Humanity isn't regressing, there have always been many, many idiots living on this planet, at any point in time.
The focus from academia on things like microagressions, safe spaces, trigger warnings and the like don't necessarily come from a stupid place, but don't really reflect reality either. A lot of what academics say or study is highly dependent on context since spheres of knowledge and research can be ridiculously specific or niche. But it fails to take into account that many people are agenda driven or are simply taken up by people who think context is unimportant. For example, death of the author and death of context are fairly popular ideas amongst online feminists because it allows them to emphasise the (in their view) patriarchal power structures in place and compared to that, the individual or context surrounding a work or situation is unimportant.
Just look at how people decry the Witcher series as being racist or sexist, as an example in video games.
The other aspect is that many SJWs of the tumblr and reddit SRS variety are simply adult children. It makes a nice counterpoint for manchildren like myself, but universities pushing deeper into societal power structures and introspection gives a very convenient out for people with comfort lives unwilling to leave that comfort zone in any way shape or form. Social media has compounded this issue exponentially. By providing an online space where people can interact in a way that encourages fake praise and courtesy, or discourages lengthy genuine conversation, it allows people to retreat into a bubble where they're surrounded by the people and interests they like, constantly engaging in a positive feedback loop.
So when something disturbs that loop or pops that bubble, they take it as a personal slight. Even when it's not. This doesn't have to be SJW-centric, an example most people here should know is the waifu wars and the romance character section. These are simple concepts that apply to a lot of things.
But SJWs do take on things like microagressions, trigger warnings and other ideas, then take them to their logical extension. Disagreement is harrassment. Everything is a racist comment if I think it is. Twitter is giving me PTSD, etc.
The truly disturbing thing is how many of these people there are, not just on the internet. It's fun to laugh at the crazy tumblrinas sure, but when it starts to affect real lives and real issues too, it's a little off putting. The worst part of it is how the media is complicit in stoking the flames with the narratives they run to politicize issues in an attempt to get more hits. This isn't a "librul media" criticism either, conservative media outlets are very obvious and agenda driven. It's just that conservatives are on the backfoot in most developed nations at the moment, so they're quieter.
Let's not forget Matt Taylor last year or Tim Hunt earlier this year. SJW witch hunts are becoming more common and affecting more people.
The real irony is that all identity and feelings centric politics nowadays isn't indicative of an oppressive or unfair society at all like SJWs like to claim, quite the opposite. It's a prosperous, equitable, stable and comfortable society that enables navel gazing to such a massive degree in the first place.