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The Coddling of the American Mind

In the name of emotional well-being, college students are increasingly demanding protection from words and ideas they don’t like. Here’s why that’s disastrous for education—and mental health.


Something strange is happening at America’s colleges and universities. A movement is arising, undirected and driven largely by students, to scrub campuses clean of words, ideas, and subjects that might cause discomfort or give offense. Last December, Jeannie Suk wrote in an online article for The New Yorker about law students asking her fellow professors at Harvard not to teach rape law—or, in one case, even use the word violate (as in “that violates the law”) lest it cause students distress. In February, Laura Kipnis, a professor at Northwestern University, wrote an essay in The Chronicle of Higher Education describing a new campus politics of sexual paranoia—and was then subjected to a long investigation after students who were offended by the article and by a tweet she’d sent filed Title IX complaints against her. In June, a professor protecting himself with a pseudonym wrote an essay for Vox describing how gingerly he now has to teach. “I’m a Liberal Professor, and My Liberal Students Terrify Me,” the headline said.

This new climate is slowly being institutionalized, and is affecting what can be said in the classroom, even as a basis for discussion.

The current movement is largely about emotional well-being. ... it presumes an extraordinary fragility of the collegiate psyche, and therefore elevates the goal of protecting students from psychological harm. 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 ... this movement seeks to punish anyone who interferes with that aim, even accidentally.

The dangers that these trends pose to scholarship and to the quality of American universities are significant; we could write a whole essay detailing them. But in this essay we focus on a different question: What are the effects of this new protectiveness on the students themselves?

There’s a saying common in education circles: Don’t teach students what to think; teach them how to think. The idea goes back at least as far as Socrates. Today, what we call the Socratic method is a way of teaching that fosters critical thinking, in part by encouraging students to question their own unexamined beliefs, as well as the received wisdom of those around them. Such questioning sometimes leads to discomfort, and even to anger, on the way to understanding.

But vindictive protectiveness teaches students to think in a very different way. A(nd) a campus culture devoted to policing speech and punishing speakers is likely to engender patterns of thought that are surprisingly similar to those long identified by cognitive behavioral therapists as causes of depression and anxiety. The new protectiveness may be teaching students to think pathologically.

(a history outlining highly protected childhoods of recent generations)

So it’s not hard to imagine why students arriving on campus today might be more desirous of protection and more hostile toward ideological opponents than in generations past. This hostility, and the self-righteousness fueled by strong partisan emotions, can be expected to add force to any moral crusade. Part of what we do when we make moral judgments is express allegiance to a team. But that can interfere with our ability to think critically. Acknowledging that the other side’s viewpoint has any merit is risky—your teammates may see you as a traitor.

We do not mean to imply simple causation, but rates of mental illness in young adults have been rising, both on campus and off, in recent decades.

The Thinking Cure ... For millennia, philosophers have understood that we don’t see life as it is; we see a version distorted by our hopes, fears, and other attachments. The Buddha said, “Our life is the creation of our mind.” Marcus Aurelius said, “Life itself is but what you deem it.” The quest for wisdom in many traditions begins with this insight. Early Buddhists and the Stoics, for example, developed practices for reducing attachments, thinking more clearly, and finding release from the emotional torments of normal mental life.

Cognitive behavioral therapy is a modern embodiment of this ancient wisdom. The goal is to minimize distorted thinking and see the world more accurately. You start by learning the names of the dozen or so most common cognitive distortions (such as overgeneralizing, discounting positives, and emotional reasoning; see the list at the bottom of this article). Each time you notice yourself falling prey to one of them, you name it, describe the facts of the situation, consider alternative interpretations, and then choose an interpretation of events more in line with those facts.

(But) Emotional reasoning* dominates many campus debates and discussions. A claim that someone’s words are “offensive” is not just an expression of one’s own subjective feeling of offendedness. It is, rather, a public charge that the speaker has done something objectively wrong. It is a demand that the speaker apologize or be punished by some authority for committing an offense. (* ‘I feel it, therefore it must be true.’)

There have always been some people who believe they have a right not to be offended.

(But since a 1993 case) Claims of a right not to be offended have continued to arise since then, and universities have continued to privilege them. In a particularly egregious 2008 case, for instance, Indiana University–Purdue University at Indianapolis found a white student guilty of racial harassment for reading a book titled Notre Dame vs. the Klan. The book honored student opposition to the Ku Klux Klan when it marched on Notre Dame in 1924. Nonetheless, the picture of a Klan rally on the book’s cover offended at least one of the student’s co-workers (he was a janitor as well as a student), and that was enough for a guilty finding by the university’s Affirmative Action Office.

These examples may seem extreme, but the reasoning behind them has become more commonplace on campus in recent years.

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Originally posted by reaverfan:
More Nazi propaganda from RUE. Yawn.

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Originally posted by second:


The right’s fixation on campus politics has never had much to do with realities on the ground, of course.

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Originally posted by rue:

Neither of them are Nazis or right-wing.

