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<p>I’m not so sure about that. Many high school classmates who attended Harvard witnessed/experienced a toned down version of what I witnessed/experienced because Harvard is far less PC than my LAC in the mid-late '90s. Like myself, they not only shrugged off such accusations, but made many spirited rebuttals against those who tried using “kindness” as a way to stifle disagreement/questioning. Was easier for them not only because of the lesser PC environment, but their greater sense of confidence in themselves and perceiving those who made such arguments as naive intellectual mediocrities in denial. </p>
<p>More importantly, while accusations of “unkindness” may not work on personalities such as my Harvard friends’ “suffer no fools” mentality or my relishing the role of the classroom/campus gadfly/“meanie” at my LAC, there are many other otherwise intelligent students on whom it would work. </p>
<p>This is especially the case with students who were heavily socialized from childhood to believe it is “unkind”/“impolite” to argue, disagree, or even merely question others…even in a classroom setting. Thank goodness I wasn’t one of them…despite the best efforts of mother and some older aunts. :D</p>