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Trigger Warnings - (I issue one for this post)

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Original post by Damien96
How else would you have any clue what might trigger someone? My point is that type of behaviour is appropriate for a therapy session, not society in general.


well i'm not trained in psychiatry but i know that reading/watching about war could make a soldier relive their trauma, or the same with rape for victims
just because you might not be able to cover everything doesn't mean you shouldn't do what you can
Reply 21
Original post by defenestrated
well i'm not trained in psychiatry but i know that reading/watching about war could make a soldier relive their trauma, or the same with rape for victims
just because you might not be able to cover everything doesn't mean you shouldn't do what you can


Nonsense, doing "What you can" only ends in censorship. I don't need to be told what I can speak of or joke about. That way of thinking will only end in sweeping important issues under the carpet.

Life is traumatic, that doesn't mean we should spend the short time we have on this earth like some apologetic undertaker.
Original post by Damien96
Nonsense, doing "What you can" only ends in censorship. I don't need to be told what I can speak of or joke about. That way of thinking will only end in sweeping important issues under the carpet.

Life is traumatic, that doesn't mean we should spend the short time we have on this earth like some apologetic undertaker.


? that's not what a trigger warning is
there isn't any censorship you still say what you want
all of you have to do is say a few words at the start which could really help someone
I don't see how that's a problem
Reply 23
Original post by defenestrated
? that's not what a trigger warning is
there isn't any censorship you still say what you want
all of you have to do is say a few words at the start which could really help someone
I don't see how that's a problem


That is how trigger warnings are increasingly used. It is another in a long list of weapons that some use to shut down conversation and paint themselves, or groups on their behalf, as victims.

Disclaimers are increasingly being demanded, until no one ends up saying anything about anything.

If you are comfortable preempting sentences with apologies then knock yourself out, but I resent it deeply.
Original post by KingBradly
Trigger warnings are a fad that will die out in about a year.


Trigger warnings are not a fad they've been around for years???

I actually think they were common on this site in 2009/10 than now. I remember most threads about sexual abuse/ rape had trigger warnings in their title.

Which I agree with. Why shouldn't people (especially victims) be warned if they are about to be confronted with something potentially distressing, and too close to home?

And the process of being triggered is actually a very real concept for those with mental disorders such as PTSD.
Original post by Damien96
How else would you have any clue what might trigger someone? My point is that type of behaviour is appropriate for a therapy session, not society in general.


Common sense. Empathy. Logic?
Original post by defenestrated
trigger warnings are meant to be for people with ptsd, not for people who just might be sensitive


Actually this reminds me of an incident; a guy on a bus I was on was "triggered", so to speak, having PTSD from the army. He started to go nuts creaming "let me off the bus let me off the bus!!" If a trigger warning can prevent that, that is enough. This is far less trivial then just "sensitive people".

When the person and his companion got off, after the bus driver stopped the bus, the ex-soldier just lied in a foetal position on the grass on the side of the road, with the other person hugging him.

It was tragic, it was sad, and if a meagre "trigger warning" would stop that, I'm all for it, despite its misuse.

Original post by Damien96
Yeah, unless we are all going to be trained in psychiatry it can only end ridiculously and even they can laugh about their patients once they've left the room.
(edited 7 years ago)
The only time I think trigger warnings are necessary if you're on a mental health forum and about to type something that is can trigger emotional trauma in a victim browsing a post.
Seems like we need trigger warnings for trigger warnings because you seem pretty triggered OP.
Reply 30
Original post by Twinpeaks
Common sense. Empathy. Logic?


Everything can be a trigger to specific individuals, common sense would only apply if you knew someone you were addressing has a specific trauma relating to something you are about to say.

The problem isn't broaching a subject openly, it is that the someone has been traumatised.

It is not in any way logical to start each sentence with a disclaimer or warning as if, as individuals, we are an episode of Eastenders.

What you are advocating is not empathy or, more importantly, compassion, it is manufacturing language until all the sharp edges of life have been filed down and we are reduced to humourless, grovelling Orwellian interactions.

Again, by all means, communicate in such a way, just don't shame others into joining in.
Reply 31
Original post by SmileyVibe
The only time I think trigger warnings are necessary if you're on a mental health forum and about to type something that is can trigger emotional trauma in a victim browsing a post.


