Vent: That comment in my political science seminar about using "trigger warnings" for every topic really bugged me

A junior said we should put trigger warnings on everything from police brutality to tax policy and I asked her if that kind of filtering is just censorship with a smiley face, has anyone else had this debate in a class discussion?

2 comments

2 Comments

joseph_coleman2d ago

Yeah and then people wonder why the real world hits them like a ton of bricks. I once asked for a trigger warning before a group project because I'm terrified of spreadsheets and everyone just stared at me like I had three heads. Point is wrapping everything in bubble wrap doesn't teach you how to deal with stuff you disagree with or find uncomfortable. That filter stuff sounds nice but it's just a way to avoid having to actually defend your ideas in a debate. I'd rather get my feelings hurt and learn something than live in a safe little box where nobody challenges me.

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clark.iris2d ago

Getting my feelings hurt and learning something" really stuck out to me, @joseph_coleman. I actually had a buddy from college who took a philosophy class (required, not his choice). He tried to warn the professor that one of the readings might trigger him because it talked about his religion in a negative way. The professor just said "read it anyway and tell me why you disagree." My friend was mad for like a week, but then he wrote this whole paper tearing the argument apart and said it was the best grade he ever got. So yeah, sometimes you gotta sit in the discomfort to actually grow, you know?