Summarised by Centrist
Investigative journalist John Stossel’s latest piece covers the recently released documentary The Coddling of the American Mind. It examines how many US colleges have shifted from teaching critical thinking to promoting censorship and victimhood.
Through the experiences of students like Kimi Katiti and Lucy Kross, Stossel uncovers the harm caused by these ideologies, which often leave young people anxious and unhappy.
Katiti, a former student at the Art Institutes of California, recalls being introduced to the concept of microaggressions, which encouraged her to interpret everyday interactions, such as a barking dog, as acts of racism. “I began to see myself through the lens of black and a woman… it was making me miserable,” she admitted.
At Stanford, Kross found herself adopting “woke” language like “intersectional” and “hegemonic” to fit in socially. “People just kind of smiled a little bit more,” she noted, though the lifestyle ultimately left her disillusioned and unhappy.
Stossel also explores the rise of campus censorship, where conservative figures like Ben Shapiro are branded as harmful and targeted by protests.
Administrators, he argues, encourage fragility by teaching students that words can cause lasting harm. Greg Lukianoff, co-author of The Coddling of the American Mind, observes that such practices promote cognitive distortions that therapists aim to cure.
Turning points came when students began questioning these narratives. Katiti’s visit to a conservative neighbourhood shattered her fears of prejudice, leading her to realise, “I was the one inflicting pain on myself.” Kross, meanwhile, discovered black scholars who challenged campus orthodoxy, opening her mind to new perspectives.
