>>> A COLLECTIVE OF NONPARTISAN EDUCATORS WHO ARE CONCERNED
ABOUT WHAT’S HAPPENING IN HIGHER
LEARNING TODAY.
LEARNING TODAY. >> I JUST RECEIVED A CALL FROM
SECRETARY CLINTON.
SECRETARY CLINTON. >> THEN CAME THE 2016 ELECTIONS.
POLARIZATION SPREAD.
POLARIZATION SPREAD. I READ HIS BOOK AND WANTED TO
HEAR MORE.
HEAR MORE. SO I SPOKE WITH JONATHAN AT THE
ANNUAL ACADEMY CONFERENCE IN NEW
YORK CITY.
YORK CITY. I AM SO EXCITED TO BE HERE
CHATTING WITH YOU AT THE ACADEMY
CONFERENCE.
CONFERENCE. WHAT KIND OF A DISTANCE ARE THE
PEOPLE HERE AT THIS CONFERENCE
NEEDING ON THEIR COLLEGE
CAMPUSES?
CAMPUSES? >> THERE’S A LOT OF ATTENTION IN
THE NEWS MEDIA TO SHOUTDOWNS AND
PROTESTS.
PROTESTS. THAT’S JUST THE TIP OF THE
ICEBERG.
ICEBERG. IF A VISITING SPEAKER COMES TO
CAMPUS THEY MIGHT BE SHOUTED
DOWN.
DOWN. THE REAL THING THAT IS AFFECTING
US IS THE SELF-CENSORSHIP
BECAUSE OF THE SOCIAL COST.
THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS IN A
SOCIETY WHEN CERTAIN IDEAS
ATTAIN THE STATUS OF ORTHODOXY.
PEOPLE WHO QUESTION THEM WILL BE
SHAMED, SHUNNED AND EXCLUDED.
IF WE’RE TALKING ABOUT ANYTHING
CONTROVERSIAL IN CLASS, PEOPLE
ARE AFRAID IF THEY QUESTION THE
DOMINANT IDEA ABOUT GENDER OR
GENDER DIFFERENCES OR
IMMIGRATION OR MINIMUM WAGE OR
ANYTHING, SOMEONE WILL SAY NOT
OH YOU’RE WRONG, BUT OH YOU’RE A
BAD PERSON OR THAT’S RACIST OR
SEXIST OR HOMOPHOBIC.
SO THE STUDENTS ARE MORE AFRAID.
EVERYONE’S SCARED TO CHALLENGE.
WHY BOTHER COMING TO UNIVERSITY?
THE CREDIT GOES TO MY COAUTHOR.
HE’S THE PRESIDENT OF THE
FOUNDATION OF INDIVIDUALS RIGHTS
AND EDUCATION.
AND EDUCATION. HE’S THE ONE WHO FIRST DIAGNOSED
WHAT WAS HAPPENING.
HE SAID WHAT’S GOING ON, HOW ARE
COLLEGES TEACHING STUDENTS TO DO
KA TASCATASTROPHE
KA TASCATASTROPHE CATASTROPHIZING.
CATASTROPHIZING. >> THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO FEEL
THAT THE ISSUE IS OVERBLOWN.
THEY FEEL THERE IS NO FREE
SPEECH ISSUE ON COLLEGE
CAMPUSES.
CAMPUSES. WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO THOSE
PEOPLE?
PEOPLE? >> A POLITICAL SCIENCE PROFESSOR
IN CANADA JEFF SACKS ARGUED IT’S
NOT MOST STUDENTS, IT’S NOT MOST
CAMPUSES.
CAMPUSES. HE WAS RIGHT.
THERE ARE 4700 SCHOOLS IN THE
UNITED STATES.
UNITED STATES. THEY’RE NOT VERY POLITICAL.
THE STUDENTS ARE THERE TO GET AN
EDUCATION.
EDUCATION. THEY’RE NOT OUT PROTESTING.
SO AT MOST SCHOOLS THIS STUFF IS
NOT HAPPENING.
NOT HAPPENING. WHAT IS HAPPENING EVERYWHERE IS
A MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS.