Precisely.

What it is actually used for is a method to stifle conversation and to run self-righteous flags up the pole of sanctimony.
Reply 32
Original post by JordanL_
Seems like we need trigger warnings for trigger warnings because you seem pretty triggered OP.


As I said, everything can be a trigger :smile:
Original post by Damien96
Everything can be a trigger to specific individuals, common sense would only apply if you knew someone you were addressing has a specific trauma relating to something you are about to say.

The problem isn't broaching a subject openly, it is that the someone has been traumatised.

It is not in any way logical to start each sentence with a disclaimer or warning as if, as individuals, we are an episode of Eastenders.

What you are advocating is not empathy or, more importantly, compassion, it is manufacturing language until all the sharp edges of life have been filed down and we are reduced to humourless, grovelling Orwellian interactions.

Again, by all means, communicate in such a way, just don't shame others into joining in.


Common sense would actually be to use probability.

The probability of a person being triggered by an explicit rape story vs the probability of a person being triggered by a story of a balloon.

Common sense. The human brain uses mental models of probability all the time. You can easily know what's more likely to trigger someone. Yes there are exceptions to the rule, but no one would hold you accountable for that. You know, what is more likely to trigger someone.
Reply 34
Original post by Twinpeaks
Common sense would actually be to use probability.

The probability of a person being triggered by an explicit rape story vs the probability of a person being triggered by a story of a balloon.

Common sense. The human brain uses mental models of probability all the time. You can easily know what's more likely to trigger someone. Yes there are exceptions to the rule, but no one would hold you accountable for that. You know, what is more likely to trigger someone.


That sounds like a restrictive, censored way to live a life to me. I'm sure Apple with come up with an App with the correct algorithm to minimise the chances of someone being triggered, but I'd rather live in a world with natural conversation, satire and open expression.
Original post by Damien96
That sounds like a restrictive, censored way to live a life to me. I'm sure Apple with come up with an App with the correct algorithm to minimise the chances of someone being triggered, but I'd rather live in a world with natural conversation, satire and open expression.


It's just part of social conventions, a social norm that comes natural to most. If you struggle then you need to work on your social skills.

If you can't tell what's is or isn't appropriate in social conversation that you must struggle.
Reply 36
Original post by Twinpeaks
It's just part of social conventions, a social norm that comes natural to most. If you struggle then you need to work on your social skills.

If you can't tell what's is or isn't appropriate in social conversation that you must struggle.


***This is a trigger warning I issue to warn you, and anyone else reading it, that I shall be using the subject of rape in the context of hyperbole in order to highlight the fatuous claims of the poster.***

Yes because I don't feel the need to start each sentence about a difficult subject with a disclaimer I must be forcing my way into women's shelters and making rape jokes.
Original post by Damien96
The problem with the concept of trigger warnings is they never address the problem, in fact they only serve to deflect from it.

Bad things happen to people, this should not lead to the entire population self-censoring when it comes to difficult topics.

It seems that, for some, open conversation, opinion and, god forbid, humour are bigger problems than acts of violence.


http://thesatedire.com/news/uk-news/paedophiles-to-issue-trigger-warnings/


I mean I get that and I do but when it comes to something on the internet if there is a vulnerable person who stumbles upon someone upsetting to them or their mental health without warning because there wasn’t a trigger warning then that can have negative connotations.

I think it’s just about how to find the balance between realistic warnings and over doing it
Reply 38
Original post by flamingolover
I mean I get that and I do but when it comes to something on the internet if there is a vulnerable person who stumbles upon someone upsetting to them or their mental health without warning because there wasn’t a trigger warning then that can have negative connotations.

I think it’s just about how to find the balance between realistic warnings and over doing it


Rather par for the course if using the internet though isnt it?
Well yes but it’s very easy to stumble upon things that are completely different to what you wanted to find. I was googling mythology once and I’m pretty sure I stumbled upon porn. So when it comes to sensitive material there should be warnings

Violent and upsetting images in films have age ratings and content warnings so why shouldn’t internet posts. Exposure to things is still exposure.

The extent to which trigger warnings are used is ridiculous and stupid but the actual concept of them has been used in tv and film to protect and inform people about the content I.E to keep kids away from violent or sexual content.

Scenarios are different but the principle is the same