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Originally posted by rue:
Neither of them are Nazis or right-wing.

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Originally posted by SECOND:
Do you have some proof?

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Originally posted by rue:

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Originally posted by rue:
Neither of them are Nazis or right-wing.

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Originally posted by SECOND:
Do you have some proof?

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Is wiki good enough for you? Then check out their entries, which also include links to referenced items.

It's simple enough, even for you.

Please note: while I can link information, I can't read it for you.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Haidt
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greg_Lukianoff

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Originally posted by second:
You can find Jordan fucking Peterson in wiki, too. Nowhere does the article mention he is a right-wing nut job teaching psychology at a University.

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Originally posted by rue:
I've adequately refuted your claims.

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Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
Big surprise...

Marcos thinks that Jordan Peterson is a Nazi. (Isn't everyone these days?)



Hey, Marcos...

Name one thing that makes Peterson a Nazi.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

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Originally posted by rue:
RF

https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Jonathan_Haidt

NOTE: 'rationalwiki' is NOT related to wikipedia. It's a discussion board organized by topic with an overtly stated agenda, and is significantly opinionated and biased.
From wikipedia "RationalWiki is a wiki whose stated aims are to critique and challenge pseudoscience and the anti-science movement, explore authoritarianism and fundamentalism and analyze how these subjects are handled in the media.[7] It was created in 2007 to counter Conservapedia after an incident in which contributors attempting to edit Conservapedia were banned."
Note that the Haidt article in rationalwiki doesn't have a single cited fact to back up it's assertion that Haidt "... has since devolved into a Very Serious Person after winning a Templeton prize, now spending his efforts on foggy discourse and dissing New Atheism."


https://prospect.org/article/conservatives-behind-campus-%E2%80%98free
-speech%E2%80%99-crusade "An upcoming conference at Bard College could shed important light on the right-wing funders behind a deceptive campaign to protect “free speech” while advancing conservative ideology on “liberal” campuses."

Less prognostication and opinion, and more facts would be relevant.

Nevertheless, what this article says about FIRE is this: "Now a thorough, mostly well-balanced report by the PEN (Poets, Essayists, and Novelists) American Center confirms that the conservative “free speech” crusade has gone too far. (but) the PEN report ... stops short of blaming the conservative group (FIRE) for wielding the cudgel, and even credits the organization with calling attention to threats against free speech. The report calls the organization “libertarian” but, confusingly, notes elsewhere in the text that the “FIRE is often regarded as libertarian or conservative and is viewed suspiciously by some liberal or progressive students and faculty.
Never mind that, as FIRE keeps discovering ... the college trustees and deans whom it condemns rightly enough for restricting speech are serving not politically correct pieties, but market pressures to satisfy student “customers” and avoid negative publicity, liability, and losses in “brand” or “market share.””

OMG. FIRE, a libertarian organization according to the article, actually correctly identifies threats to free speech.


https://www.alternet.org/2016/09/what-campus-free-speech-crusade-wont-
say-0/
There's a real enemy to free speech, but you're not hearing about it.
This article appears to be about someone named Scott C. Johnston.

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Originally posted by reaverfan:

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Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
Big surprise...

Marcos thinks that Jordan Peterson is a Nazi. (Isn't everyone these days?)



Hey, Marcos...

Name one thing that makes Peterson a Nazi.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

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Peterson would tell you he isn't a Nazi. He probably believes it.

He's a gateway. The way people are drawn into Nazism is subtle.

You don't just jump from "conservative who believes the free market will fix everything" to "Jews will not replace us" overnight.

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Originally posted by rue:
RF

https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Jonathan_Haidt

NOTE: 'rationalwiki' is NOT related to wikipedia. It's a discussion board organized by topic with an overtly stated agenda, and is significantly opinionated and biased.
From wikipedia "RationalWiki is a wiki whose stated aims are to critique and challenge pseudoscience and the anti-science movement, explore authoritarianism and fundamentalism and analyze how these subjects are handled in the media.[7] It was created in 2007 to counter Conservapedia after an incident in which contributors attempting to edit Conservapedia were banned."
Note that the Haidt article in rationalwiki doesn't have a single cited fact to back up it's assertion that Haidt "... has since devolved into a Very Serious Person after winning a Templeton prize, now spending his efforts on foggy discourse and dissing New Atheism."


https://prospect.org/article/conservatives-behind-campus-%E2%80%98free
-speech%E2%80%99-crusade "An upcoming conference at Bard College could shed important light on the right-wing funders behind a deceptive campaign to protect “free speech” while advancing conservative ideology on “liberal” campuses."

Less prognostication and opinion, and more facts would be relevant.

