The Coddling of the American Mind

Academicians Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt argue that parents and schools overprotect kids by trying to shield them from emotional distress. They find that colleges institutionalize intolerance by penalizing students, staff and faculty for speech someone deems offensive, even if the offense is inadvertent. The internet generation of students dominates today’s colleges, and the media sums them up as victims of overprotection and depression. These essays (written pre-pandemic) draw intriguing – if controversial – conclusions about stifling speech on campus and the hazards of overprotecting upcoming generations.