Recently, a Facebook friend of mine posted about how America is going downhill, how millennials are ruining everything, how Obama really ruined everything, etc, etc. The usual. One of his examples of how society is spiraling downward was that “triggers” and “safe spaces” are now a concept that we acknowledge.

My question is this: why are those bad?

OK, fine, you hate Obama, I get it. You hate BLM, you hate gay marriage, you hate liberalism, blah blah blah. We get it. While I may personally disagree with you, part of what makes this country great (and it's already great; it doesn't need to be made that way) is that you can think and say what you want and no one can touch you.

What I don't get is why it horrifies you so much to consider the feelings of another human being. Since when is being safe a bad thing? Since when is recognizing the disabilities and sensitivities of others harmful to you?

To give an example, a good friend of mine struggled with self-harm in the past and continues to do so to this day. Recently, he was in a situation in which he had to mimic going through the motions of treating someone who had suffered an arm wound and was bleeding from the wrists in order to get a certification for his job. While he knew blood would be involved and is not squeamish, he was not prepared for that specific situation and the suicide jokes that accompanied it from his peers. As a result, he had a pretty severe panic attack that lasted well into the evening, keeping him from completing his homework or sleeping, both of which are pretty important in the life of a college student.

So how would it have hampered others’ success if, at the beginning of the course, they had warned students that they would encounter a suicide scenario, allowing those who may be triggered by that to step out and learn how to deal with severe bleeding in a different setting? It takes about 10 seconds to give such a disclaimer and comes at no cost to those who are not affected.

After the whole ordeal, my friend had a rough few days dealing with the depression and anxiety that accompanied his newly vivid and frequent flashbacks to his darkest days. Another question: why do you object to allowing him to go to a safe space, a specifically marked place in which he could talk freely to a trained professional or even to a friend about what was troubling him?

I simply cannot comprehend why you would have a problem with either of the above things happening. How are you inconvenienced or harmed by the existence of trigger warnings and safe spaces? You think he is being too sensitive and should get over it himself instead of being coddled, but those resources could literally help him to be on the right side of the line between life and death.

It is a cause near and dear to my heart, as you can see. I can see no reasonable objection to some simple precautions being put in place. Do you also object to food packaging that reads, “Warning: contains gluten”? To me, the two are almost indistinguishable; both help those who need them and can be more or less ignored by those who don’t.

So tell me that my generation is ruining this country all you want. I’m really not that offended, mostly because I disagree. When you begin to attack the advances we are making to destigmatize, legitimize and improve mental health, however, I admittedly will start to fight back.

Sure wish I could apologize.