The Coddling of the American Mind is based on a bestselling book by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt. Filmmaker-producer, Ted Balaker, presents a documentary that examines a major cultural shift in America, where Gen Z has become fragile due to the influence of woke ideology at universities and cancel culture mindset on social media.
Balaker follows how these sociological influences affect the lives of students. A Ugandan immigrant, Kimi Katiti, details how the concept of micro-aggressions affected her way of viewing the world. Katiti was introduced to this pessimistic ideology at The Art Institutes in Southern California, and her mindset went from optimistic to antagonistic. She went as far as to file complaints against Ben Shapiro’s tweets in 2016. Lucy Kross Wallace went through a challenging childhood, as she grew up believing she had depression. After being in multiple psyche wards, Wallace learned it was undiagnosed Autism. Once attending Stanford University, she was in a tough spot as she wanted to embrace the social justice warrior mindset when it came to defending her Autism. Simultaneously, Wallace was puzzled by how her life choices fit into the diversity-inclusion narrative.
“…this is the most clear-cut explanation of Gen Z’s health and social problems.”
There is also the powerful story of how Aryaan Misra stood up for himself by criticizing the insanity of Alma College’s use of DEI workshops for job training. These are some of the major highlights of the film. The documentary also delves into the phenomena of cognitive dissonance. Cognitive dissonance is explained thoroughly by the book’s authors, and it is when the brain embraces pessimistic self-talk contrary to reality or common sense. Haidt and Lukianoff also examine the difference between millennials and Gen Z in their adulthood experiences. There is a heavy emphasis on the consequences of believing the victim mindset.
Ted Balaker’s documentary is a must-see film! The first I heard of this documentary was in a video by independent journalist John Stossel. After finally watching The Coddling of the American Mind, I have to say this is the most clear-cut explanation of Gen Z’s health and social problems. At the same time, the film hammers down why it is important to be an independent thinker and avoid binary thinking. It also touches on how young people in the United States are ignorant of Third World countries operating on the oppressor-victim cycle. It is all visually explained with contemporary news footage and scrapbook-style animation by Hector Herrera and Pazit Cahlon. The animation is complemented by Luis Torres’ urban comic book aesthetic. These creative choices help us see the ugliness of cognitive dissonance and delve into the extreme emotions of the students. In many ways, Balaker’s documentary works as a companion piece to Christian La Morte’s The Mix.
The film touches on various experiences that feel relevant. Having been in the current university system and hanging out with friends who are consistently on social media confirms Balaker’s emphasis on how these environments create poisonous behavior. This documentary has the potential to be an eye-opener for audiences. The Coddling of the American Mind is a self-reflective humanist piece while shaping a brighter future for the next generation of Americans.
"……the powerful story… Aryaan Misra stood up for himself by criticizing the insanity of Alma College’s use of DEI workshops for job training."
