Week 7

Gabriela Garcia-Mejia

Section A03

Week 7

The article by The Atlantic discussed how trigger warnings are hurting the educational system and also mental health. He states that triggers warnings are putting too many restrictions on education and that college students have taken this too far and these triggers don’t allow the person to face their problems or trauma. I understand the point of view of the authors and on some things I agree with them but on others I don’t. For example I agree that professors should not be forced to change their curriculum or cut out a course because it triggers someone or the material is too sensitive like in the example of the law course on rape. If it is too sensitive for some students then I don’t think they should take the class. But I don’t agree with them saying that trigger warnings should not exist at all. I think that there should be trigger warnings on videos or actual lectures so that people are aware of the content and then it is up to their discretion on whether or not to take that course or watch that video. But I do not think that courses should be removed, or professor’s restricted from teaching certain topics just because they have triggers because that is censoring education. Even though to me a video might be triggering to watch that does not mean that every student should be prevented from watching it. The purpose of coming to college is to get a quality education and learn about a wide range of topics that may at times be uncomfortable or shocking. I think that overall it is a sensitive subject that walks a thin line between ‘who are we to tell people when something makes them feel uneasy or in distress’ and at the same time ‘to what degree is it educational censorship".

Question:Could the overuse of trigger warnings be hurting their validity among society?

Resources:

[Cartoon]. (2015, June 13). Retrieved May 11, 2017, from http://www.economist.com/news/unitedstates/21654157-student-safety-has-become-real-threat-free-speech-campus-trigger-unhappy

Haidt, G. L., & Haidt, J. (2015, November 20). The Coddling of the American Mind. Retrieved May 09, 2017, from https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/09/the-coddling-of-the-american-mind/399356/