Trigger Warnings: A Form Of Covert Narcissism
I've thought this for a while. They are yet another way for people who have done nothing noteworthy to get attention and have unearned power over others.
Liz posts at feelsandreels:
Kent University's professor of sociology Frank Furedi claims that calls for trigger warnings are a form of "narcissism," with a student's desire to assert their own importance acting as more of a factor than the content they are exposed to.
And about the now practically institutionalized infantilization of college students, she writes:
Despite beginning as a way of conscientiously moderating internet forums for abuse survivors and war veterans (although, I would imagine one seeking out a site for rape survivor discussion would already anticipate the included subject matter), trigger warnings are now serving as a threat to open intellectual discussion and debate, both on and offline. By requiring trigger warnings on classroom material, a message is being sent that an institution is more obligated to provide individualized comfort than an intellectually stimulating environment, and the removal of "triggering material" robs all students of the opportunity to learn about both historical and modern influences on the world they live in.
But, again, that's what these students are going for. They've done nothing; they're nobody. All they have is their ability to stop other students from getting an education that will help them become the somebodies they can never be -- you know, without actual work instead of just sniveling their way into importance.
And as I've noted before: If you are so emotionally traumatized by the normal college curriculum, you do belong in an institution, but not one of "higher learning."
> a message is being sent that an institution is more obligated to provide individualized comfort than an intellectually stimulating environment
1. students (mostly girls) wear pajamas to class
2. multimillion dollar rec centers
3. multimillion dollar food zoos
4. tweeting/facebooking in class
Sadly, I doubt trigger warnings had much impact on that.
jerry at April 23, 2015 11:14 PM
In general I agree with you. Trigger warnings are BS.
However, good Professors have been giving a form of "trigger warnings" for quite a few decades now they just aren't called that. If a Professor plans to talk about a potentially sensitive topic in their class, they usually mention it on the first day of class, during the syllabus review.
That is the "trigger warning". If a student doesn't want to read a controversial book on the syllabus like "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn", because of its racism, then they can drop the course and sign up for a new course, often with no repercussions.
I think many of the issues related to "trigger warnings" can be attributed to miscommunication.
I do agree, college students should be challenged with new ideas. To do otherwise is to rob them of a good education.
Ryan James at April 24, 2015 3:13 AM
I think many of the issues related to "trigger warnings" can be attributed to miscommunication.
What do you mean, Ryan?
Amy Alkon at April 24, 2015 5:26 AM
I do agree, college students should be challenged with new ideas. To do otherwise is to rob them of a good education.
You're starting from a false premise. Namely that college is about getting a good education. As currently practiced, I would say it isn't. It's about squeezing as much money out of students and the public (via guaranteed student loans for any and all majors) and padding the nests of administrators in universities, as well as text book sellers.
Otherwise, explain how some of the "Occupy Wall Street" crowd ended up with student loan debts measured in hundreds of thousands but couldn't land a job higher up the food chain than barista at Starbucks?
I R A Darth Aggie at April 24, 2015 7:41 AM
It's been my contention for a while now that leftism is the political expression of narcissism. This is simply one aspect of the elimination of merit-based anything in America, which is what the narcissists want.
Cousin Dave at April 24, 2015 7:57 AM
Source: https://mobile.twitter.com/Will_Antonin/status/591437523236364290
I R A Darth Aggie at April 24, 2015 8:09 AM
I maintain trigger warnings should be reserved only for those who have a valid mental health diagnosis. Not for those who wish to co-opt the illness-du-jour for their own aggrandizement.
Patrick at April 24, 2015 10:43 AM
If only life came with a warning label, like the ones on albums or TV shows.
Although I'm not sure how useful those actually are; the one on the television show I watched last night warned me that the show contained "Language."
Language? Oh no. And here I was hoping to watch an hour of people grunting at each other.
Conan the Grammarian at April 24, 2015 11:15 AM
And they didn't even have the courtesy to tell you which language the show was going to be using.
Patrick at April 24, 2015 11:34 AM
These students have been raised by "helicopter parents" who protected them from the slightest inconvenience. Naturally they would demand that college administrators and teachers helicopter their college years.
It's so bad that John Hopkins University has banned Chic a fil from their campus as it may be a micro aggression for potential students.
Jay at April 24, 2015 2:04 PM
"I maintain trigger warnings should be reserved only for those who have a valid mental health diagnosis."
Yes, and they should be in therapy not college.
David H at April 24, 2015 3:26 PM
I think Ryan has a good point - read the course description and ask for a copy of the class syllabus BEFORE you sign up if you really do have a "problem" with something.
Heck, when I was in school I always tried to find out what the class was about before signing up. I didn't need any trigger warnings - I just didn't want to waste my money on a class that wasn't what I wanted.
And, Amy, I think you're right - it is a form of lording power over others when you haven't done anything to deserve it. It seems to mostly be those who can't do anything or prove themselves worthy of anything except calling others out on their non-PCness who call for trigger warnings
charles at April 25, 2015 6:00 AM
Hi Amy,
What I meant by miscommunication was a small number of professors may discuss certain topics in an insensitive way. That's their bad, and they deserve to be corrected.
On the flip side, of course, some students are too sensitive. They get offended by almost anything. They should grow a thicker skin.
Most of us bounce around somewhere between the two extremes, and it varies by topics. If I talk about topic X and crack a few stupid jokes that doesn't necessarily mean I won't be offended by jokes someone else cracks about topic Y. Eh... that's just how people are.
So I agree, trigger warnings are silly. But, this is the world we live in. And I think that for the most part they shouldn't be used, but occasionally it isn't a bad idea to give one. George Carlin discussed similar ideas.
Ryan James at April 25, 2015 7:21 AM
Shortly after my now-wife and I started going out, I watched her pre-teen niece play with her cousins (all boys). When she was getting beaten in games or could not keep up, she started crying. Her mother would, of course, come to her rescue and remonstrate the boys to "play nicely."
Little surprise, then, that the boys would avoid playing with her and often choose activities almost solely on the basis that they knew she wouldn't want to participate in them (tackle football, etc.).
She cried at her grandfather's funeral, making sure she was crying harder and louder than anyone else. Of course, she got attention as her mother and grandmother (who had lost her husband of 20+ years) soothed her upset feelings.
I don't think she calculated these moves as in "if I cry louder," but I think somewhere inside her subconscious, there was an awareness that this was a way to get attention and gain power over others. And one day, that knowledge made it to her conscious brain. At that point, her usefulness to society was done.
She was never the sharpest tool in the shed, but she wasn't mentally handicapped, just lazy. She struggled in school until given one-on-one attention. With that, her grades picked up.
Her parents got her into softball and other activities, making sure she had her own accomplishments and skills (her younger brother was a rising football star at the high school). They drove all over the state of California, taking her to tournaments and games. Despite a talent for softball (she could have gotten a college scholarship), she eventually dropped all activities that required her to work hard and put her efforts into finding boyfriends and drama.
Today, she has trouble holding down a job (and won't join the military) because she doesn't like people telling her what to do. She is living with (off) her boyfriend and refuses to move back in with her mother because her mother has rules for living in her house.
The "trigger warnings" people remind me of her - immature and narcissistic with absolutely no self-awareness.
Conan the Grammarian at April 25, 2015 9:32 AM
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