Episode
The Coddling Of The American Mind
1:01:13
Published: Thu Mar 09 2023
Description
TRIGGER WARNING: if you're a SNOWFLAKE college professor afraid of how your students are expressing themselves, you might need a SAFE SPACE, because Michael and Peter are discussing "The Coddling of The American Mind," a book about campus culture that's light on facts and heavy on cherry-picked anecdotes.CORRECTION: The Socrates quote mentioned at the end of this episode is apocryphal. We thank the listeners who pointed this out for refusing to coddle our American minds.Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPodWhere to find us: TwitterPeter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources:The Miseducation of Free Speech (https://www.virginialawreview.org/articles/miseducation-free-speech/)College and the “Culture War”: Assessing Higher Education’s Influence on Moral Attitudes (https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/00031224211041094)The Myth of the Campus Coddle Crisis (https://academeblog.org/2018/12/28/the-myth-of-the-campus-coddle-crisis-the-coddling-of-the-american-mind/)What ‘Safe Spaces’ Really Look Like on College Campuses (https://www.chronicle.com/article/what-safe-spaces-really-look-like-on-college-campuses/?bc_nonce=peduocnzcslb08jxmt1dlb&cid=reg_wall_signup)Are College Campuses Really in the Thrall of Leftist Censors? (https://slate.com/human-interest/2015/03/hypersensitive-campus-progressives-judith-shulevitz-is-half-right-but-takes-her-criticisms-too-far.html) Speaking Freely: What Students Think about Expression at American Colleges (https://www.thefire.org/research-learn/student-attitudes-free-speech-survey) ‘Not all cultures are created equal’ says Penn Law professor in op-ed (https://www.thedp.com/article/2017/08/amy-wax-penn-law-cultural-values) How Right Wing Media Has Tried to Stifle Student Speech at Evergreen State College (https://psmag.com/education/the-real-free-speech-story-at-evergreen-college)I'm a liberal professor, and my liberal students terrify me (https://www.vox.com/2015/6/3/8706323/college-professor-afraid)In College and Hiding From Scary Ideas (https://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/22/opinion/sunday/judith-shulevitz-hiding-from-scary-ideas.html)Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
Chapters
Edward Schlosser discusses how student complaints have shifted from the rightness or wrongness of materials taught to solely focusing on how it affects their emotional state, possibly due to the Charlie Hebdo shootings happening in 2015.
00:00 - 03:57 (03:57)
Summary
Edward Schlosser discusses how student complaints have shifted from the rightness or wrongness of materials taught to solely focusing on how it affects their emotional state, possibly due to the Charlie Hebdo shootings happening in 2015. This discourse has caused concern among professors about the coddling of American college students.
EpisodeThe Coddling Of The American Mind
PodcastIf Books Could Kill
The Atlantic published an article in September 2015 called "The Coddling of the American Mind," which discussed how trigger warnings on college campuses could be doing more harm than good for mental health.
03:57 - 08:14 (04:16)
Summary
The Atlantic published an article in September 2015 called "The Coddling of the American Mind," which discussed how trigger warnings on college campuses could be doing more harm than good for mental health. While some saw it as a valid critique of "campus culture," others dismissed it as an exaggerated caricature.
EpisodeThe Coddling Of The American Mind
PodcastIf Books Could Kill
The belief that every college student picks gender studies is a right-wing ideology of disregarding the fact that a lot of students take STEM or economics fields.
08:15 - 13:31 (05:16)
Summary
The belief that every college student picks gender studies is a right-wing ideology of disregarding the fact that a lot of students take STEM or economics fields. The thesis is that injuries of different types can make you stronger, and thus safeguarding oneself from harm may sometimes be counterproductive.
EpisodeThe Coddling Of The American Mind
PodcastIf Books Could Kill
The hosts discuss "The Coddling of the American Mind" with its authors, Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt, and examine the idea of promoting the exposure of students to uncomfortable, opposing ideas to develop healthy discourse and resistance.
