Literature Review #4: Unlearning Liberty: Campus Censorship and the End of the American Debate

Unlearning Liberty:  Campus Censorship and the End of the American Debate
Greg Lukianoff

Citation: Lukianoff, Greg.  Unlearning Liberty:  Campus Censorship and the End of the American Debate  New York, NY: Encounter Books, 2014.  Print.

Key Terms and Ideas: First Amendment, liberty, free speech, censorship, college campuses, 

Summary:
Lukianoff is a self-proclaimed hippie and liberal Democrat who takes on the task of fighting against the suppression of free speech on college campuses.  It is unique that Lukianoff is the president of FIRE (the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education) since, as he states in the introduction to his book, those who take on this issue are typically conservatives, perhaps because, "you are far more likely to get in trouble on campus for opposing, for example, affirmative action, gay marriage, and abortion rights than you are for supporting them" (5).
Lukianoff begins by explaining the importance of free speech for maintaining a peaceful, prosperous society.  He admits that "the road to censorship is always paved with good intentions,"  but draws on classic philosophical text, case study examples, and empirical evidence to demonstrate why censorship of even "wrong" ideas only causes more problems (28).   

Quotes: 
"Most campuses still cling to speech codes and other restrictions on expression that violate First Amendment principles, seemingly without understanding that these policies not only chill speech but also teach students that an open exchange of ideas might not really be such a good thing...creating the impression that freedom of speech is somehow the enemy of social progress...encouraging the human tendency to live within our own echo chambers. (5)"

"The mind rebels at the thought it might be wrong, and overcoming this natural defensive resistance requires constant, rigorous practice in challenging our opinions by leaving our comfort zones.  Higher education is supposed to serve this function, but omnipresent speech codes and punishment of controversial viewpoints do the opposite...colleges are holding back their students' intellectual development. (11)"

"I cannot emphasize enough the importance of comedy, satire, and parody to the whole process of experimenting with ideas (26)."

Literature Review #3: The Narcissism Epidemic

The Narcissism Epidemic:  Living in the Age of Entitlement
Jean M. Twenge, PhD
W. Keith Campbell, PhD

Citation: Twenge, Jean M. and W. Keith Campbell.  The Narcissism Epidemic:  Living in the Age of Entitlement.  New York, NY: Atria Books, 2013.  Print.

Key Terms and Ideas: self-admiration, the self in general, uniqueness, parenting and education, entitlement, "I want to make a difference"

Summary:
Another book by Twenge, this time co-authored with her husband, Keith Campbell, The Narcissism Epidemic reveals through a wealth of empirical data the suspicion that many hold: namely, that a highly narcissistic culture has developed in the U.S. from the 1970's onward, reaching new heights as the Millennial Generation comes to age.  This book illustrates the development of the trend toward narcissism, beginning with the (then communal) trends of self-exploration and subsequently self-expression originating in the 1970's.  These concepts developed into narcissism slowly but with graceful ease granted by the stability of the economy through the 1990's, Twenge and Campbell argue.  Furthermore, Twenge and Campbell demonstrate the consequences of narcissism and make suggests to combat the epidemic. 

Quotes: 
"In data from 37,000 college students, narcissistic personality traits rose just as fast as obesity from the 1980's to the present, with the shift especially pronounced for women... By 2006, 1 out of 4 college students agreed with the majority of the items on a standard measure of narcissistic traits.  Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD), the more severe, clinical diagnosed version of the trait, is also far more common than once thought. (2)"

"Behavior and attitudes that don't go far enough to merit a clinical diagnosis but that can nevertheless be destructive to the individual and other people (3)."

"...with more than 80% of recent college students scoring higher in general self-esteem than the average 1960's college student (13)."

"Narcissus becomes frozen by his self-admiration and unable to connect with anyone outside himself-and his narcissism harms other people (18-19)."

