We don’t call them snowflakes for naught. The age of majority in 48 states is 18 and 19 in the other two. Yet one of our nation’s most vaunted universities finds these adults unable to deal with the stress of…library fines. So they’ve done away with them. From The Harvard Crimson:
We have witnessed first hand the stress that overdue fines can cause for students. Eliminating standard overdue fines and standardizing loan periods across Harvard’s libraries should help students focus on their scholarship, rather than worrying about renewing library books every 28 days in order to avoid fines.
Old enough to vote, marry, “hook-up”, and defend our country in mortal combat,but not yet old enough to either return borrowed books on time or deal with the consequences. Something that most children learn by age 10, or at least they used to.
I suspect it’s the “consequences” part of the equation that does not compute for the helicopter parent generation. It’s hard to understand something you’ve never had to deal with.
It’s probably too late for this generation. The only consequences they approve is the punishment imposed on people who dare express disbelief in the dogma that has been hammered into their heads since the day they were conceived: global warming, cultural relativity and white man’s guilt. Use free speech to express an opinion in opposition to one of these sacred lambs and the wrath of Political Correctness will rain down on your head.
Just ask the student whose paper was marked down for the audacity of using the term “mankind” instead of “humankind” (both defined identically in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary). His professor deemed the non-politically correct, non-gender neutral term to be a “writing mechanics” error. Apparently Professor Davis created his own rules since English grammar doesn’t prohibit the proper use of words simply because some people find them offensive. Mark Steyn accuses Professor Davis and his ilk of "engaging in the totalitarian moronization of a generation." Current events would indicate that he’s correct.
Having been mind-melded by their teachers and culture, today’s youth believe that disagreement with their progressive doctrine is morally unacceptable and therefore grounds for both ostracizing and censure. With that type of totalitarian mindset I guess I can understand why the thought of breaking a simple rule like not returning your library books on time would throw them into a tailspin. I’m just surprised that exceptional students at such an elite university couldn’t figure out a way around the problem.
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Oh wait – that would involve problem solving, something else seldom taught anymore. So I guess eliminating the fine was the only way to alleviate the overwhelming stress imposed by late library books.
Linked By: Larwyn’s Linx on Doug Ross@Journal, and American Digest, and BlogsLucianneLoves, and Free Republic, Thanks!
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