News Trigger Warnings Becoming A Fad?

[lostforgottensoul]

You're really attached to that example.

Ok, what if clowns were triggering as I am terrified of clowns?

The example is used to show that one trigger is another's and no one can know what is triggering for another.

Like I said, rape, rape stories, very graphic rape stories aren't triggering to me so you are giving an unneeded and non-warrented trigger warning to me that now I may avoid because it says *** Trigger Warning ***

That is EXACTLY what happens on another site I belong to that does have trigger warnings, and trigger codes (like spoiler code here). So my thread is now behind a trigger code with a trigger warning and most don't read or reply because people are so damn scared to possibly be triggered thus I don't get replies thus negates the entire reason for a peer to peer forum.

None of it makes any sense to me.

 

[EveHarrington]

You're really attached to that example. Why consistently use a heuristic in judgement to defend a straw...

Did you read the article on the main page? If not I suggest you do as it's awesome.

I personally don't like trigger warnings in general. Content warnings are needed on movies/music as children are involved and that is different.

Trigger warnings are seen as pointless here. We all have different triggers. I have two big triggers, one of which is a stressor (but not trigger) to many and another that would trigger hardly anybody as its a rare sort of situation and in any bad situation, only a small percentage of people will have a trigger develop out of it.

Sex abuse? Not a trigger. Bring on the rape tv shows! I find them therapeutic. Maybe I'm an odd duck but I won't apologize for it--------nor will the millions of people who likely feel the same (some of them subconsciously).

Merely labeling something as triggering puts me in a bad place. I'm not alone. It actually tells you-----you WILL be triggered but much of the time it's a darn lie.

Be prepared!

You are about to have cortisol shoot through the roof!

<reads>

WTF? That was a YAWN!

Thanks for spiking my cortisol with a warning. The content was banal. Not troublesome at all.

Rinse and repeat for everything that could possible trigger anyone.

Suddenly everything has a trigger warning?

Who makes the rules, who draws the line?

So I ask you, who has more rights? Should you be catered to because you get triggered by graphic content or should I be catered to because I'm "triggered" by trigger warnings?

This is a rhetorical question. I hope you see my point.

 

[mudbug]

Ok, what if clowns were triggering as I am terrified of clowns?

The example is used to show...

You do have a point. I think it is also hard for me to grasp as I don't take trigger warnings as a "stay away" sign but more as a "be prepared" sign, it hadn't occurred to me that others might not. I mean, I regularly look at things plastered with trigger warnings. Also I completely forgot that I did bring up trigger warning specifics so it wasn't a straw man, sorry about that.

But my issue is with your use of an outlier, and in large sample sizes, should outliers really be accounted for? Some would say yes, most would say no.

I hate to say this, but in this situation, you are also an outlier. Which is unfortunate and I'm sorry. But in the US, there are topics that not only people with PTSD find disturbing, but the general public finds disturbing as well. This is a plain, straight up cultural norm and cultural norms should not be invalidated regardless of how much it always sucks when you don't fit into the norm. But should people be exposed to disturbing imagery or topics just because you don't find them triggering and you wish to discuss them? Is that fair to others?

I do empathize with your desire to discuss these things with other people. But you should consider that what you wish to do inflicts pain on others.

 

[EveHarrington]

You do have a point. I think it is also hard for me to grasp as I don't take trigger warnings as a "sta...

I think you should learn how to say no, walk away, and set boundaries.

You're trying to control the rest of the world.

Nobody is FORCING you to do anything. Not watch a movie, tv show, read a book, take a class, listen to someone, etc.

As you progress through healing you'll learn that it's MUCH easier to change yourself. You can't change everyone else.

 

[lostforgottensoul]

But should people be exposed to disturbing imagery or topics just because you don't find them triggering and you wish to discuss them? Is that fair to others?

What others? MANY people aren't triggered by rape. MANY people here that have been raped aren't triggered by rape.

Whom am I to decide what you may or may not be triggered by? Isn't that your decision?

Sorry, don't agree and will never agree.

 

[mudbug]

I guess for me this is definitely about empathy? If I have a chance of not hurting another living thing, I will always take it. I know what pain is, after all. I guess I just idealize a world where others do the same.

 

[lostforgottensoul]

If I have a chance of not hurting another living thing

Good grief!

