The University of Chicago has sent out a letter to incoming freshmen that has fallen under fire. The letter claims that the university does not support trigger warnings or safe spaces. The university doesn’t want to provide warnings or safe spaces for people who do not want to feel uncomfortable about what they learn. This makes sense in the fact that college is all about expanding your knowledge of the world. You’re definitely going to learn some things that will make you uncomfortable. While it’s true that people need to be aware of the world no matter how uncomfortable it makes them, the University of Chicago doesn’t seem to fully understand what trigger warnings and safe spaces are meant to do.
At a time when a large number of Americans support a presidential candidate who isn’t “afraid to speak his mind,” it’s important to remember that words can cause a great deal of harm to people. I’m not talking about men feeling uncomfortable about a female protagonist in the new Star Wars movie. I am talking about calling all Mexicans rapists and all Muslims terrorists. These kinds of accusations have led to violence against minority groups acted out by people who believe these horrible stereotypes.
Safe spaces are not meant to be a place “where individuals can retreat from ideas and perspectives at odds with their own,” as the University of Chicago says they are. Safe spaces were first created to protect minorities, originally LGBT people, from violence, harassment, and hate speech. Safe spaces are not for people who feel uncomfortable with conflicting perspectives. They are meant to keep people safe from those who want to do them harm. These safe spaces are meant for people facing prejudice and discrimination.
So what about trigger warnings? Yes, they are meant to inform you of something that might contain sensitive material. But they’re not for someone who might get uncomfortable when a sociology class talks about poverty. Trigger warnings are meant for people who may experience a traumatic memory from presented content. They’re for that person who might remember their abuse because they read about domestic violence. Trigger warnings are for someone who might vividly recall being raped because of a video they are watching. People seem to think that trigger warnings are to keep sheltered people comfortable inside of their bubble. This is not their purpose at all. They are to warn people with PTSD that content and material presented could possibly cause thoughts and feelings of a traumatic event to rise to the surface of the mind, which could lead to anxiety and panic.
While the University of Chicago might seem to be bold in saying that they will not provide trigger warnings and safe spaces, they aren’t getting things quite right. It certainly is important for people to learn, and learning oftentimes includes feeling uncomfortable. Really, that discomfort is a part of coming to terms with what happens in the world. Feeling uncomfortable is an important step in learning sympathy and compassion. The university seems to have incorrectly defined the meanings and intentions of trigger warnings and safe spaces. Trigger warnings and safe spaces are not some millennial creation to enforce “political correctness.” They exist to show support for those who have gone through traumatic experiences. They’re for those who need a place to feel safe from an onslaught of prejudice and discrimination. The University of Chicago, and anyone who agrees with their decision, might want to rethink what they are really advocating for.
