Trigger Warnings In Monsters Inside Me

The purpose of my research is to explore and offer analysis of the controversy over the use of trigger warnings and safe spaces on college campuses, in order to understand when, where, and most importantly, regarding what subjects their use is appropriate.

Although we, as citizens of this country, are guaranteed freedom of speech and press by the first amendment, we are encouraged to “watch what we say”. In order to avoid unnecessary violence and to keep people from being offended, it is recommended the certain things be censored. While many may look at this censorship as a well-needed percussion it can reversely be seen as going against one's first amendment rights, in itself causing controversy.

As a class, we mainly fell into the category of those who would not tell a professor if they had any concerns regarding a class. The standard here with the usage of trigger warnings is how do we as a society know what actually will require a trigger warning. If no one has a standard, then the policy would be mocked for being too lackadaisical. I see trigger warnings being necessary in some situations where I would want to know if something graphic is going to be shown to me. We came across two definitions of safe spaces in the class: 1) an actual physical safe space and 2) an ideological safe space. The concern with the physical safe space is that it seems more reductive or childish, which interestingly enough is how the Baby Boomers assess our generation.

The Oxford dictionary defines trigger warnings as a statement at the start of a piece of writing, video, etc., that alerts the reader or viewer that a material contains potentially distressing material. Trigger warnings were originally intended for war veteran, who returned to their homes with PTSD. The use of trigger warnings has changed in the past few years because they have begun to make a big impact on college campuses. Today the use of trigger warnings in a university class is considered a controversial topic. There are many who argue that professors should be required to issue trigger warnings for their classes, however, the topic of trigger warning is ambiguous and many oppose the use of trigger warnings in a university setting.

In this article, they view trigger warnings as a way of students avoiding issues that may cause them discomfort. Manne describes the idea of trigger warnings as a way to “flag content that depicted or discussed common causes of trauma, like military combat, child abuse, incest and sexual violence.” However, she says that the purpose of trigger warnings are slightly different at schools and universities. The warnings are meant to prepare students instead of bombarding them with possible triggering material. This way each student can learn instead of experiencing a panic attack which makes it “impossible to think straight.”

I side with the argument that people should use trigger warning for an upcoming topic. Students do go to college to learn and given that there stressors that go along with college, giving a trigger warning is not bad at all. This serves as a reminder that people do care about whatever situation that the student that is affected is going through. This gives the student anonymity and a environment that does not have to keep the student in isolation because of the traumatic event. While both sides make a good case for their argument, it does not hurt to show respect for

Trigger warnings are hurting mental health on campus according to Lukianoff and Haidt. For instance, Lukianoff and Haidt say that critical thinking involves students to question their own unexamined beliefs and sometimes the questioning can lead to discomfort, but this leads a way to understand. Clearly, we do not like to be put in awkward situations, but in reality, that is what has to be done, in order to learn and experience. Additionally, “Students with PTSD should of course get treatment, but they should not try to avoid normal life, with its many opportunities

If information "given" to us is filtered and improperly fluffed, how are we then left to analyze it appropriately and utilize it to our benefit as a learning experience or as an opportunity to analyze a situation or event without the clouding of censorship involved. With expecting writers to censor themselves as far as what they write is preposterous. Many individuals have so much within their minds that would be and could be beneficial for us as a part or whole to read, review or see on television that may dissuade us from a prejudice or situation, or allow us as humans to think things through, hopefully objectively, or even subjectively, without censorship.

Sally attended Joliet Junior College and took a general psychology class. One day when she attended her psychology class, her professor warned students of a topic that there were going to talk about in class which was how abuse can damage an individual’s mental state. Sally has been through abuse in her past and is uncomfortable with that certain topic, so she left class because she was alerted to the topic. Ultimately, she didn’t want to revisit her past of abuse. This is considered a trigger warning, in which professors give a warning about topics that they will discuss that can lead to some sort of discomfort for students. Trigger warnings are used on campuses that are considered a safe space. The term safe space is defined as an environment where students can feel like themselves and are not exposed to any harm physically or mentally (Google). Various of colleges/universities have safe spaces so that their students don’t have to go through discrimination of sorts or any harm. Safe spaces are good for students, but there are negative outcomes from it, such as it doesn’t let individuals who suffer and have trauma cope with what happened to them. Even though are negative outcomes from safe spaces, there are positive results that impact Millennials such as a decrease in anxiety and prevention of hate speech.

Another reason trigger warnings should not be on the syllabus is professors have no idea what is a trigger for a student. In theory, anything could be a trigger. Jarvie shows the ridiculousness that is trigger warning by saying, “…alerts have been applied to topics as diverse as sex, addition, bullying… and animals in wigs” (Jarvie 3). This demonstrates that a trigger could be anything to a person with PTSD. It is nearly impossible to know what the person’s triggers are and be able to protect every student from their triggers. As Jarvie

In Lindsay Holmes’s article “A Quick Lesson on What Trigger Warnings Actually Do,” she states that trigger warnings are misinterpreted cautions notifying whether or not a discussion could cause emotional distress, and often are not implemented for this reason. Holmes begins by recounting when the University of Chicago announced they would not be focusing on Trigger Warnings or safe places; although the university later tells expresses that their initial statement was misinterpreted, the author uses this to open the discussion on the importance of trigger warnings.

Lindsay Holmes’s “A Quick Lesson On What Trigger Warnings Actually Do” is a persuasive piece written in response to the backlash that The University of Chicago received against implementing trigger warnings for their students. Likewise, Holmes sets up her argument in the hopes of persuading the general population the importance of creating safe zones and use trigger warnings for those who need them. In order to do this, Holmes uses a series of rhetorical devices throughout her essay to develop her argument for the use of trigger warnings. Holmes achieves her goal of persuading the audience that trigger warnings should be taken into consideration through her intentional use of rhetorical appeals, anticipated objections, and hypophoras in this essay.

If you enjoy reading specific blogs such as a feminist or a social justice blog, then you most likely came across the cautious Trigger Warning (TW): a flag content that discusses effects of trauma or can cause a post-traumatic stress reaction and people could then choose if they want to appoint themselves with this material. These trigger warnings are most likely to be related to sexual abuse/assault, military combat, child abuse, graphic descriptions of rape, etc. It basically gives readers a head up beforehand. Trigger warnings ae expanded and have become more complex in terms of including more potentially upsetting or offensive content and displays. Some examples include slavery, suicide, self-injury, drunk driving, drug use, homophobia,

Trigger warnings have become a very pending and current issue with many students, as they are currently included in most college syllabi. Recently many professors have been adding such announcements to the beginning of their coursework outlines, and by doing so students are given a more accurate understanding of what the curriculum entails. They can help one avoid suffering from trauma including anxiety attacks, nightmares, and PTSD attacks, but it can also be argued that they continue the bad habit of coddling that many millennials grew up with and are accused of expecting as they enter the real world. Before examining how essential these trigger warnings are, one must first understand exactly what a trigger warning is.

Although few studies on program warnings had been conducted prior to the 1990s (see, however, Austin, 1980; Herman & Leyens, 1977; Wurtzel & Surlin, 1978), the current use of program warnings and ratings by the networks, combined with the increase in parental concern about problematic media content (Cantor, Stutman & Duran, 1996), has created an environment in which research into this issue has become more prevalent. A majority of these studies is grounded in reactance theory (Brehm, 1981). Reactance