I'm with you, my man! I have observed this decline and my retired professor mom, observed it years ago over 40 years. My theory is that it's more of a Mass Mental Illness (MMI) than an actual cognitive decline, though the Idiocracy theory is valid. I've written quite a bit on related topics but here's one on possible cures for the MMI: https://peter-mcclard.medium.com/how-to-cure-mass-mental-illness-cbbf4141599c