Anger Comes to College
It’s been a very busy two weeks of giving presentations all over the country. And there has been a common question coming up in as diverse places as Los Angeles, Texas and NYC . “Are students more upset today than they were in the past?” My answer surprised a few folks. “Yes. They are.” Students are more easily upset and even prone to outbursts of anger more this year than they have been in the past. People are even hearing more gerunds coming up in discussions with them. Gerunds? Words ending in “–ing” used in phrases such as “this #%&ing school”. Students are reflections of our society and the result of the culture’s culture or lack of it. And today’s national culture is one of free floating antagonism, anger and attack. And this is not just in the political debates but is pervasive in our society. Students and the campus are not separate or isolated from what is going on in our society. In fact they bring the societal mood and the messages that are floating in ...