Are trigger alerts shielding college students from new ideas?
The term spoiler alert has become ubiquitous in our society as a product of todays television watching public, which DVRs programs that are often viewed…
Some students are requesting ‘trigger warnings’ on literature and courses at colleges and universities in the US. (Shutterstock)
The term spoiler alert has become ubiquitous in our society as a product of todays television watching public, which DVRs programs that are often viewed days or weeks after they first aired. The same goes for movies with plots and endings that could spoil the viewing experience.
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Now gaining momentum on college campuses around the nation is something similar called trigger warnings, which enlighten students to potentially stressful classroom-required reading materials (ranging from descriptive scenes of rape and battle to racism and oppression).
While most are sensitive to those who have experienced the aforementioned hardships, whats being debated is whether such policy is the product of a politically correct world gone amuck or even censorship.
Thousands of years of art and literature have been provocative and disturbing, said Marshall, who added these works are important because they advance our understanding of social ills.
He added, Think of Oedipus Rex, which contains scenes of violence, patricide, incest, and death. In addition, there are many works of art, film, and literature that contain disturbing images in order to prevent social ills, such as violence against women.
Trigger warnings have been linked to mainstream classics such as The Great Gatsby and The Merchant of Venice because of violence, misogyny and racial slurs.
While the perception may be that trigger warnings are popping up on conservative campuses, the opposite is true. Virginia Woolfs novel Mrs. Dalloway, which covers thoughts of suicide, was tagged at Rutgers University, while vaulted liberal arts haven Oberlin College targeted Chinua Achebes Things Fall Apart regarding its view of colonialism.
Naturally, the notion of trigger warnings has elicited various responses on college campuses.
The notion of trigger warnings has elicited various responses on college campuses. (Photo by Shuttershock)
Oberlin College Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Meredith Raimondo pointed out trigger warnings were intended as suggestions not required by professors.
She said, I quite object to the argument of Kids today need to toughen up, she said. That absolutely misses the reality that were dealing with. We have students coming to us with serious issues, and we need to deal with that respectfully and seriously.
Oberlin College Professor of Politics and East Asian Studies Marc Blecher offered a different opinion.
He said, If I were a junior faculty member looking at this while putting my syllabus together, Id be terrified. Any student who felt triggered by something that happened in class could file a complaint with the various procedures and judicial boards, and create a very tortuous process for anyone.
Going forward, it appears the discussion over trigger warnings will, well, trigger more debates without any conclusion on the horizon.
I have a feminist objection to the notion that women need to be inoculated against certain issues, said former Federal Judge and Harvard Law School Professor Nancy Gertner. Women need to engage, to come to grips with these issues. There are no more trigger warnings the minute they graduate.
SEE ALSO: The women’s literature debate