"The narcissist spends his or her life regulating his or her social relationships in order to maximize self-admiration.  When it works, the narcissist feels a rush of esteem and pride; when it fails, narcissist reacts with anger, blame, and sometimes rage. (19)"

"One story is about the high level of narcissism among individuals.  The other story is about a shift in our shared cultural values toward greater narcissism and self-admiration. (23)"

"America's two major core values have been freedom and equality (58)."

"This study and the words of the Constitution both show that equality and tolerance are the core ideas of American government, not self-admiration (59)."

"The United States has also historically valued self-reliance, which is quite different from narcissism...Ralph Waldo Emerson argued that individualism must be grounded in effort and responsibility.  he praised young people who chose to work hard rather than show off.  (59)"

"Many of the protests of the [1960's] era focused on individual rights and liberties, though these movements were at first very group-oriented... (60)."

"More modern behavioral theories argue that narcissism instead arises from inflated feedback-if you're told over and over that you are great, you'll probably think you are great (80)."  

"...a link between narcissism and parents putting kids on a pedestal-praising them for everything and rarely criticizing...where kids get sports trophies just for participating (83)."

"'everyone is a unique snowflake (190).'"

"...people who believe they are special often want to be the exception to the rule, which is usually unfair to everyone else (191)."

"...teenagers who have a 'personal fable' of uniqueness believe that no one understands them...[and] are significantly more likely to be depressed and to think about suicide. (192)"

"'The disappointments came later, because we realized that life itself did not treat us "special (192)."'"

"...narcissism is a significant risk factor or aggressive and violent behavior...often when they feel they aren't getting the respect they deserve...when someone tries to restrict their freedom. (196)"

"In another study, preteen children with high self-esteem justified their aggression toward others by rationalizing it away (197)."

"There is the assumption that 'my opinion matters' yet at the same time, the stubborn insistence that other people's opinions are wrong or irrelevant... (202)."

"...entitlement, the pervasive belief that one deserves special treatment, success, and more material things.  Entitlement is one of the key components of narcissism, and one of the most damaging to others...entitlement is like a ghost, difficult to see in solid form, but increasingly wafting its cold, cloudy fingers into everything. (230)"

"As a facet of narcissism, entitlement means acting as if you have a title-or a right-to something even when you don't (231)."

"College professors often comment that today's students feel they deserve special treatment (231)."

"...narcissism as part of a troubling trend away from personal responsibility (292)."

"...love emphasizes connection, but specialness emphasizes difference.  People who truly think they are special have trouble with connecting to 'normal' people, likewise 'normal' people have problems connecting to 'special' people.  (293)"  [labels and identities as a form of 'specialness'- connected to the minority school programs illustrated in Twenge's previous book]

Research Blog #5: Working Bibliography

Working Bibliography

Biryukou, Nikita. “Milo Yiannopoulos Speaks About Free Speech at Rutgers.” The Daily
Targum, 10 Feb. 2016. Web. 9 March 2016.

Bokhari, Allum. “Fake Blood and War Chants: Milo Yiannopoulos Event at Rutgers Disrupted
by Feminists, Black Lives Matter Activists.” Brietbart, 18 Feb. 2016. Web. 9 March 2016.

Bokhari, Allum. “Rutgers Students Hold Group Therapy Session After Milo Yiannopoulos
Visit.” Breitbart, 10 Feb. 2016. Web. 9 March 2016.

Brummelman, Eddie, Sander Thomaes, Stefanie A. Nelemans, Bram Orobio de Castro, Geetjan Overbeek, and Brad J. Bushman. “Origins of Narcissism in Children.” Proceedings of 
the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 112(12), 24 March 2015: 3659-3662.

Lukianoff, Greg. Unlearning Liberty: Campus Censorship and the End of American Debate.
New York, NY: Encounter Books, 2014. Print.

 
Lukianoff, Greg and Jonathan Haidt. “The Coddling of the American Mind.” The Atlantic,
Sept. 2015. Web. 9 March 2016.

Langford, Catherine L. “Consumer Student or Citizen Student? The Clash of Campus Speech
Codes and Free Speech Zones.” Free Speech Yearbook, 43 (2006): 93-105. Web. 6
March 2016.

