Themes from The Coddling of the American Mind

Themes from “The Coddling of the American Mind” by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt Written, produced, and directed by: Angat Chahal, Ethan Cook, Bernie Pimentel, Kerry Smith, Emily Wang

THEMES: § Vindictive Protectiveness § § Microaggressions How do they impact our everyday lives? How do they affect freedom of speech? The purpose of college and education § § What is higher learning for? Does censorship impede upon a student’s potential to learn?

Vindictive Protectiveness “The ultimate aim, it seems, is to turn campuses into ‘safe spaces’ where young adults are shielded from words and ideas that make some uncomfortable. And more than the last [movement], this movement seeks to punish anyone who interferes with that aim, even accidently. You might call this impulse vindictive protectiveness” (Lukianoff and Haidt) Microaggressions “Small actions or word choice that seem on their face to have no malicious intent but are thought of as a kind of violence nonetheless” (Lukianoff and Haidt)

What kind of Asian are you?

How does vindictive protectiveness affect the college student? Recent phenomenon that is largely driven by students in this generation § Poorly prepares students for their future in the professional world (ie. “real world”) outside of college § Teaches students pathological thinking § Magnification of microaggresions may lead to catasrophizing and mental filtering §

The Purpose of Higher Learning § What is college for? § § § Education Free and open discourse? The exchange of different and possibly conflicting ideas? Environment where students are encouraged to engage in social issues Supposed to prepare you for the world outside of school, where there are no bans on words or phrases that people might find offensive

Discussion Questions § § § Does the limitation of language lead to the hinderance of college students’ secondary education? If so, to what extent? Where is the line drawn between free speech and hate speech? § Intent? Presentation of ideas? When it comes to microaggressions, should we strive for a universal culture of courteous and respectful rhetoric, or does free speech make such a thing unattainable? Should universities or any other institution establish repercussions for speech such as perceived microaggressions? If so, of what kind and severity? What qualifications does a person need to be considered a judge in deciding when something is a microaggression or not?

Works Cited Haidt, Jonathan, and Greg Lukianoff. "The Coddling of the American Mind. " The Atlantic Media Company, Sept. 2015. Web. 18 Feb. 2016. What Kind of Asian Are You? Dir. Dfdafdafdavid Neptune and Ken Tenaka. Perf. Scott Beehner and Stella Choe. What Kind of Asian Are You? Youtube, 23 May 2013. Web. 18 Feb. 2016. Vorpal, Kaz. "There Are No Trigger Words. " Flickr. Yahoo!, 11 Dec. 2015. Web. 19 Feb. 2016.