On a good day, I consider myself a proponent of the mentality that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. On a bad day, I would say that what doesn’t kill you can make you an emotionally stunted individual more inclined to pick up bad habits. My position on trauma is ambivalent to say the least, but I have a more decisive stance on the avoidance of trauma. My stance is that you can’t. For this reason, the issue of trigger warnings is one that I have trouble reconciling with my everyday life. It sounds nice in theory, but I’d be a difficult convert when it comes to belief in the effectiveness of its practical application.
The decision to implement trigger warnings in colleges and universities is a controversial topic, and for good reason. On the one hand, you have those who argue that the classroom should be a safe space, and for that to happen certain accommodations must be made to ensure the actual safety of all the individuals in the classroom, given their potential traumas and histories. Trigger warnings, or the prior warning that a topic with a strong likelihood of evoking strong emotional reaction based upon an individual’s experience with the subject matter, seem to be a logical choice. On the other hand, you have the argument that one can never truly be protected from the world, and lulling people into a false sense of security does no good. During a period of time like college, individuals are supposed to be introduced to unfamiliar subjects and experiences, and this process of expanding the mind is not always a pleasant or comfortable one. Given this, I have to say that I side with the latter argument.
If one wants to take the argument that there is no reason a student should be shielded from life’s cruelties, then I would be forced to state the obvious: It’s impossible. It is impossible to avoid anything and everything that brings back unpleasant memories. While your professor may be kind enough to factor in your personal history when constructing her or his syllabus, the rest of the world will not afford you the same luxury. Ideally, we would all live in a world in which nothing bad ever happens, and as a result, there would be nothing to be warned about. But that simply is not the case.
As much as I would like to know that there exists a place in which I am promised nothing but pleasantry, compassion, and understanding, I am willing to settle for knowing that I must keep my eyes open at all times. That’s what I’m used to, but I know the rebuttal to mentality is that just because things are one way doesn’t mean they should be. Still, I feel I am owed some trigger warnings, but after nearly 21 years of being black in America, I am not exactly expecting them, either. I suppose I am against half-measures.
I don’t think there’d be enough trigger warnings in the world to adequately protect me for a day, let alone a lifetime, and that said, the last thing I want is to get used to something that’ll be taken away from me. A trigger warning would protect me from being taken aback by a classroom discussion of slavery, but it would do nothing for the feeling that comes with a professor, and by extension a classroom, thinking I need protection from my own history. It is one thing to feel as though you are at the mercy of a racist country all of the time, but it is far worse to be delusional about it, and I see trigger warnings as the gateway to that delusion. Not being told something unpleasant does not negate its existence. It only makes you less prepared to face it when it is finally presented to you.
— Marcus Brown
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ot long after the University of Chicago announced that it did not support trigger warnings and safe spaces, the University of Iowa came out as being neutral in the discussion. Trigger warnings, though, are things that need to be taken seriously. And being “neutral” in a discussion such as this really just comes across as the UI’s way to wash its hands of the matter.
In a recent class discussion, one of my professors said, in trying to explain trigger warnings to the class, that if he were going to discuss evolution, he would need to give a trigger warning, because some students might be offended by the topic. But this isn’t what a trigger warning was designed to do, and it’s not how trigger warnings should be used. Trigger warnings are warnings in regard to highly emotionally charged subjects, including but not limited to sexual assault, subjects that can cause people who have experienced such things to relive them. There is trauma involved and deep discomfort, and they need to be treated with sincerity.
Content warnings, on the other hand, may be used in the context that my professor described, if someone would so desire. However, it’s important to note that when we begin to give warnings about anything that may be deemed offensive, warnings for content that may actually be triggering and traumatic begin to be taken less seriously. It happens by people slapping trigger or content warnings on anything, which leads to other people being confused about what a trigger warning is, which leads to someone uninformed telling them it means letting people know if something offensive (such as evolution) is going to be discussed. And what does all of this amount to? More people believing that trigger warnings are useless and aren’t worth giving. Personally, I think being worried about discussing something that may be offensive to one person is far less important than being respectful toward someone who has been through a traumatic event by giving a warning about things that will be discussed.
There is no official policy regarding trigger warnings and safe spaces at the UI, which is understandable, considering how little people seem to know about trigger warnings or because trigger warnings are a relatively new concept. But maybe now is the time to consider making a change. It comes down to the idea of giving people who have experienced something traumatic the choice not to relive it. Considering that it is an option to actually stop someone from reliving a distressing experience, I don’t see why we wouldn’t do this.
Certain psychologists who are against trigger warnings have said such warnings are not helpful for those with post traumatic stress disorder because they allow people to avoid dealing with it. Sure, but it seems as if a person has the right to not have to cope with psychological issues in a classroom setting, especially if it can be avoided.
— Hannah Soyer