- Apr 13, 2006
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There is much a big fuss made of trigger warnings. Generally, it sounds as though they are dismissable, worthless notes meant to coddle and comfort a weaker CLASS of people (usually/presumably these are minorities and/or femininsts and/or women).
There are now times where I appreciate "trigger warnings". I had been working in a treatment centre for youth and we had a self harmer with borderline personality disorder. She ended up targetting me with her mind games (so....things like setting up violent rape scenes in parks, self harming extensively (100s of cuts in a session) and coming out of the her room; cutting the undersides of her tongue and trying to flick blood at me and come at me all bloodied; plus numerous others). She lived at our facility for 8 months; of our staff of 12, 7 of us were put on stress leave because of what she exposed us to). It was a terrible time. These are experiences that people in the REAL WORLD have. Incidents of trauma that affect our/their mental health. These are REAL events. Sometimes it happens due to straight up hatred; some times, it's madness.
I've seen and dealt with a lot of terrible things at my work but this was, kind of, beyond the pale. We were told, in no uncertain words that are ONLY job was to "keep her alive". It was desperation level 500.
Since she left, I have had to walk out of 2 movies and a play; albeit temporarily, just so I can compose myself again as I get quite bit of flashbacks and anxiety when I see it (as well as when I have discussions about her or self harm generally). I went back in to the movies and the play (though in the play, the topic kinda hung around ot the end...so I didn't enjoy it as much).
The common argument against these groups is in regards to the idea that people don't "need coddling". We don't take children from abusive homes and argue they don't "need coddling"; we don't welcome soldiers home who have seen combat and suggest to them that they need to buck up. Society has come FAR enough along to recognize that, post trauma, a little TLC is necessary for care and healing of others. And yet if the "average person" suffers from trauma, there is a skepticism rooted around that.
And so I would start addressing that by taking a step back and considering why these people feel they need a "safe space" at all (ie...not whether they SHOULD HAVE access to one, but just that they think they NEED one). In the same way we need to remember that Hitler was not a monster but was just a human, we need to remember that victims of trauma are regular humans. And chances are that they also have been victim to some kind of trauma or significant injustice (does the latter require a safe space? Or a trigger warning, that's another discussion).
I don't feel I need to be "coddled" per se. But at the same time, I have seen things that you have NOT seen. Nor things I would want you to see. I have felt helpless feelings that you have not felt in those moments. For me, a trigger warning gives me a chance to reflect and think about whether this play/song/activity/art whatever is something I am ready and able to consume or participate in right at this time. Am I going to have to suffer through my memories of this bloody faced girl clawing at me while two characters in a play compare self harm scars? Is that gonna bother me all night? With a PTSD sufferer, is that kinda thing then, going to affect me for several days after?
Trigger warnings allow "compromised people" the opportunity to make more informed decisions around their capacity to see things that may be upsetting for them. I fail to see why that is a bad thing.
On news and radio broadcasts we have anchors saying "And a warning, some details may be offensive...". So they give trigger warnings to the whole population with the news: There is a reason for that. Probably because the world is full of @#%@#$$ up @@#%@#% and people aren't used to seeing all that stuff.
And when people see that stuff, they are affected by it.
There are now times where I appreciate "trigger warnings". I had been working in a treatment centre for youth and we had a self harmer with borderline personality disorder. She ended up targetting me with her mind games (so....things like setting up violent rape scenes in parks, self harming extensively (100s of cuts in a session) and coming out of the her room; cutting the undersides of her tongue and trying to flick blood at me and come at me all bloodied; plus numerous others). She lived at our facility for 8 months; of our staff of 12, 7 of us were put on stress leave because of what she exposed us to). It was a terrible time. These are experiences that people in the REAL WORLD have. Incidents of trauma that affect our/their mental health. These are REAL events. Sometimes it happens due to straight up hatred; some times, it's madness.
I've seen and dealt with a lot of terrible things at my work but this was, kind of, beyond the pale. We were told, in no uncertain words that are ONLY job was to "keep her alive". It was desperation level 500.
Since she left, I have had to walk out of 2 movies and a play; albeit temporarily, just so I can compose myself again as I get quite bit of flashbacks and anxiety when I see it (as well as when I have discussions about her or self harm generally). I went back in to the movies and the play (though in the play, the topic kinda hung around ot the end...so I didn't enjoy it as much).
The common argument against these groups is in regards to the idea that people don't "need coddling". We don't take children from abusive homes and argue they don't "need coddling"; we don't welcome soldiers home who have seen combat and suggest to them that they need to buck up. Society has come FAR enough along to recognize that, post trauma, a little TLC is necessary for care and healing of others. And yet if the "average person" suffers from trauma, there is a skepticism rooted around that.
And so I would start addressing that by taking a step back and considering why these people feel they need a "safe space" at all (ie...not whether they SHOULD HAVE access to one, but just that they think they NEED one). In the same way we need to remember that Hitler was not a monster but was just a human, we need to remember that victims of trauma are regular humans. And chances are that they also have been victim to some kind of trauma or significant injustice (does the latter require a safe space? Or a trigger warning, that's another discussion).
I don't feel I need to be "coddled" per se. But at the same time, I have seen things that you have NOT seen. Nor things I would want you to see. I have felt helpless feelings that you have not felt in those moments. For me, a trigger warning gives me a chance to reflect and think about whether this play/song/activity/art whatever is something I am ready and able to consume or participate in right at this time. Am I going to have to suffer through my memories of this bloody faced girl clawing at me while two characters in a play compare self harm scars? Is that gonna bother me all night? With a PTSD sufferer, is that kinda thing then, going to affect me for several days after?
Trigger warnings allow "compromised people" the opportunity to make more informed decisions around their capacity to see things that may be upsetting for them. I fail to see why that is a bad thing.
On news and radio broadcasts we have anchors saying "And a warning, some details may be offensive...". So they give trigger warnings to the whole population with the news: There is a reason for that. Probably because the world is full of @#%@#$$ up @@#%@#% and people aren't used to seeing all that stuff.
And when people see that stuff, they are affected by it.