Trigger Warnings In School

As an avid Tumblr browser, I have seen a deal of trigger warnings which are statements intended to warn that what follows could be disturbing and discusses what could be a cause for trauma. However, the first time I have ever even heard of someone expecting a trigger warning outside of internet blogs was two years ago in my high school English class when we were discussing Of Mice and Men. One girl, who I will call Emma, confronted the teacher before we could even get into the discussion, complaining that the teacher had not issued trigger warnings for the apparent sexism and euthanasia issues developed in the novel. Since then I have read stories of college students demanding trigger warnings in their classes. School is meant to prepare students for what you will have to deal with in life, so why should teachers be expected to issue trigger warnings when there is little chance warnings will be issued in the game of life? I believe that the use of trigger warnings should not be mandated in classes …show more content…
Sarah Roff states, "One of my biggest concerns about trigger warnings is that they will apply not just to those who have experienced trauma, but to all students, creating an atmosphere in which they are encouraged to believe that there is something dangerous or damaging about discussing difficult aspects of our history." since fears can be acquired from the fears expressed by peers, the increased stress on trigger warnings can cause an baseless fear of certain subjects in the larger population of students unaffected by trauma (Roff). By mandating the use of trigger warnings on campuses, there is a likelihood that irrational fears will be instilled in collegiate minds and the next generation of graduates will enter the workforce as a victimized and overly sensitive group of