation without hardworking geniuses in every active field. As far as I know, you are an outlier in your generation, and the comparison simply fails. Maybe peers you knew personally didn't get the cold judgment of intelligence by reading speed that you are applying to kids you don't have a relationship with.

I don't know. I will never dismiss the importance of reading. But you sound like Lucy here.