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Monday, July 07, 2014
We've gone too far with 'trigger warnings'
Jill Filipovic | Comment is free | theguardian.com: Trigger Warning: this piece discusses trigger warnings. It may also look askance at college students who are now asking that trigger warnings be applied to their course materials.
2 comments:
Max Rose
said...
Having encountered situations before where I wish I could have had a trigger warning, I am slightly sympathetic to those who ask for them, but only just. In my case, I was a young LGBT youth enduring substantial amounts of bullying at my school, primarily in the form of slurs regarding my sexuality and liberal sensibilities. During this time, my english class had to watch a film in class where a multitude of these slurs were used, and I didn’t feel traumatized by the film, but instead I felt very uncomfortable, and felt as if this exposure to these slurs in a classroom environment was an unintentional encouragement for the students who used them towards others. This is an instance where I could have used a slight warning by the teacher, and I could have possibly avoided this uncomfortable situation. Before watching a movie with violence we are always warned by our teacher and given the option to leave the room if it makes us uncomfortable. I don’t feel like there should be a difference between the avoidance of physical violence and emotional violence, but I also agree with the article that there is no clear line of where to draw the line of what is “triggering” and what is not. Because of this grey area, it would be virtually impossible to regulate, but triggering subjects are undoubtedly a problem and people should be more aware of how to warn others of them and be empathetic to those who prefer a warning.
When it comes to trigger warnings, it is most important to draw the distinction between the internet and the "outernet". On a blog or whatnot, it's completely acceptable to post whatever trigger warnings you're inclined to post. It's acceptable to request someone else to post certain trigger warnings, though one should keep in mind that the poster has every right to refuse. Everyone has a right to their own corner of the internet, and everyone has a right to making that corner as safe as possible.
However, in the "real world" (if that even exists), things are different. Specifically on a college campus, minds are supposed to be enriched and exposed to new things. I'm not saying that people need to be exposed to panic attack-inducing material in order to enrich their minds, but professors should not be expected to accommodate every trigger that may exist. Like what the article said, adding a trigger warning could distract from the content at hand. If a student has a condition in which they cannot be exposed to a topic, it is their responsibility to meet with the professor and work something out.
"There's a reinforcement of the toxic messages young women have gotten our entire lives: that we're inherently vulnerable." Very true. We must erase the stigma of trigger warnings being a crutch and instead accept them as a reminder to be sensitive to others and what they have gone through or currently going through. Hardship does not equal weakness.
2 comments:
Having encountered situations before where I wish I could have had a trigger warning, I am slightly sympathetic to those who ask for them, but only just. In my case, I was a young LGBT youth enduring substantial amounts of bullying at my school, primarily in the form of slurs regarding my sexuality and liberal sensibilities. During this time, my english class had to watch a film in class where a multitude of these slurs were used, and I didn’t feel traumatized by the film, but instead I felt very uncomfortable, and felt as if this exposure to these slurs in a classroom environment was an unintentional encouragement for the students who used them towards others. This is an instance where I could have used a slight warning by the teacher, and I could have possibly avoided this uncomfortable situation. Before watching a movie with violence we are always warned by our teacher and given the option to leave the room if it makes us uncomfortable. I don’t feel like there should be a difference between the avoidance of physical violence and emotional violence, but I also agree with the article that there is no clear line of where to draw the line of what is “triggering” and what is not. Because of this grey area, it would be virtually impossible to regulate, but triggering subjects are undoubtedly a problem and people should be more aware of how to warn others of them and be empathetic to those who prefer a warning.
When it comes to trigger warnings, it is most important to draw the distinction between the internet and the "outernet". On a blog or whatnot, it's completely acceptable to post whatever trigger warnings you're inclined to post. It's acceptable to request someone else to post certain trigger warnings, though one should keep in mind that the poster has every right to refuse. Everyone has a right to their own corner of the internet, and everyone has a right to making that corner as safe as possible.
However, in the "real world" (if that even exists), things are different. Specifically on a college campus, minds are supposed to be enriched and exposed to new things. I'm not saying that people need to be exposed to panic attack-inducing material in order to enrich their minds, but professors should not be expected to accommodate every trigger that may exist. Like what the article said, adding a trigger warning could distract from the content at hand. If a student has a condition in which they cannot be exposed to a topic, it is their responsibility to meet with the professor and work something out.
"There's a reinforcement of the toxic messages young women have gotten our entire lives: that we're inherently vulnerable." Very true. We must erase the stigma of trigger warnings being a crutch and instead accept them as a reminder to be sensitive to others and what they have gone through or currently going through. Hardship does not equal weakness.
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