The Coddling of the American Mind
The
main argument of this article is that Universities are far too protective and
sheltering of their students from the real world. True and honest opinions are stated in the
real world whether you agree with them or not and to shelter the students from
these words or opinions is actually doing them a huge disservice.
“The current
movement is largely about emotional well being,” states The Coddling of the American Mind.
It has become common today to
dismiss the fact that we are over sensitive (23). Everything anyone says
can be taken the wrong way, especially when social media is involved. Microaggression is exhaustedly
discussed in this article. The
definition has recently expanded from racist remarks to anything considered
discriminatory. Campuses across America have decided that creating their campus
a “safe place” is the best solution. The
“safe place” is supposed to be an area or group of people where no one feels
unwelcomed or offended in any way. When it comes to the topic of the safe
place, most of us will readily agree
that the idea is not comparable to the real world, nor will it prepare you
for the real world (26). The article states, “this movement seeks
to punish anyone who interferes with that aim, even accidentally.” This is so
far from the real world. No one gets in
trouble for what he or she says or who they say it to. Lukianoff and Haidt
further state, “Vindictive protectiveness teaches students to think in a
very different way. It prepares them poorly for professional life, which often
demands intellectual engagement with people and ideas one might find
uncongenial or wrong.” In the real
world, you’re not always going to agree with the ethical choices your boss
makes, but you (for the most part) put up with it. If Lukianoff and Haidt are right about the coddled generation, then major consequences follow for future
employers (99). “What are we doing to our students if
we encourage them to develop extra-thin skin in the years just before they
leave the cocoon of adult protection and enter the workforce?” argues The Coddling of the American Mind. The next step in these students’ lives is
one of the most important. Settling into
a job and being surrounded once again with brand new people and places. It is important to teach developing minds
that “the ideas, values, and speech
of the other side [should not be seen] as wrong [or] willfully aggressive
toward innocent victims”. Because if this is the case, “it is hard to imagine
the kind of mutual respect, negotiation, and compromise” that are necessary for
everyday life.
The authors advocate, “colleges should do all they can to equip
students to thrive in a world full of words and ideas that they cannot control (39).”
This is the simplest way to put it.
Colleges that shelter their students from real problems and opinions are
just hiding the truth. Eventually, these
students will be exposed to it so why not teach them the appropriate way to
react to situations rather than pretend they don’t exist.
Haidt,
Greg Lukianoff, Jonathan. "The Coddling of the American Mind." The
Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 10 Aug. 2015. Web. 10 Oct. 2015.
<http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/09/the-coddling-of-the-american-mind/399356/>.
I really enjoyed reading your blog and I found it very interesting. I like the way you incorporated the templates from"They Say, I Say", as they helped emphasis your position and the point of view of Lukainoff and Haidt.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your blog and I found it very interesting. I like the way you incorporated the templates from"They Say, I Say", as they helped emphasis your position and the point of view of Lukainoff and Haidt.
ReplyDeleteI like how you added the part about social media. It is so easy to take things the wrong way over social media because you don't hear the speaker's tone when they are saying that. That is a new difficulty that we face now with the advancement of technology that prior generations didn't have to deal with.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate that you mention "The definition has recently expanded from racist remarks to anything considered discriminatory." This highlights the fact that what is "considered discriminatory" is subjective to the individual thus anything could potentially be discriminatory which highlights one of the central arguments of the article. Keep up the good work, Ms. Loftus.
ReplyDelete