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This is a good time to recommend some supplementary reading: The Coddling of the American Mind[1], a book that does a great job of outlining what has changed in

This is a good time to recommend some supplementary reading: The Coddling of the American Mind[1], a book that does a great job of outlining what has changed in the last 30 years and why there is very much a generational gap at play with how people perceive themselves. It turns out, raising kids in an environment of "safetyism" where nothing ever goes wrong makes full-grown adults really unresilient, and more prone to thinking of themselves as victims. [1] https://www.amazon.com/Coddling-American-Mind-Intentions-Generation/dp/0735224897 https://www.amazon.com/Coddling-American-Mind-Intentions-Gen...

zwieback 5y ago
I really like their original The Atlantic article of the same name (https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/09/the-coddling-of-the-american-mind/399356/ https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/09/the-cod...) but was disappointed by the book, too much repetition and filler material. Still worth a look, though, and the situation has not gotten better in the last 5 years.
- spaetzleesser 5y ago
  “ too much repetition and filler material” That describes a lot of popular business, psychology and science books. I don’t really understand why authors feel pressure to fill hundreds of pages. A lot of books would be much better if they got to the point in 50 pages.
- emmelaich 5y ago
  https://archive.is/rgv6L https://archive.is/rgv6L (as updated 2019, though I don't know if there are any differences, significant or not)
mhoad 5y ago
I’ve not read the book but the first thing that came to mind was how does this explain the boomers? If I am understanding the premise correctly it’s implying there’s some meaningful distinction across generational lines about mental resilience? The last five years have made that abundantly clear that premise would have some real flaws in it.
- arp242 5y ago
  Even before that; the religious right has been posing themselves as victims for decades. Bill O'Reily started talking about "you're no longer allowed to say 'Merry Christmas'" in the earlier '00s, which aside from being nonsense, is also a good example of their supposed victimhood.
  - armenarmen 5y ago
    You can totally take it the other way too. A group of people felt they were being victimized by having Christian seasonal greetings directed at them and went on a campaign to make that behavior be seen as uncouth.
    - arp242 5y ago
      Except that didn't happen.
      - armenarmen 5y ago
        Who were the people that put forward the “say happy holidays not merry Christmas” issue? Or was the issue invented (and lost) by conservative talking heads?
        tstrimple 5y ago
        Mostly the latter. Happy Holidays isn't about excluding Christmas and Christians. It's acknowledging that there are multiple religious celebrations in similar spirit going on around the same time. I'm not sure why so many people feel like more inclusive language somehow is meant to exclude them. Some more history on the usage. https://www.history.com/news/the-war-of-words-behind-happy-holidays https://www.history.com/news/the-war-of-words-behind-happy-h...
        Rerarom 5y ago
        I live in a 90% Christian country and everyone says "Happy Holidays" and it doesn't have anything to do with religious tolerance but rather with the fact that there are multiple Christian holidays around Christmas time.
nverno 5y ago
I liked this book as well. Going into it, I was pretty baffled by some of the recent stories I'd heard from academia- Evergreen and the like. This book makes a compelling case that the post 2013 or so era of college kids are victims to a certain degree (new psychological problems and whatnot), or at least provides substantial evidence that they are suffering from various psychological issues to greater extent than previous generations. This book helped me emphasize better with some of the college debacles that seem batshit crazy to me.
burade 5y ago
These types of books are made to sell, bro, not to be completely truthful. You got duped.

zwieback 5y ago

I really like their original The Atlantic article of the same name (https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/09/the-coddling-of-the-american-mind/399356/ https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/09/the-cod...) but was disappointed by the book, too much repetition and filler material. Still worth a look, though, and the situation has not gotten better in the last 5 years.

spaetzleesser 5y ago
“ too much repetition and filler material” That describes a lot of popular business, psychology and science books. I don’t really understand why authors feel pressure to fill hundreds of pages. A lot of books would be much better if they got to the point in 50 pages.
emmelaich 5y ago
https://archive.is/rgv6L https://archive.is/rgv6L (as updated 2019, though I don't know if there are any differences, significant or not)

mhoad 5y ago

I’ve not read the book but the first thing that came to mind was how does this explain the boomers? If I am understanding the premise correctly it’s implying there’s some meaningful distinction across generational lines about mental resilience? The last five years have made that abundantly clear that premise would have some real flaws in it.

arp242 5y ago
Even before that; the religious right has been posing themselves as victims for decades. Bill O'Reily started talking about "you're no longer allowed to say 'Merry Christmas'" in the earlier '00s, which aside from being nonsense, is also a good example of their supposed victimhood.
- armenarmen 5y ago
  You can totally take it the other way too. A group of people felt they were being victimized by having Christian seasonal greetings directed at them and went on a campaign to make that behavior be seen as uncouth.
  - arp242 5y ago
    Except that didn't happen.
    - armenarmen 5y ago
      Who were the people that put forward the “say happy holidays not merry Christmas” issue? Or was the issue invented (and lost) by conservative talking heads?
      - tstrimple 5y ago
        Mostly the latter. Happy Holidays isn't about excluding Christmas and Christians. It's acknowledging that there are multiple religious celebrations in similar spirit going on around the same time. I'm not sure why so many people feel like more inclusive language somehow is meant to exclude them. Some more history on the usage. https://www.history.com/news/the-war-of-words-behind-happy-holidays https://www.history.com/news/the-war-of-words-behind-happy-h...
        Rerarom 5y ago
        I live in a 90% Christian country and everyone says "Happy Holidays" and it doesn't have anything to do with religious tolerance but rather with the fact that there are multiple Christian holidays around Christmas time.

nverno 5y ago

I liked this book as well. Going into it, I was pretty baffled by some of the recent stories I'd heard from academia- Evergreen and the like. This book makes a compelling case that the post 2013 or so era of college kids are victims to a certain degree (new psychological problems and whatnot), or at least provides substantial evidence that they are suffering from various psychological issues to greater extent than previous generations. This book helped me emphasize better with some of the college debacles that seem batshit crazy to me.

burade 5y ago

These types of books are made to sell, bro, not to be completely truthful. You got duped.