News flash, being triggered in PTSD world isn't necessarly always bad as mostly after my triggers and tailspins I am much more self enlightened and don't react the same way next time. Triggers shouldn't always be just completely avoided and if you are going around doing that you aren't healing but avoiding. And if you are triggered by something I post, I am not "inflicting pain" on you as your triggers are yours so you inflict that own pain on yourself.

Out.

 

[joeylittle]

I hate to say this, but in this situation, you are also an outlier. Which is unfortunate and I'm sorry. But in the US, there are topics that not only people with PTSD find disturbing, but the general public finds disturbing as well. This is a plain, straight up cultural norm and cultural norms should not be invalidated regardless of how much it always sucks when you don't fit into the norm.

Certainly, in the US we already have a mass cultural reference point. We have the Motion Picture Association of America ratings.

So, the film industry has been determining what constitutes 'upsetting' or 'disturbing' material for many years. And they are worded like warnings. The MPAA rates on violence, sex, and language. The trigger warning phenomenon is a natural expansion of that, I believe. I think you're absolutely right to talk about the difference between the shared cultural experience of being warned that something will be violent, or sexual, or crude.

But, it has become pretty overgrown. It's hard to anticipate everything, all the time. And especially in educational institutions - I believe the essential element of education is (literally) exposure to content. You're going to encounter content. We can't know what content will upset everyone, but we can rely on a combination of the shared cultural understanding of audience ratings, plus the willingness of the individual to take responsibility and ask about what they are concerned about, and the person holding or generating the content to have a purpose that they are willing to stand behind.

I find abortion protest pictures very disturbing. That doesn't give me the right to tell them they have to slap a trigger warning on the lawn in front of where they are standing. How is that productive?

Recently I had a student who lost their family in a house fire. I of course didn't know this until I had already spent a large portion of a lecture using 'house burning down' as the central metaphor. Should I have trigger-warned my lecture for house burning down? No. Would the student have known I was going to use that metaphor in a lecture on history? No. Did we both just have to stumble into a painful moment together? Yes. Were we able to talk about it, after, and did we each learn something about the situation and ourselves? Yes.

It can be hard, but sometimes you need to step in the mud a little in order to really learn what it means to understand other perspectives.

 

[EveHarrington]

I guess for me this is definitely about empathy? If I have a chance of not hurting another living thing...

Are you saying you will sacrifice yourself always for the well being of others? This is how I read this. The word "always" is an absolute. Did you truly mean to use the word always?

 

[Friday]

What about some sort of content advisor? Like a graphic content warning or something like that.

I think that's covered by the fact we're on a PTSD site.

The most recent thing that triggered me was floral wallpaper. I demand trigger warnings on all homes and interiors magazines. @Sandstone
Link Removed

^^^^
This is one of my most favoritist things of all time :D Love. It.

I guess for me this is definitely about empathy? If I have a chance of not hurting another living thing...

As someone who has hurt a lot of people on purpose, I try reeeeeeeally, really hard not to hurt people on accident. I hate it. In fact, it's a bit of a stressor in and of itself, for me.

That said?

I would suspect, given nearly 20,000 members & millions of unique visitors to this site? That there isn't a noun, verb, adjective, or word in existence that doesn't trigger someone here. I used to use a girlfriend of mine as an example on a fairly regular basis, (but since I know of at least one, and possibly two, members who have the same trigger I generally avoid it; but hope if they're reading this they know my intentions are good / why I'm using it now) who is triggered by fluffy little kittens. People would send her those "fun" ecards, cat videos, and whatnot... And I'd be holding her under the dining room table while she sobbed like a broken thing for hours. I've also had to buy a few new computers, and got pretty good at installing window glass because ours periodically defenestrated itself. Shrug. Our computer wanted to be an airplane. I can relate. I knew her, so no way in hell would I ever trigger her -on purpose- but how was her real estate agent to know? Her boss? Her 6yo niece? It isnt like we walk around with our gnarliest triggers & stressors on placards to hand out to the world. <rueful> I also picked up a lil bit of a secondary stressor from her. It took awhile for me not to become enraged about cat-stuff. Something >^..^< and my heart would leap! blood run ice cold! and... Wait. Breathe. She's not here. She doesn't see it. Minding other people's triggers? Really just isn't the healthiest thing in the world. The effects get a bit contagious. As we hate seeing our loved ones in pain.

