Many people nowadays seem to have gone through some type of traumatic experience in their life and by the time they reach college, they probably have more to discuss. I believe that teachers should be encouraged to tell their class a trigger warning about a certain topic that might be discussed. I do understand the anxiety that people have when a teacher gives the class a trigger warning, however when this wave of anxiety hits, the student has outlets to talk about how they feel about the whole situation giving them a sigh of relief when the actual topic comes up in class. Sofie Karasek explains in her article that there was a sexual assault victim named Alyssa Leader who talked to Sofie how her professor’s trigger warnings actually helped her. Leader then felt more empowered than before and was thankful for the warnings about each topic. Speaking beforehand about these warnings will help more victims with their mental battles rather than having the topic randomly discussed in class and not being able to stop the panic attack from happening. So, my question for the debate is: are trigger warnings useful? Or do they cause more harm than good?
In my personal experience, trigger warnings can have a major positive impact in protecting the mental health of victims. Like Paige stated above, seeing scenes of sexual assault can trigger victims and force them to relive memories. Because different people heal at different times, you can never know when someone is ready to see potentially triggering media. It is only fair to provide trigger warnings. In addition, trigger warnings can act as a way to emphasize the weight of certain topics and prevent desensitization to certain things. For example, a trigger warning before a sexual assault scene can convey to the viewer a sense of gravity to the situation. Certain acts aren't/ shouldn't be treated as common or acceptable, therefore trigger warnings better highlight that fact.
ReplyDeleteI believe trigger warnings are very useful and should be necessary in any setting. There are many topics that are obviously sensitive, even to those who may not have had a traumatic experience relating to whatever topic it is. Everyone handles things differently, trigger warnings can help those who have unfortunately gone through certain things be able to make the decision of whether or not they want to engage or not engage in the discussion or viewing, which they should have every right to because even the slightest words or images can trigger someone into revisiting their traumatic experiences. Personally, I'm even grateful that social media platforms put the "sensitive content' covers confirming whether or not you want to see a post. Although I haven't experienced anything they may be traumatic, there are situations where I can become overwhelmed by just the sight of someone else going through something. Therefore,I believe trigger warnings would be very helpful to all.
ReplyDelete