Nevertheless, what this article says about FIRE is this: "Now a thorough, mostly well-balanced report by the PEN (Poets, Essayists, and Novelists) American Center confirms that the conservative “free speech” crusade has gone too far. (but) the PEN report ... stops short of blaming the conservative group (FIRE) for wielding the cudgel, and even credits the organization with calling attention to threats against free speech. The report calls the organization “libertarian” but, confusingly, notes elsewhere in the text that the “FIRE is often regarded as libertarian or conservative and is viewed suspiciously by some liberal or progressive students and faculty.
Never mind that, as FIRE keeps discovering ... the college trustees and deans whom it condemns rightly enough for restricting speech are serving not politically correct pieties, but market pressures to satisfy student “customers” and avoid negative publicity, liability, and losses in “brand” or “market share.””

OMG. FIRE, a libertarian organization according to the article, actually correctly identifies threats to free speech.


https://www.alternet.org/2016/09/what-campus-free-speech-crusade-wont-
say-0/
There's a real enemy to free speech, but you're not hearing about it.
This article appears to be about someone named Scott C. Johnston.

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Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
Does anybody have the quote where Marcos called Peterson a Nazi?


It seems that, along the lines of his pro-censorship stance on everything, he is not at all afraid to re-write history and edit or flat out remove his old posts when he's said something stupid.

You can see a few empty posts by Marcos above. There no longer is any evidence in this thread that he did call Peterson a Nazi.



But we all saw it. That doesn't make it not true.

I'm going to go see if archive.org captured it.




EDIT: Nope. Last archive capture was in 2018.

Going to have to make sure to quote all of Marco's posts when I reply to him from now on. I suggest you all do the same.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

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Originally posted by reaverfan:
It's fun blowing your arguments completely out of the water using facts you refuse to read.

People as seemingly harmless as Pewdiepie are gateways to full-blown Nazism. The actual, real Nazis are well aware of this. They won't stop, they'll just have to reconfigure, yet again.

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Originally posted by reaverfan:
You've amply demonstrated who's stupid, and it's not me.

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Originally posted by reaverfan:
Cambridge University rescinds Jordan Peterson invitation
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2019/mar/20/cambridge-university
-rescinds-jordan-peterson-invitation?CMP=twt_gu

Is this censorship?

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Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:

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Originally posted:
Cambridge University rescinds Jordan Peterson invitation
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2019/mar/20/cambridge-university
-rescinds-jordan-peterson-invitation?CMP=twt_gu

Is this censorship?

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I dunno, Marcos.

I guess we'll have to see what effect Trump's executive order on free speech has in store for the future of Cambridge University's funding.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

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Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:

Quote:

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Originally posted by reaverfan:
Cambridge University rescinds Jordan Peterson invitation
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2019/mar/20/cambridge-university
-rescinds-jordan-peterson-invitation?CMP=twt_gu

Is this censorship?

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I dunno, Marcos.

I guess we'll have to see what effect Trump's executive order on free speech has in store for the future of Cambridge University's funding.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

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Originally posted by JEWELSTAITEFAN:
Never mind, found it buried in a Troll post.

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Originally posted by reaverfan:
Cambridge University rescinds Jordan Peterson invitation
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2019/mar/20/cambridge-university
-rescinds-jordan-peterson-invitation?CMP=twt_gu

Is this censorship?

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Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:


I dunno, Marcos.

I guess we'll have to see what effect Trump's executive order on free speech has in store for the future of Cambridge University's funding.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

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Originally posted by reaverfan:

Seeing that Cambridge is in England, I don't think it will have any effect.

Derp.

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OMG. You FINALLY got the joke.

Never mistake your own stupidity as belonging to someone else.

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Originally posted:

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Originally posted by second:


The right’s fixation on campus politics has never had much to do with realities on the ground, of course.

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They've always whined about colleges being too liberal. Always.

Now we've got groups like TPUSA who focus on and specialize in attacking professors they consider too liberal.

Professor Watchlist Is Seen as Threat to Academic Freedom
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/28/us/professor-watchlist-is-seen-as-t
hreat-to-academic-freedom.html

No Re-Turning Point, U.S.A.
From the “Professor Watchlist” to Tariq Khan, TPUSA’s campaign to silence opposition
https://thebaffler.com/the-poverty-of-theory/no-re-turning-point-u-s-a

I went inside a rightwing safe space to find out the truth about universities

With universities in an ‘existential crisis’, Turning Point USA sells a safe space for conservatives who have convinced themselves they are the embattled minority
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/apr/07/charlie-kirk-tur
ning-point-usa-universities-free-speech-debate

Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts

Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts is openly attacked, and governments often refuse to fund the arts.
https://www.favreau.info/misc/14-points-fascism.php

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Originally posted by JEWELSTAITEFAN:
While looking for something else, I notice that here we have 2 Trolls seeming to argue against each other.
Worth a laugh.

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Originally posted by reaverfan:

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Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:

Quote:

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Originally posted by reaverfan:
Cambridge University rescinds Jordan Peterson invitation
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2019/mar/20/cambridge-university
-rescinds-jordan-peterson-invitation?CMP=twt_gu

Is this censorship?

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I dunno, Marcos.

I guess we'll have to see what effect Trump's executive order on free speech has in store for the future of Cambridge University's funding.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

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Seeing that Cambridge is in England, I don't think it will have any effect.

Derp.

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