In the news recently, the University of Chicago has been making headlines for a letter sent to students stating that they "do not support so-called 'trigger warnings" or "condone...safe spaces." Other colleges and college faculty have made similar announcements. Here's why they're full of shit.
Should a rape survivor sit through a lecture or presentation with vivid descriptions of something they understand all too well? Should someone who has lived through domestic abuse participate in a discussion that will cause flashbacks to traumatic events?
Well, I don't know. I can't tell you. That should be left up to that particular person, their trauma, their mental state, and their level of comfort with the topic.
I remember sitting through a leadership seminar with a particular discussion about sexual assault. The speaker said, "x% of sexual assaults occur on a Saturday or Sunday in August or September between the hours of 1am and 4am." I left the room. I was in tears. It took me a few minutes to calm down and ready myself to go back in.
Luckily, I was prepared for that, because the speaker had mentioned the topic was coming up and invited anyone to step out who was not comfortable with the discussion. I can't imagine how much longer it would have taken me to prepare myself to participate if I hadn't known it was coming.
Some people argue that college students have no right to be comfortable. I'm not talking about Christians learning about evolution, or atheists sitting through a religion class. I'm not talking about conservatives being told that Black Lives Matter, or liberals hearing about the number of people cheating the welfare system, or any other stereotype like that. I'm not talking about people who just don't want to hear a different perspective.
I'm talking about conversations that reignite trauma, that cause flashbacks, that trigger PTSD. I'm talking about mental illness, and mental health, and how we can help students ready themselves to participate in classes and continue their education; not regardless of what they've been through, but in spite of it.
A trigger warning is not a get-out-of-jail-free card. It's not watering down education. It's not an instruction to "drop certain topics" from curriculum. It's giving students the tools they need to prepare themselves to learn. That's it.