13:31 - 19:42 (06:10)
Summary
The hosts discuss "The Coddling of the American Mind" with its authors, Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt, and examine the idea of promoting the exposure of students to uncomfortable, opposing ideas to develop healthy discourse and resistance.
EpisodeThe Coddling Of The American Mind
PodcastIf Books Could Kill
The speaker discusses the disinviting of speakers on college campuses and the difference between a random person versus a prestigious speaker being invited.
19:42 - 26:37 (06:55)
Summary
The speaker discusses the disinviting of speakers on college campuses and the difference between a random person versus a prestigious speaker being invited. The mismatch between left-wing and right-wing disinvitations is attributed to media coverage.
EpisodeThe Coddling Of The American Mind
PodcastIf Books Could Kill
The chapter explores the dangers of tribal thinking and group polarization, but lacks data to support assumptions about the younger generation.
26:37 - 31:29 (04:51)
Summary
The chapter explores the dangers of tribal thinking and group polarization, but lacks data to support assumptions about the younger generation. It conflates identity politics with mobilizing one group against another, ignoring the historical context of the civil rights movement.
EpisodeThe Coddling Of The American Mind
PodcastIf Books Could Kill
A recent study found that only 2% of college students are willing to disrupt a guest speaker event with noise, and just 1% are willing to use violent action, contradicting the right's claim that left-wing students are violent.
31:29 - 38:40 (07:11)
Summary
A recent study found that only 2% of college students are willing to disrupt a guest speaker event with noise, and just 1% are willing to use violent action, contradicting the right's claim that left-wing students are violent. The instances of violence mentioned by the author were caused by outside groups, not students themselves, making the characterization of violence reflective of student ideologies dishonest.
EpisodeThe Coddling Of The American Mind
PodcastIf Books Could Kill
This episode of "Behind the Bastards" talks about Amy Wax's history of controversial opinions, such as claiming that the birth control pill contributed to social decline and touting the superiority of Anglo Protestant culture, and how she has been condemned by students, alumni, and Penn Law faculty for her statements.
38:41 - 43:04 (04:23)
Summary
This episode of "Behind the Bastards" talks about Amy Wax's history of controversial opinions, such as claiming that the birth control pill contributed to social decline and touting the superiority of Anglo Protestant culture, and how she has been condemned by students, alumni, and Penn Law faculty for her statements.
EpisodeThe Coddling Of The American Mind
PodcastIf Books Could Kill
This episode discusses Bret Weinstein's controversial statements about race, including his criticism of a proposal to invert a campus tradition, and his claims about the performance of black students in his classes, which were later found to be false by the college's dean.
43:05 - 48:40 (05:35)
Summary
This episode discusses Bret Weinstein's controversial statements about race, including his criticism of a proposal to invert a campus tradition, and his claims about the performance of black students in his classes, which were later found to be false by the college's dean.
EpisodeThe Coddling Of The American Mind
PodcastIf Books Could Kill
The left is trying to press speech that it does not like on campus.
48:40 - 53:07 (04:27)
Summary
The left is trying to press speech that it does not like on campus.
EpisodeThe Coddling Of The American Mind
PodcastIf Books Could Kill
The authors of "The Coddling of the American Mind" complain about social justice initiatives and encourage the raising of wiser children through practical and conceptual principles.
53:08 - 59:17 (06:09)
Summary
The authors of "The Coddling of the American Mind" complain about social justice initiatives and encourage the raising of wiser children through practical and conceptual principles. However, their arguments seem to rely more on anecdotes than data.
EpisodeThe Coddling Of The American Mind
PodcastIf Books Could Kill
The older generation tends to complain about the behavior of the younger generation, but in reality, they are just seeing a reflection of their own past mistakes and the wisdom they have gained as they have aged.
59:17 - 1:00:52 (01:35)
Summary
The older generation tends to complain about the behavior of the younger generation, but in reality, they are just seeing a reflection of their own past mistakes and the wisdom they have gained as they have aged.