Friday 27 November 2015
I'm Being Triggered.
I have been back and forth about how I feel about trigger warnings. I still have not found a concrete answer. I do value them sometimes, I think that it is kind and thoughtful to let people know that there might be content in the video or post that is violent. Calling them trigger warnings is where I am conflicted. There is no way to now what will trigger someone, as we discussed in class.
The video that we watched in class about the two girls discussing the power bill was amusing but it was not an accurate portrayal of what being triggered is like. It is like the floor falls out beneath you and you can not breath and you are taken right back to that place where your trauma occurred. No one can prepare for it or predict it will happen. What we all have to do is be compassionate to those around us. To think before we speak. To acknowledge that people around us have not had the same experiences as we have. To not say that one trauma is more extreme than another and that one trigger is not more serious than another. Kindness and thoughtfulness is really what I am asking for.
I really like in Lisa Duggan's On Trauma and Trigger Warnings, in Three Parts, she addresses her own trigger is a barking dog and states that she has had to find a way to deal with the panic attacks. She knows that triggers are real and how they impact a persons daily life. This being said she is also critical of how they might be being used to protect instead of address. Lisa gives the example of anti-gay Christian students using the defense of trigger warnings to get out of broadening their mind with engaging in queer material. This is a great example of how 'trigger warnings' are being taken advantage of. If people continue to use them as a way to leave the room when they feel a bit uncomfortable then people will not overcome that feeling of discomfort and become a more accepting and informed individual.
I think that the conversation around trigger warning and the misuse of them tie back to the stigma around mental illness. There are still some psychologists that do not believe Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a real disorder. Since there is still so much fear and ignorance around mental illness, the idea that a person could be 'set off' into a psychotic rage over a video or article is dismissed. We know a psychotic rage is not what would happen but to the larger population they have no idea.
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Hi Morgan! I really enjoyed reading your post in response to triggers because you brought a very "real" perspective into the conversation. At times in the classroom, especially when discussing such deep and difficult subject matter such as trauma and sexual assault, we tend to look at the material "from above" through a theoretical lens. However, as Lauren mentioned in her blog from this week, feminist standpoint theory encourages us to look at these issues "on the ground," or from the perspective of those who are marginalized and oppressed.
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate when you said that what we need to be doing is to "be compassionate to those around us. To think before we speak. To acknowledge that people around us have not had the same experiences as we have. To not say that one trauma is more extreme than another and that one trigger is not more serious than another." I think that this clearly moves us away from the danger of responsibilizing the bodies that are triggered. Instead, you are shifting the responsibility to be aware from triggered bodies to those whose actions may potentially trigger those bodies and minds. I feel like this is reminiscent of the community accountability model that we had discussed earlier in the term. Although there are both benefits and challenges to this perspective, I personally feel that it's extremely important to think about.
This leads me to think about the idea of censorship that many of the opinions against trigger warnings use in their counter arguments. As an English major, I've always thought that the ideas of censoring material in literature and readings in curriculums are really interesting and controversial to say the least. But the kind of trigger warnings and perhaps trigger "awareness" that you have mentioned in your blog does not imply any form of censorship. Simply, you're discussing a movement to becoming more considerate and aware. A blog post called "Life Is "Triggering." The Best Literature Should Be, Too." (https://newrepublic.com/article/121790/life-triggering-best-literature-should-be-too) describes a very strong argument against triggers in the classroom based on the idea that to deal with triggers actually means censoring that material. As the blogger explains a specific example of a student who was triggered during a reading of the myth of Persephone, the blogger states, "she should be getting help for her triggering from a therapist, not from a professor" (Coyne). While there are a few things worthy of criticism in this statement, what stands out to me is the way in which it seems to exempt the professor from any kind of responsibility to be mindful and aware of that "people around us have not had the same experiences as us." Instead, it places the responsibility to "deal" with these triggers on the student and furthermore, reinforces the idea that they are responsible for seeking professional help from someone who is "qualified" to "resolve" these "issues."
Thank you for your blog! Similar to you, I have been swaying back and forth on my feelings surrounding trigger warnings. I think the point you brought up about how you take issue with calling them “trigger warnings” is really important and I’d also like to briefly touch on that. I agree with your point that it is unfair of us to create a list of triggers as who has the authority to decide what is triggering and what is not? Why do we place emphasis on some potentially re-traumatizing things and not others? The discourse around trigger warnings seems problematic in itself. It also seems that calling something a trigger warning makes it feel very medicalized and allows people to misconstrue trigger warnings as something politically correct culture is forcing them to do – but I think, after the readings and discussion we have had, that at the heart of trigger warnings is keeping ourselves in check and thinking before we share.
ReplyDeleteI think that your line “kindness and thoughtfulness is really what I am asking for” speaks to what I see as the core of trigger warnings. They are not about being “triggered” and not able to have discussions about power bills, and having to do breathing exercises and make sure our energy to each other is in tune – they are about the recognition of our individual lived experiences. I think that (when used well), trigger warnings can be a way to recognize that trauma can affect anyone, and that there are collective traumas out there which are caused due to structural inequality and to recognize that these should be discussed. As was mentioned, trigger warnings should not be a way for people to disengage with material, but rather a way for people to navigate through material and be able to find their footing; they should be a way for people to see what they are going to be reading/ discussing and give them time beforehand to prepare themselves to engage with material (or figure out how to prepare for it). Trigger warnings should be used as a way to ensure people are able to engage and debate issues with each other.
In an article I found, “Trigger or Not, Warnings Matter” by Julie A. Winterich (https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2015/10/09/middle-ground-trigger-warnings-essay) there is a discussion on how we should be recognizing the fact that mental health is a huge concern for university students. Winterich argues that she tells students about topics that may be uncomfortable, or triggering, for students on the first day so that her students have adequate time to make other arrangements with her in case they are absolutely not able to come to class because of the triggering aspects of something the class is engaging with. She is quick to point out however that this does not mean the student is excused from the material, it just means they take time to engage with it on their own (or in class with her support) – she says “if a student cannot view a film or discuss raw readings in the class setting, they are still responsible for that material, just as is a student who cannot attend class because they have a fever or other illness.” I think this is a key part of our discussion on trigger warnings – they are an important part of the discussion on mental health, and how to ensure that academia is a place people are able to engage with material while not burning out, or suffering because of school.