Recently, the University of Chicago has come under fire for writing a letter to incoming freshman warning them not to be offended by ideas and discussions that could be considered offensive or insensitive. Many people are responding by vehemently stating that trigger warnings are necessary before a controversial topic is brought up in a classroom setting. The argument is that, without trigger warnings, students may be made to feel very uncomfortable due to the nature of the topics being discussed. While this is a valid argument, students do not go off to college to be coddled and told that "they are perfect just the way they are."
Children are being raised to be incredibly sensitive teenagers and adults, being taught that no one's feelings should ever be compromised in a discussion. Unfortunately, people do not learn and ideas are not spread through a discussion that aims to please everyone. For example, we must speak about sexual assault on college campuses in order to educate students. While this may make sexual assault victims very uncomfortable, there is no way to discuss a topic of this nature in a gentle way, while also being brutally honest.
Young adults go off to college to feed their brains and improve their knowledge, not for professors to warm their hearts with kind words. The world is not sensitive to each individual's feelings and experiences; college is a great place to learn that.
