Trigger warning
A trigger warning is a short warning, usually at the top of an article, story, or discussion, which aims to reduce PTSD-related trauma that could possibly be activated by reading certain words or phrases or from recalling traumatic events.
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[edit] Actual triggers
Multiple mental disorders (including PTSD) can become more activated by what psychological professionals frequently call "triggers". While trigger warnings were initially intended to be used in specially designated safe-spaces (such as feminist blogs) for victims of rape, sexual abuse, and domestic violence, they have evolved into something that has become a living parody of all three.
However, these triggers are often unique to each individual and experience, deeply tied to specific sensory experiences. For example, a criminal undergoing "reparative therapy" via massive amounts of torture may be triggered by Ludwig van Beethoven, which is only tangentally related to the torture itself. Anyone other than this person would have no reason to believe that classical music would cause mental anguish.
[edit] Issues behind trigger warnings
Many benign trigger warnings raise genuine issues. Fat-shaming, for example, is a genuine issue. But it is likely not the cause of PTSD. Attempting to conflate fat-shaming (among many other trigger warnings) with causes of actual PTSD makes an unintended mockery of people who suffer from traumatic sexual abuse, rape, and domestic violence. It also does not help address the root cause of the issue due to it being wrongfully attributed to an entirely separate problem.
[edit] Trigger warnings and feminism
Although trigger warnings did in fact originate on feminist blogs, it is a very common misconception that trigger warnings, as they are used now, are feminist-supported. What began as a tool to be used in safe-spaces specifically designed for female PTSD victims has in recent years morphed into something that has undergone extensive feminist critique.[1] Trigger warnings were meant to serve a specific purpose, and that purpose has largely been lost amid a growing number of seemingly random and foolish usages, thus rendering it useless and unsupported by most of the feminist community. In other words, this is all Obama's fault.
[edit] Footnotes
- ↑ http://mic.com/articles/87283/9-feminist-arguments-against-using-trigger-warnings-in-academia 9 Feminist Arguments Against Using Trigger Warnings in Academia