Which is the 2nd piece to "anything can trigger anyone". Not only is there no way to KNOW what triggers someone else, without taking MindReading 101 -and I skipped that class- but if I spent all my time memorizing everyone's triggers on here? I wouldn't be doing anything else, and I'd never write anything / work on my own issues/ help myself or anyone else. I know a handful of a few people triggers, mostly because there's some connection to me, but that's it.

So even though I really despise hurting other people on accident? It's going to happen. Something I say, no matter how well meant, will always hurt someone.

Trusting others? Not my strong suit. #TrustIssues. In spades. (And hearts, diamonds, clubs!). But I have a choice. I can trust other people to mind their own triggers, or I can never write anything.

So for me it really comes down to those components

- We're on a PTSD site. Warning inherent
- Can never know what will trigger someone else
- Not my responsibility to mind other people's triggers > Not healthy for me to
- Not other people's responsibility to mind my triggers > Not healthy for them to
- Works on my trust issues (to trust others to be responsible for themselves) & my my-fault/control issues to allow other people the right to think for themselves, and decide what they will continue reading, or not, as they feel able to. It's not my fault if someone else gets triggered by reading what I'm writing, nor my responsibility to keep that from happening, nor am I to blame for what happens.

@The Albatross

<blushing> I usually spoiler my blathering. Less it's graphic, more words. And more words. And, yep, even more :wtf:

 

[lostforgottensoul]

I think that's covered by the fact we're on a PTSD site.

Not always. I got (a suggestion only....i say that as I've usung this example a bit...don't want to hurt their feelings, it's just an example) asked to put a trigger warning on a post.

And then many have said they went to my diary and were triggered (the first post) so i say something to the effect of (when they ask about my past) "my story is in my first diary post but be aware it's graphic". I say it that way as not necessarly a warning but to name it as it is, graphic.

So I mean that way. Not a warning but just advising that it is indeed graphic. Or indeed has sexual violence in it, etc. I get that it's a diary and subject to be more graphic the your every day thread but we are also talking about the world in general.

So like one would say "this is graphic" when someone is eating. Something like that I'd say is acceptable but trigger warnings, you can toss them as soon they will mean nothing.

 

[mudbug]

Certainly, in the US we already have a mass cultural reference point. We have the Motion Picture As...

I mean, I guess thanks for actually acknowledging my point about cultural norms instead of ignoring it. I’m not sure why you fall back to the mpaa. Cultural norms are an important aspect of psychology, sociology, and anthropology, probably other fields I’m too tired to dredge up. But it’s a thing. That’s been studied. A lot. I have to research cultural norms, ancient and modern, nearly every day of my life. Maybe that is why understanding this comes easily to me? Who knows. But you don’t need the mpaa to tell you what is disturbing and what is not. Cultural norms are ingrained and shaped from a person’s birth, they will share them with the people in their community and most cultural norms will continue to exist after a person dies, passed on in their children if they have them. The norms that benefit their community persist, the ones that do not die out. Hell, you see this in chimpanzees. So they fluctuate as time goes on, but part of being a human is being able empathize with another’s views on life, even in other generations.

Nonetheless, once again, an outlier is being used as an example. Can you really tell me you would discuss something like rape, secure in your knowledge that no one in that class will be negatively affected by it? Knowing that statistically multiple people in that class have likely been sexually abused. Maybe some can handle it, maybe some can barely admit what happened to themselves.

Maybe I’m missing something. But I can’t help but wonder if this is just a generational issue. “Those damn millennials are too sensitive.” From what I’ve seen, mostly younger people want to use trigger warnings. Older people are repulsed their free speech is being taken away from them, want younger people to confront their trauma the same way they did. Because that has to be the only way, right?

Maybe that is just a coincidence, maybe it’s not. I’m sure there are some outliers someone will decide are suddenly significant. I kind of wonder if historically has the older generation really ever known what was best for the younger? Genuine question. I feel like the answer is no, but I don’t feel much like researching that at the moment. I guess there are some examples here or there. Some more outliers. Maybe it is impossible to even determine.

Not going to lie, I’m tired with this discussion. It's my fault, I'm used to arguing academically, which I forget most people aren't overly fond of. Rightfully so. Plus, this is actually not something I am super passionate about, like, I’m pretty against the use of trigger warnings like 90% of the time. So I gotta check out from this topic, like, for good. Later.