Kevin Mo - Week 7

Kevin Mo

Section A02

Week 7

“Berkeley Free Speech Movement: Paving the way for campus activism” by Robby Cohen and “The Coddling of the American Mind” by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt present a troubling dichotomy of the future of academia in young adults. In one hand, Cohen seems to empower people to stand up for their personal rights if they want change whereas Lukianoff and Haidt reinforced student awareness for mental health. Both articles relate to the systemic issue of political correctness in university campuses today. Before I came to college, I had only experienced this level of PC on Reddit, an internet humor site, where they made fun of people who overly enforced being politically correct. My first time on a college campus was during orientation, and it was a huge shock to me. Every lecture and presentation had multiple instances of politically correct inclusiveness. I was taken aback on how much progress multiple minorities have made to make themselves included in all aspects of society. For some reason, I was both impressed and irritated that society has to be all inclusive. I was glad that people that want the attention get it, but at some point, when do you wonder if sometimes it’s too much?

Question: Is being all inclusive worth it if it means unnecessarily intruding into everyday life?

References:

1. Cohen, R. (1985). Berkeley Free Speech Movement: Paving the Way for Campus Activism. OAH Magazine of History. Retrieved November 4, 2017.
2. Lukianoff, G., & Haidt, J. (2015). “The Codding of the American Mind.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company. Retrived November 4, 2017.
3. Gender Neutral Pronouns. www.gopusa.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/gender_neutral_pronouns.jpg. Accessed 5 Nov. 2017.