Persuasive Essay On Free Speech

Good morning, Ms. Bengzon, adjudicators, classmates, and fellow debaters. I am Anika Casimiro, this debate’s government whip. As previously mentioned by Bea and Kathleen, the motion of today’s debate is “This house supports the use of trigger warnings in a university setting”. As established earlier by Bea, triggers are mentions of people, places, things or situations that can evoke symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Reactions to these triggers are generally relative to the those experiencing it, and are highly unpredictable. In present, there are quite a number of triggers for PTSD, the most common ones being, war stress, sudden death, graphic rape, and child abuse. Considering reactions to these, so-called, “distressing” materials often differs per person, we can infer …show more content…
Trigger warnings don’t hurt anyone, but protect those who have been hurt. A brief warning on the content does not change the context of which the writer had in mind in the creation of his written piece. It does not reduce the meaning the content, therefore readers should not be bothered by its presence prior to a written work. To be clear, today’s debate is not centered on free speech because trigger warnings are not censors. Any person who suggests that the trigger warning movement aims to eliminate controversial material from a course or a syllabus, gravely misinterprets the meaning of trigger warning. We are not asking to censor the educational material the university provides, because that would negate the purpose of being in school. We are all for pushing the boundaries, and learning outside of one’s comfort zone, but let me tell you, there is a distinct difference between feeling uncomfortable in a classroom and feeling unsafe in one. What we are asking for is basic decency in the classroom, a brief warning before a class discussion shows not only of an “awareness” of social issues that are real and ever present in the world, but also support and “oneness” with people who have