Robbins, Susan P.  "From the Editor-Sticks and Stones:  Trigger Warnings, Microaggressions, and Political Correctness."   Journal of Social Work Education, 52.1, 1-5.  Web.  8 March 2016.

Twenge, Jean M.  Generation Me - Revised and Updated: Why Today's Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled--and More Miserable Than Ever Before.  New York, NY: Atria Books, 2014.  Print.

Twenge, Jean M. and W. Keith Campbell.  The Narcissism Epidemic:  Living in the Age of Entitlement.  New York, NY: Atria Books, 2009.  Print.

Zoppo, Acalon. “Rutgers Students Protest Journalist Milo Yiannopoulos’s Visit to Campus.”
The Daily Targum, 9 Feb. 2016. Web. 9 March 2016.

Literature Review #2: Generation Me

Generation Me  Jean M. Twenge, PhD.

Citation: Twenge, Jean M.  Generation Me- Revised and Updates:  Why Today's Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled--and More Miserable Than Ever Before.  New York, NY: Atria Books, 2014.  Print.


Key Terms and Ideas:  Generation Me (Millennials), individualism, self-esteem (being taught in schools), narcissism, egalitarianism, cynicism, external locus-of-control, victim mentality


Summary:  Twenge's book is a thorough analysis of the Millennial/Me Generation, born between 1982 and 1999, in which she draws on empirical data from more than 30 studies that survey more than 11 million Americans.  Her analysis is unique in that she utilizes comparisons of people at the same age in the preceding generations.  She also shows how the preceding generations have influenced the development of these particular traits in Generation Me.  Throughout the book, Twenge pulls in anecdotal evidence and isolated incidents to illustrate the raw data through real life examples.
  
Perhaps the most important defining trait of Generation Me is individualism.  Twenge describes how individualism began to take hold of American culture during the Baby Boomer Generation.  However, for Boomers, the discovery of the self and the pursuit of self-fulfillment was still achieved in a group setting-whether it was protesting or attending seminars.  Today, Millennials don't desire the approval of others, whether the others are the generations preceding them or our own peers.  Millennials are the ultimate anti-conformists.  We tend to disregard authority, live by the mantra "different is good," and even practice "moral individualism"- a phenomenon where the individual makes up their own, internal moral compass rather than relying on societal or another external set of moral rules.  In addition, Millennials have been taught by parents and the educational institutions in place that we are "important" and "special," and should follow our dreams, regardless of our actual performance.  In fact, schools have made a conscious attempt to shift the focus away from performance for fear of damaging students' self-esteem.  There has been an emphasis on promoting self-esteem that has backfired into the development of a generation with high rates of narcissism.  At the same time, our generation is seeing high rates of cynicism as we reach adulthood and come to realize that the real world does not give us success for just showing up and gracing the world with our presence.  This also leads into the development of victim mentality, as individuals externalize blame when they do not achieve success or things do not go their way.

There are some positive aspects to individualism that Twenge covers in her book.  Twenge definitely provides a balanced analysis by also recognizing the positive aspects of a shift toward individualism, such as a more egalitarian society where minorities and women have equal rights and the opportunity to pursue roles and careers that at one time were almost exclusively and systemically reserved for white males.  Twenge says that, "the feminist message for women is inextricably linked to the individualist message," (241).


Quotes:
"Generation Me had no need to reincarnate themselves; they were born into a world that already celebrated the individual (63)."

"By the mid-1990's, the average college man had higher self-esteem than 86% of college men in 1968 (67)."

"By 2008, the most frequent self-esteem score for college students was 40-the highest possible score and thus 'perfect' self-esteem (68)."

"Many school districts across the country have specific programs designed to increase children's self esteem, most of which seem to promote self-importance and narcissism (72)."

"As education professor Maureen Stout notes, many educational psychologists believe that schools should be 'places in which children are insulated from the outside world and emotionally-not intellectually-nourished...my colleagues always referred to the importance of making kids feel good about themselves but rarely, if ever spoke of achievement, ideals, goals, character, or decency' (83)."