WE CAN COME BACK TO THAT.
THE SHOUTDOWNS, THE SHAMING IS
NOT AT MOST SCHOOLS BUT IT IS AT
MOST ELITE SCHOOLS.
I’VE GONE AROUND THE COUNTRY.
AT ELITE SCHOOLS I DESCRIBE
CALL-OUT CULTURE AND I ASK FOR A
SHOW OF HANDS.
YOU GET LARGE NUMBERS SAYING,
YES, THIS IS THE CULTURE HERE.
THE WAY TO RESPOND IS IT’S NOT
EVERYWHERE.
EVERYWHERE. IT’S NOT A NATIONAL CRISIS.
BUT IT IS A SEVERE PROBLEM AT
MANY OF OUR MOST IMPORTANT
SCHOOLS.
SCHOOLS. STUDENTS ROUTINELY SAY THEY’RE
AFRAID TO SPEAK UP.
IF YOU KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE
SELF-CENSORSHIP RATHER THAN THE
SHOUTDOWN, THEN I THINK IT IS A
CRISIS.
CRISIS. >> THE CONCEPT OF SAFE SPACES
AND TRIGGER WARNINGS.
YOU ACTUALLY SAY THESE CONCEPTS
ARE NOT GROUNDED IN
PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH.
PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH. WHY?
WHY? >> SAFE SPACES AND TRIGGER
WARNINGS MAKE A LOT OF SENSE IF
YOU DON’T REALLY KNOW MUCH ABOUT
PSYCHOLOGY.
PSYCHOLOGY. IF YOU HAVE THE IDEA THAT
STUDENTS ARE FRAGILE, THAT A LOT
HAVE SUFFERED TRAUMA, THIS IS
CERTAINLY TRUE.
CERTAINLY TRUE. AND IF PEOPLE HAVE SUFFERED
TRAUMA, WE NEED TO PROTECT THEM
FROM REMINDERS OF THE TRAUMA.
THAT SOUNDS RIGHT, BUT IT’S NOT.
THE BASIC LOGIC OF FEAR IS
PAVLOVIAN.
PAVLOVIAN. IF A PERSON HAS EXPERIENCED
TRAUMA, YOU DON’T WANT TO
RETRAUMATIZE THEM.
RETRAUMATIZE THEM. BUT THE WAY YOU GET OVER IT IS
BY BEING EXPOSED TO REMINDERS
THAT ARE NOT FOLLOWED BY A BAD
OUTCOME.
OUTCOME. COLLEGE IS A GREAT PLACE TO GET
OVER THESE FEARS.
THE WORST THING WE CAN DO IN
COLLEGE IS TO CONTINUE THE
MASSIVE OVERPROTECTION AND
THAT’S WHAT WE’RE DOING.
>> LET’S DIG INTO YOUR BOOK THE
CODDLING OF THE AMERICAN MIND.
YOU DIAGNOSIS THIS CULTURE
STARTING WITH THREE UNTRUTHS.
WHAT ARE THEY?
>> THE FIRST IS WHAT DOESN’T
KILL ME MAKES ME WEAKER.
HUMAN BEINGS ARE ANTI-FRAGILE.
KIDS NEED STRESS.
THEY NEED CHALLENGES.
THEY NEED CONFLICTS.
THEY NEED TO BE TEASED, EXCLUDED
NOT LOTS OF TIMES BUT SOMETIMES
IN ORDER TO LEARN HOW TO DEAL
WITH IT.
WITH IT. THE SECOND GREAT UNTRUTH IS
ALWAYS TRUST YOUR FEELINGS.
IF I SAY SOMETHING BECAUSE THIS
IS MY EXPERIENCE, THAT’S A FACT,
YOU CANNOT CHALLENGE IT.
THIS IS ANT THET CAL TO TEACHING
CRITICAL THINKING.
CRITICAL THINKING. THE MOST DANGEROUS OF ALL IS THE
THIRD ONE, LIFE IS A BATTLE
BETWEEN GOOD PEOPLE AND EVIL
PEOPLE.
PEOPLE. THIS IS THE BASIC LOGIC OF
TRIBALISM.
