Join us at 6pm for a pre-screening reception in the Playhouse Cafe with beer, wine and soft drinks followed by the film at 7pm.

A Q&A follows the film.

Panelists:

Brent Morden – Director, FAIR in the Arts; Co-Chair, Braver Angels NYC Alliance; Pep Band Director, Columbia University; Adjunct Professor, Hofstra University

Angel Eduardo – Senior Writer & Editor, FIRE; President of Board of Directors, FAIR

Dr. David Badillo – Associate Professor of Political Science, CUNY Lehman College

Erik Carter – Chapter Leader, FAIR Westchester; Writer; Journalist

Sahar Tartak – College Student appearing in the film

Beginning in 2012, a mental health mystery appeared out of nowhere.  Anxiety, depression and suicide shot up among young people and nobody knew why.  The consequences manifested on college campuses across the country, with speakers being shouted down, professors getting cancelled and students self-suppressing to avoid unnavigable microaggressions.

The Coddling of the American Mind documents these issues as well as five students from Generation Z who began to piece together a solution they hoped would pull themselves – and their generation – out of the darkness.

First Amendment expert Greg Lukianoff and social psychologist Jonathan Haidt, author of The Anxious Generation, show how the new problems on campus have their origins in three terrible ideas that have become increasingly woven into American education: 1) What doesn’t kill you makes you weaker; 2) always trust your feelings; and 3) life is a battle between good people and evil people.

These “three Great Untruths” contradict basic psychological principles about well-being and ancient wisdom from many cultures. Embracing these untruths—and the resulting culture of safetyism—interferes with social, emotional, and intellectual development. It makes it harder for young people to become autonomous adults able to navigate the bumpy road of life.

Join us as we identify the roots of this psychological epidemic, understand its societal consequences, and explore the solutions in hopes of strengthening the American mind of a future generation.

Brent Morden is a New York-based performing artist with a varied career as an in-demand music director, composer, vocalist, educator, event producer, and host. Since 2022, Brent has served as director of the Columbia University Pep Band (New York, NY) and Hofstra University Vocal Jazz Ensemble (Hempstead, NY). Brent leads the Arts department at FAIR – a national nonprofit dedicated to advancing a common culture of fairness, understanding, and humanity – and serves as the co-chair of the Braver Angels NYC Alliance. A graduate of Columbia University, Brent hails from Queens, NY, and enjoys running in the park. More at www.brentmorden.com.

Angel Eduardo is a writer, musician, photographer, and designer based in New York City. He works as Senior Writer & Editor for the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), serves as Board Chair for the Foundation Against Intolerance & Racism (FAIR), and is best known for coining the rhetorical term star-manning. His writing has also been featured in The Free Press, Quillette, Persuasion, and Newsweek Opinion, among other print and online publications. Through his work, Angel hopes to continue promoting a culture of free speech, free inquiry, and freedom of expression through honest, good-faith, and compassionate engagement with people across the political and ideological spectrum.

David A. Badillo is currently Associate Professor at Lehman College–a City University of New York senior college in the north Bronx.  He has published two books and numerous scholarly articles on the themes of immigration, ethnicity, religion, and civil rights.  Having been a professor and researcher at CUNY and similar urban locales for decades, Professor Badillo is fully cognizant of the various expressions of student activism emerging on the modern college campus, and advocates engaging students thoughtfully and thoroughly on pressing political debates, as well as on related socio-cultural issues.  He is completing a book on the impact of school desegregation practices and policies on Latino communities.

Erik Carter is the FAIR Hudson Valley chapter leader. He is a lawyer and financial planner who has provided political and financial commentary on numerous media outlets such as MTV, Time Magazine, Forbes, Bloomberg, and Fox Business. In addition to his work against intolerance and racism, Erik also spends his time advocating and organizing for political depolarization and bipartisan solutions on issues like electoral reform, fiscal responsibility, and climate change. He grew up in upstate NY and now lives in White Plains.

Sahar Tartak is a junior at Yale, originally from Great Neck, NY. Since October 7, she has been at the frontlines of the fight against campus antisemitism as a student leader at Chabad at Yale. Her activism has been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, CNN, Fox, and more. On campus, she runs regular challah bakes and other events to connect Jewish students to their beloved tradition.

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