For most of us, we are already in the full swing of a new semester. I, myself, have already been flooded with homework assignments and reading after reading to annotate. Taking 18 credits all at once is proving to be no joke.
In the midst of trying to stay on top of my work, I came across an interesting reading I had to complete for a class I'm taking about graphic novels. The novel, which I should add was from the 1800s, dealt with suicide at various parts in the story in a light-hearted and almost joking manner. This, of course, got the wheels turning in my brain.
While this story comes from a time when suicide and mental illness weren't exactly taken seriously, we're living in a world today where these things are recognized as pressing issues and need to be talked about. So, I can't help but wonder: why didn't my teacher feel comfortable giving us a heads up about some of the content mentioned in our reading?
Considering the number of suicides there were on our campus here at Rowan University last semester, and the amount of scrutiny our Wellness Center has come under for their lack of mental health resources, I can understand why a teacher on the same campus might not want to draw attention to such content in their assigned readings.
I can also understand a teacher not wanting to use trigger warnings if they believe their students won't take them seriously. However, I feel like we're missing the perfect opportunity to open up the class to a much-needed discussion.
The bottom line is, trigger warnings exist for a reason. Our generation has gotten caught up in the idea that trigger warnings are only for the overly-sensitive and "snowflakes." In reality, there are people all around us who have gone through and are dealing with things the rest of us will never even be able to fathom, and trigger warnings exist out of respect for them.
It might be up to our educators to provide trigger warnings and open up these important discussions, but it is also up to us as students to be understanding and respectful when they do so. Otherwise, we're only contributing to the greater problem.
