Recently, there has been a lot of debate going around about whether or not trigger warnings should be used in academia. With articles like "The Coddling of the American Mind", mainstream conversations have taken a negative approach to the inclusion of trigger warnings in classrooms. After having read some of these articles, I am left with feelings of frustration and disappointment. At first, I was unsure about why I was having these emotions, but as I was reading a piece called "Trigger Warnings Are a Disability Issue" by Dr. Katie Rose Pryal, it hit me. All of these "concerns" about trigger warnings are missing the point.
Before I begin dissecting these misleading arguments, I would like to share a story. It contains mentions of domestic abuse.
As a theater major, it is my responsibility to keep exposing myself to new productions, plays, and performances. Last Spring, I was assigned to see a production of "Hir" by Taylor Mac as a part of one of my theater classes. Being someone who finds importance in representing different identities onstage, I was excited to finally see a play with a genderqueer actor playing a genderqueer character. I went into the theater not knowing what to expect but hoping for the best. The play began. The initial feelings of excitement and intrigue set in, as they do with any performance. Then the end came with a startling shock. The characters, being family members, had started attacking each other violently. At this point, I wanted nothing more than to find a corner of the theater to hide in and disappear. I left the theater as quickly as I could. The scene that had unfolded before me left with pure panic and anxiety as my heart raced and a lump formed in my throat. I was triggered.
Being a survivor of child abuse, I am greatly affected by seeing it play out visually and audibly. Looking back on this experience, I wish I had known what I was about to see. I wish I could have mentally prepared myself for my own unexpected emotions. I wish there was a trigger warning.
Why is this even up for debate? Why can't we include trigger warnings in academic settings and be done with it? After researching this topic for quite some time, here is what I have heard from the opposition:
Trigger warnings prevent students from challenging themselves in the classroom and have made students "coddled". Trigger warnings censor academia and they don't actually help trauma survivors heal, they are making them more afraid of their trauma.
While I understand where these opinions are coming from, I don't think these scholars actually understand what trigger warnings are. They aren't meant to give people an excuse to walk out on difficult subjects or plug their ears and sing "la la la" when an uncomfortable topic arises. They are meant to accommodate folks who have gone through traumatic events in their life and suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Providing these survivors with trigger warnings are simply an accommodation, as PTSD can act as a disability, and disregarding the seriousness of this is nothing short of ableism.
If you want to claim to be a good educator, you must accommodate all of your students. Not everyone is able, willing, or comfortable to ask for accommodations from a disability office. Even with disability accommodations, professors are still not required to provide trigger warnings in most colleges. You don't know what your students have gone through. Be inclusive. Include trigger warnings for material like sexual assault and domestic abuse.
Furthermore, why is it an educator's job to expose trauma survivors to their trauma? You are not the student's psychologist, psychiatrist, or counselor. Leave the exposure therapy to the professionals and get off your high horse.
No one is preventing you from covering difficult or challenging topics in class. Please do. It is important for folks to be exposed to such issues. But, please, for the love of all things that are good in this world, include brief trigger warnings. As a trauma survivor, I can tell you that I want to be in your class, and that I'm more likely to participate and enjoy myself in it if you warn me about any potential triggering content. I don't want to be triggered, I want to engage in the material. Just let me prepare myself mentally by giving me a trigger warning. I'm less likely to walk out of the classroom that way.
Finally, I am left with one last, passionate opinion on this topic and I must speak my mind. Let the record show that I really hate the term "coddled".
Today's students are anything but coddled. We have witnessed many injustices and lived to tell the tale. We have worked extra jobs to avoid taking out more student loans. We have seen the revolution and we are not afraid.
I have seen my generation look at things critically. We are beginning to understand that we live in an oppressive, colonialist society and have our own assigned roles to play within it. I have seen that we have chosen to try to change the system. Though we know we cannot do it alone, I have seen us try anyway.
I have seen my peers battle depression, anxiety, and PTSD. I have seen them barely struggle to function, yet still remain in school with high grades. I have seen them cry over their painful pasts, then use their experiences to advocate for others.
I have been a participant and a witness to all of this and more. There are some days I can barely handle the weight of it all, but I push through because I want to be that advocate for those who will let me share their story. I fight my battles daily and I believe I will come out stronger for that. My peers and I have spent many days working to fight against systems of oppression despite our trauma. We are constantly being challenged, but we keep doing it anyway. So don't you dare call us coddled.