"Egalitarianism and empathy are two different things (103)."

"The perception that 'the rich just get richer while the poor get poorer' jumped from 65% in 2002 to 76% in 2012 (184)."

"First, there's the declining belief in personal responsibility and the efficacy of hard work and sacrifice... (185)."

"Gen Me'ers were significantly less likely to say they did anything to help the environment than Boomers and GenX'ers, across a wide variety of questions, even those asking about specific behaviors (188)."

"[voter turnout] has stayed about the same from one generation to the next (189)."

"People who believe that outside sources determine their fate are more likely to be depressed, anxious, and cope poorly with stress.  As we saw in the last chapter, GenMe displays record high levels of anxiety and depression. (202)."

"Having an internal feeling of control... is especially important for underprivileged children (202)."

"In fact, blacks' self-esteem is higher than that of any other racial or ethnic group (233)."

"Recall that Asian Americans have the lowest self-esteem but the best academic performance.  The lesson there is not that low self-esteem leads to success-it's that hard work and self-control, heavily emphasized in Asian culture, do. (314)"

Research Proposal

Working Title:

The Rise of the Repressive Left: 

How College-Age Millennials Have Confused Narcissistic Individualism with Progressive Social Change

Topic:

“Micro-aggressions,” “trigger warnings,” and “safe spaces” are buzzwords being thrown around college campuses across the nation by a student population of self-proclaimed social justice warriors. Recently these terms have garnered the interest and scrutiny of the general public through national headlines. Rutgers University itself was recently the interest of some controversy when a conservative group on campus invited Milo Yiannopoulos, an outspoken, conservative, gay journalist to hold a forum on the topic of free speech. The event was interrupted by a student protest that involved shouting and red face paint. The students claimed that Yiannopoulos’s speech was merely, “‘racism and sexism hidden behind the blanket of free speech’” (Biryukov). Many students reported they “‘broke[n] down crying’”, were “‘scared to walk around campus’”, and felt “‘scared, hurt…discriminated against,’” and generally “‘unsafe’” following the event (Bokhari). Some of the specific criticisms addressed by Yiannopoulos included that of trigger warnings, safe spaces, third-wave feminism, and the existence of rape culture on college campuses. He is also known for making controversial and, frankly, crude statements, such as this Tweet cited in an article written for the Daily Targum: “Feminists want to do away with gender pronouns in that they’re all so disgustingly fat no one can tell what sex they are anyway.” Nevertheless, what are we to make of the fact that the presence of controversy and alternate perspectives are enough to incite seemingly unbearable levels of anxiety for some students, and justify shutting down an individual or group’s ability to exercise their First Amendment right on campus?

My initial thoughts begged to question what role the concept of individualism has played in molding this segment of the Millennial generation into these displays of narrow-mindedness and self-victimization. Generally, individualism is associated with self-reliance and independence, but is it possible that Millennials have redefined individualism to be narcissistic and self-serving? Do their causes really promote progress in the realm of social justice, or do their actions promote regression? Are “trigger warnings” and “safe spaces” really promoting a form of progressive liberalism and civic-minded behavior, or are implicit (and perhaps unconscious) self-serving ambitions underlying these themes? Milo Yiannopoulos himself made a valid point in noting that, “Offensive speech is what gave women the right to vote. Offensive speech is what Martin Luther King Jr. was doing. Offensive free speech got gay marriage. Standing up to the establishment and saying 'fuck you guys' has been the primary engine of progressive progress for decades.” In other words, offensive free speech is the gateway to progressive social change, so why is it being limited? It is certainly debatable whether calling feminists ‘fat’ will promote any social progress, nonetheless, it is concerning that the doors for any and all open discourse are slowly being closed for fear of hurt feelings.


Research Questions: Does the concept of individualism or narcissism play into the rise of shutting down free speech on college campuses? If so, how and why?

