Yesterday, the University of Chicago received a lot of praise online for its announcement to incoming freshman that they won’t be offering trigger warnings on sensitive material.
People loved it.
“Yea! Yea! Fuck these cuddled millennials who can’t handle a little casual sexual assault in their novels like I, Joe Tougheveryman, can.”
I get why people hate them, but that’s because people are stupid. Not everyone’s disposition toward and ability to engage with things is the same as every other single person’s on the planet.
Like, do you think, having never served, watching the Hurt Locker might be a different experience for you than for someone who did a tour in Iraq?
That’s really all trigger warnings aim to do. “Hey man, this shit’s intense, just a heads up.”
Heavens to fucking Betsy.
Like I said, if you think trigger warnings are an awful thing, give this a read.
So, trigger warnings. 12 years & 21 days ago, one of my best friends was found decaying in her bathtub. We hadn't known she'd relapsed. 1/N
— Kelly Hills (@rocza) August 26, 2016
She got me thru my divorce, happening simultaneously with hers. She helped me get back to school; she was a brilliant neuro PhD student 2/N
— Kelly Hills (@rocza) August 26, 2016
She made sure I ate, she helped me with red tape, she was everything I needed someone to be-and I was gutted I wasn't that for her 3/N
— Kelly Hills (@rocza) August 26, 2016
A lot of us were gutted. She was missing a few days before found; I stood outside her apt discussing breaking in w a friend, but didn't 4/N
— Kelly Hills (@rocza) August 26, 2016
Cleaning her apartment out was an agonizing; the whole thing was traumatic as fuck. But, I continued going to class, studenting… 5/N
— Kelly Hills (@rocza) August 26, 2016
Right up til the class where the material was about violence, drugs, & death. & I shut down. Freaked out. Ran from the classroom… 6/N
— Kelly Hills (@rocza) August 26, 2016
Or at least I think I did. I don't actually remember getting from classroom to outside. I do remember my prof sitting w me after class 7/N
— Kelly Hills (@rocza) August 26, 2016
He asked what was going on. I told him. We worked things out, but I was mortified & avoided most of my classmates after that 8/N
— Kelly Hills (@rocza) August 26, 2016
A few months later, a new prof/dif class. She went over the syllabus & content & acknowledged some topics could be rough, so talk to her 9/N
— Kelly Hills (@rocza) August 26, 2016
There was a section that was about the way my BF had died. I knew I couldn't do it, & I took the prof at her word & talked to her 10/N
— Kelly Hills (@rocza) August 26, 2016
That prof's kindness at giving warnings meant I kept my grade & dignity intact. It's hard to see that as a bad thing. 11/12
— Kelly Hills (@rocza) August 26, 2016
If you think allowing people dignity is a bad thing, then I have to ask: what the fuck is wrong with you? 12/12 #TriggerWarning
— Kelly Hills (@rocza) August 26, 2016
Seriously, though, is there anything wrong with that? There’s no way reasonable way to disagree.