Recently, John Ellison, dean of students at the University of Chicago sent a welcoming letter to incoming first-year students, informing them that the campus will be rejecting the use of trigger warnings and safe spaces on campus. Ellison believes that students should engage in debate, even if the topic causes discomfort. However, trigger warnings are not about minor discomfort. Ellison's letter received nationwide criticism and it's clear his goal was to strike fear into the those tempted to challenge existing power structures.
The idea behind trigger warnings is not to coddle people or prevent people from dealing with uncomfortable and difficult material. They are used to warn students that have been sexually assaulted that a text contains sexually explicit descriptions. They are used to warn black students that a text will include racist language. They are used to protect students from extreme emotional impact and give them the opportunity to brace themselves. What many don't understand is that trigger warnings are not here to limit free speech nor censor anything and everything that could offend someone.
While I believe these trigger warnings are important, I was curious to know what others my age thought of trigger warnings whether they be in a classroom or on the internet. I asked them for their opinion regarding trigger warnings and whether they think they are important or unnecessary. Here are some of the responses I got:
"Fully unnecessary. Trigger warnings are just a way of going along with a system of babying adults into having delusional safe spaces and are over all contributing to the cancerous machine of censorship we call political correctness." -Dean E., 17
"Unnecessary to be honest. People shouldn't be warned that they might be 'triggered.' That's just stupid to me.I was " -Calvin M., 17
"I think they're important but I kind of think most people know what they're getting into when they see the post." -Samantha S., 16
"Trigger warnings are simply contributing to the weakening of our social abilities fueled by political correctness." Alex A., 17
"Someone who has been through something traumatic in their lives need something like trigger warnings. Though some people may say that they need to get over whatever happened to them, sometimes the traumatic event, rape for example, can cause a mental issue within the person. Trigger warnings give a person the option to avoid recounting what happened to them, that most likely changed their entire life, and still affects it every single day." -Camryn L., 17
I was surprised by the strong opinions I got. In the end, I'm going to have to agree with Camryn the most. Trigger warnings are important and polite. Students should feel safe in a classroom, not frightened and triggered.