Theoretical Framework:
The protests of the previous Liberal generations constituted dismantling segregation, ending war, and providing women with equal rights. The current wave of college age Millennials grew up primarily in the 90’s and early 00’s when technology created a wave of economic boom and the playing field for opportunity had already been leveled in contrast to past generations. With such a comparatively cushy social upbringing, perhaps Millennials deserve the title, “The Entitlement Generation.” Twenge’s book Generation Me- Revised and Updated: Why Today's Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled--and More Miserable Than Ever Before provides evidence to support the claim that today’s youth are more narcissistic than previous generations. According to Brummelman, et al., social learning theory can be applied to children to account for the development of narcissism. Specifically in their study, narcissism was predicted by parent overvaluation. Furthermore, I would like to see if I can apply this theory to the college administration/faculty and student relationship. Catherine L. Langford, in her essay, “Consumer Student or Citizen Student? The Clash of Campus Speech Codes and Free Speech Zones,” describes the rise of the student consumer mentality and the diminishment of the role colleges play in promoting civic-minded thought processes and behavior. I believe that the consumer mentality of administration plays into teaching students by socialization that their feelings are more important than open discussions.

Furthermore, I will utilize the theoretical framework provided by Twenge and Campbell's The Narcissism Epidemic which reveals how narcissism develops on a cultural and individual level. I will apply their theory directly to the instances of limiting free speech on campus.


Case Study:

I will be analyzing these theories by connecting them with the events that transpired around Milo Yiannopoulos’s kick-off to his “Dangerous Faggot” tour here at Rutgers University. This is a prime example of students pushing for the restriction of free speech on campus, and can be directly attributed to tendency for Millennial age college students to embody 'personal politics', which I will argue is rooted in narcissism.





Working Bibliography:

Biryukou, Nikita. “Milo Yiannopoulos Speaks About Free Speech at Rutgers.” The Daily Targum, 10 Feb. 2016. Web. 9 March 2016.

Bokhari, Allum. “Fake Blood and War Chants: Milo Yiannopoulos Event at Rutgers Disrupted by Feminists, Black Lives Matter Activists.” Breitbart, 18 Feb. 2016. Web. 9 March 2016.

Bokhari, Allum. “Rutgers Students Hold Group Therapy Session After Milo Yiannopoulos Visit.” Breitbart, 10 Feb. 2016. Web. 9 March 2016.

Brummelman, Eddie, Sander Thomaes, Stefanie A. Nelemans, Bram Orobio de Castro, Geetjan Overbeek, and Brad J. Bushman. “Origins of Narcissism in Children.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 112(12), 24 March 2015: 3659-3662.

Langford, Catherine L. “Consumer Student or Citizen Student? The Clash of Campus Speech Codes and Free Speech Zones.” Free Speech Yearbook, 43 (2006): 93-105. Web. 6 March 2016.

Lukianoff, Greg. Unlearning Liberty: Campus Censorship and the End of American Debate. New York, NY: Encounter Books, 2014. Print.

Lukianoff, Greg and Jonathan Haidt. “The Coddling of the American Mind.” The Atlantic, Sept. 2015. Web. 9 March 2016.

Robbins, Susan P. “From the Editor-Sticks and Stones: Trigger Warnings, Microaggressions, and Political Correctness.” Journal of Social Work Education, 52.1, 1-5. Web. 8 March 2016.

Twenge, Jean M. Generation Me - Revised and Updated: Why Today's Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled--and More Miserable Than Ever Before. New York, NY: Atria Books, 2014. Print.

Zoppo, Acalon. “Rutgers Students Protest Journalist Milo Yiannopoulos’s Visit to Campus.” The Daily Targum, 9 Feb. 2016. Web. 9 March 2016.

Privatization and Student Political Engagement

Privatization is closely linked with students' political engagement.  If it were not apparent already, the data in my first literature review determines the state of higher education to be one of the primarily political concerns of college students.  It's really no surprise since the consequences of privatization impact college students very directly.

