Summary Of 'The Coddling Of The American Mind'

The article, “The Coddling of the American Mind” is written by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt and published on the website www.theatlantic.com. In the article, the authors discuss the increasing popularity of political correctness in the classroom. It is very easy to tell that the authors are against the heavy usage of trigger warnings. Based on the authors backgrounds and the nature of the website, it can be determined that this is a credible source of information. The main aim of the article is to expose how political correctness is harmful to our education system. The article argues that while some trigger warnings should be necessary, such as things that may trigger major emotional response, minor issues of political correctness should not be considered trigger warnings. These issues include microaggressions (small phrases or actions that have no malicious meaning but still get mistaken for insults) such as “Where were you born?” These minor trigger warnings are harmful to students in the long run because it restricts the scope of learning and poorly prepares students for the real world. The authors …show more content…
The article aims at informing anyone and everyone that over dramatizing microaggressions poses serious consequences. Throughout the article, the authors focus on the effects of microaggressions while showing regret towards what they have resulted in. In the article, the authors also point out flaws in the education system while questioning the reader if this is really what they think is best for our society. Phrases such as “What are the effects of this new protectiveness on the students themselves? “ and “Does it benefit the people it is supposed to help?” (Greg and Jonathan) really ask the reader to evaluate the situation presented and form their own opinions on the topic instead of blatantly stating the authors view and why it is the correct