TRIBALISM. IF YOU WANT TO BUILD A DIVERSE
SOCIETY, PEOPLE HAVE TO LEARN TO
GIVE EACH OVER THE BENEFIT OF
THE DOUBT, NOT JUMP TO THE WORST
POSSIBLE REASONING.
POSSIBLE REASONING. >> ONE THING I THINK IS
CHALLENGING THAT I’M HEARING
FROM PEOPLE OF COLOR IS THEY
FEEL WHEN THEY HAVE BEEN
OPPRESSED FOR SO LONG AND
THEY’VE HAD TO ENDURE SO MUCH.,
IT’S DIFFICULT TO BREAK OUT OF
THAT THINKING.
THAT THINKING. >> I DO UNDERSTAND THAT.
THAT IS SOMETHING AS EVERY
INSTITUTION IS BECOMING MORE
DIVERSIFIED AND TRYING TO BE
MORE WELCOMING, WE CERTAINLY
HAVE TO THINK THROUGH ALL THOSE
ISSUES AND WE HAVE TO WELCOME
INPUT FROM BLACK STUDENTS, GAY
STUDENTS.
STUDENTS. FOR EXAMPLE, IF FRAT BROTHERS
WANT TO SING A SONG WITH THE "N"
WORD IN IT, YOU CAN CLAIM THE
FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHT TO FREE
SPEECH BUT WE STILL SHOULD BE
ABLE TO EXPEL YOU FROM A
UNIVERSITY.
UNIVERSITY. WE HAVE TO THINK THROUGH ALL
THESE ISSUES BUT WE HAVE TO
FOCUS ON INTENT.
THIS IS A PARTICULAR MOVE THAT’S
MADE BY SOME ACTIVISTS.
THEY SPECIFICALLY SAY, WE COVER
IT IN THE BOOK, IT’S NOT INTENT,
IT’S IMPACT.
IT’S IMPACT. IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT YOU
MEANT, ALL THAT MATTERS IS HOW I
FELT.
FELT. IF THAT’S THE CASE, EVERYONE HAS
TO WALK ON EGGSHELLS.
WE’VE ALL AGREED IT DOESN’T
MATTER WHAT YOU MEANT.
IT DOESN’T MATTER IF YOU’RE
TRYING TO BE HELPFUL.
ALL THAT MATTERS IS I WAS
OFFENDED AND WE HAVE A BUR
BUREAUCRATIC PROCEDURE FOR
PUNISHING YOU.
PUNISHING YOU. THE FIRST IS YOU HAVE TO SOMEHOW
CULTIVATE MORAL HUMILITY WHICH
IS TOUGH TO DO.
SIMPLE THINGS LIKE START PI
ACKNOWLEDGING THAT THE PERSON ON
THE OTHER SIDE IS RIGHT ABOUT
SOMETHING.
SOMETHING. IT CAN BE A LITTLE TINY THING
BUT A LITTLE BIT OF
ACKNOWLEDGMENT AND YOU’VE
CHANGED THIS PERSON’S
PSYCHOLOGY.
PSYCHOLOGY. THEN THE CONVERSATION GOES SO
MUCH BETTER.
MUCH BETTER. THAT’S ONE.
THAT’S ONE. TWO IS WE’VE GOT TO GET A HANDLE
ON SOCIAL MEDIA, BY WHICH I MEAN
I THINK EVERYBODY SPENT A LOT
LESS TIME ON SOCIAL MEDIA.
SOCIAL MEDIA BRINGS OUT THE
WORST IN US.
IT SUCKS US IN TO PETTY
SQUABBLES OF US VERSUS THEM.
WASTES HUGE AMOUNTS OF TIME.
AGAIN, IT’S ALMOST PERFECTLY
DESIGNED LIKE A VIRUS TO GO
INSIDE AND ACTIVATE THIS ANCIENT
TRIBAL PROGRAMMING.
TRIBAL PROGRAMMING. STAY OFF SOCIAL MEDIA AS MUCH AS
YOU CAN.
YOU CAN. AND THOSE WOULD BE MY MAIN
PIECES OF ADVICE.