Colligne's The Student Loan Scam: The Most Oppressive Debt in U.S. History- and How We Can Fight Back, describes the close-knit relationship between Sallie Mae and the government.  Due to privatization and crony-capitalistic tactics, Sallie Mae has been able to exponentially increase student loan interest rates while simultaneously eliminating their own risk in granting loans and guaranteeing their repayment through pushing shady legislation through Congress.  The fact that the government is in bed with these corporations is of direct concern for the students who are impacted.

This is perhaps the reason for the recent political push toward free college education from the Bernie Sanders campaign.  From what I can see, it seems to be resulting in an increasing number of students signing up to vote.

Literature Review #1: College Students and Politics: A Literature Review; Longo & Meyer

Citation:  Longo, Nicholas V. and Ross P. Meyer.  "College Students and Politics: A Literature Review."  CIRCLE 46 (May 2006): 1-20.  Print.


Key Terms and Ideas: political cynicism, individualism, civic engagement vs. community service, "Alternative Politics", alienation, systemic social change



Summary: 
       By the early 1990's a trend of declining political engagement was recognized in the college age demographic.  Longo and Meyer review and analyze research on college students' political participation that took place from the late 1990's to the early 2000's.  Their review reveals a slight increase in civic engagement, or at least a trend in increased community service, which they refer to as an "alternative politics."  Their review begins to scratch the surface in determining the political mentality of college age students of the Millennial generation.  While trends toward cynicism and apathy are identified, a rise in community service is also found.  The authors attempt to determine some of the reasons for this phenomenon.  While they mention that colleges don't only emphasize community service, but often require it for admission or graduation, the authors find that students hold strong beliefs that they can effectuate the greatest amount of positive change through service to their community rather than with their vote.  Through at least 2004 it is apparent that students have maintained a "lack of interest, trust, and knowledge about American politics, politicians, and public life-and are generally cynical about America's future" (5).
     
       However, the authors do mention that, "a vast majority of college students were active in the 2004 election" (7).  In addition, these later studies revealed a renewed trust in the government and interest in political affairs.  It is suggested this could be related to September 11th.  Moreover, students still remain more interested in serving the community directly than exercising their right to vote.  They also emphasize issues such as race relations, the state of public education, and socially responsible business practices.  And even regarding these issues, students tend to approach them through activism rather than voting.

      My only concern with this particular literature review is that it is from 2006, and the research it includes only extends to about 2004, which is 12 years ago already.  Although I do not yet have research to back up my suspicions, I believe that college aged students became more politically involved with the Obama campaign in 2008 and now, with the Bernie Sanders campaign for 2016.  Next, I will attempt to find a more recent piece to see if my suspicions are accurate.



Quotes: 
       "Alienation- a catchall term combining cynicism, distrust, low efficacy, and apathy-is the most widespread characterization of this generation (5)." [1998]

"While it might be argued that these optimistic views on government, which are much higher than for older generations, are partly due to different levels of information, they are an important indicator of the positive civic attitudes of young people (7)." [2002]

"Her questionnaires demonstrated that current students are more interested in politics (58.1 percent in 1996, to 60.8 in 2000), believed voting was a civic duty (76.3 percent in 1996, to 81.8 percent in 2000), and were less cynical and apathetic (57.2 percent believed their vote matter in 1996, to 61.2 percent in 2000) (7)."

"Years of decline in political participation coincided with an unprecedented high rate of involvement in community service among college students, and young people more generally (8)."

"Students are simply placing their energies where they feel they can make a difference (9)."

"Boyte (1991) also points out that service 'does not teach the political skills that are needed to work effectively toward solving society's problems: public judgment, the collaborative exercise of power, conflict resolution, negotiating, bargaining, and holding others accountable' (766) (9)."

"'Millennials are hard at work on a grassroots reconstruction of community, teamwork, and civic spirit...' These young people have a 'very strong sense of the common good and of collective social and civic responsibility' (231) (12)."

"But there needs to be better civic education, and higher education must to do a better job offering opportunities for public engagement (13)."