Trigger Warning

Improved Essays
Why Trigger Warnings can not be Implemented
In recent discussions of trigger warnings, a controversial issue has been whether college and universities should enforce this movement that prevent students from being exposed to important academic content. A trigger warning is, according to the article The Coddling of the Mind by Jonathan Haidt and Greg Lukianoff, “Alerts that professors are expected to issue if something in a course might cause a strong emotional response” (Haidt, Lukianoff). These alerts forewarn students who have experienced a trauma, i.e. rape, abuse, race, or so forth about course material that might include any of them. Trigger warnings can not be implemented because most students do not realize how this movement will actually cause more harm than good as it denies them a fully developed academic and intellectual experience, critical thinking in the classroom, and prepares them poorly for professional life. Regarding trigger warnings, another term that has risen amongst college campuses is something called microaggressions. “…a micro-aggression - a question, a comment, even an intended compliment, sometimes, that nevertheless suggests something demeaning” (“Microaggressions: Be Careful What You Say”). For example, saying to a friend or person you come in contact with, “You’re very pretty for a dark-skinned boy/ girl”, while some might take this as a compliment others might take this as an insult as it indicates a dark skinned person is supposed to be ugly. Another example of a microaggression is asking a Hispanic if they speak Spanish. A harmless question it seems, yet for a few people it is offensive as it implies just because they are Hispanic means they know how to speak Spanish. Some people might view a comment, question, book as a microaggression and this is where trigger warnings come into play. Students for trigger warnings, do not realize pursuing this movement affects other students ' exposure to material that has educational value. In Michael Bloomberg’s speech On the Repression of Free Expression he explains, “Great universities are places where people of all backgrounds, holding all beliefs pursuing all questions, can come to study and debate their ideas - freely and openly” (Bloomberg). Colleges expose students to different religions, race, beliefs and with that diversity means different thinking or how other people might see what you disagree with, therefore building great classroom discussions.Trigger warnings imply that students in college and/or university should restrain themselves from advocating their opinions and beliefs because it might trigger a trauma of a classmate. Not only do these warnings affect students’ intellectual discussions but it also compromises a professor’s teaching. In Bloomberg’s speech he states, “...the whole purpose of granting tenure to professors is to ensure that they feel free to conduct research on ideas that run afoul of university politics and societal norms” (Bloomberg). Bloomberg expresses his idea of what a professor should fulfill as a professor; which is to acquire research from various
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Overton’s response to the adjustment, “This implies that professors ought to go through their syllabi line by line to consider what might trigger a traumatic memory for some students” (Overton). Notice how he used the word might? How is a professor supposed to know what assignment or book might trigger a traumatic event? Students have to speak up when they do not agree on something and trigger warnings take away from this …show more content…
In Jonathan Haidt and Greg Lukianoff’s article The Coddling of the Mind he expresses how trigger warnings might even be viewed as “vindictive protectiveness” as “It is creating a culture in which everyone must think twice before speaking up, lest they face charges of insensitivity, aggression, or worse” (Haidt, Lukianoff). This kind of protectiveness does not benefit a student in any way, mainly because it prevents them from engaging in intellectual discussions with people and ideas that they might not always agree with; a bad aspect if you want to succeed professionally in your career. This article also adds a common saying in education circles, “Don’t teach students what to think; teach them how to think” (Haidt, Lukianoff). By protecting students from course material that is needed in order to prepare them for professional life, a professor is teaching them what to think. By keeping course material with explicit content so that students can actually engage in collegiate discussions with people and ideas without causing a few of their peers

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