TW: Mental Illness, Homophobic Slurs, Sexual Assault

Dear Everyone who makes “Triggered” Jokes,

My trauma isn’t a fucking punchline.

Because I go to a public high school, I’ve conditioned myself to ignore most of the terrible things high schoolers say, ranging anywhere from rude comments to straight up calling me a faggot. Recently, though, I’ve observed a ridiculous amount of jokes surrounding the concept of being “triggered”. Google defines a trigger as “a stimulus such as a smell, sound, or sight that triggers feelings of trauma.”, while most of these jokes surround the idea that some minor discomfort or annoyance has “Triggered” them. But at what point does the belittling of actual trauma victims lived experiences and day to day struggles become comic? Think of the war veteran who can’t leave their house on the Fourth of July because the fireworks force memories of the battlefield to the forefront of their mind. Think of the sexual assault Survivor, who can’t be touched without recalling horrific memories. Why are the actual psychological effects of trauma funny? For every kid I’ve called out, I ask them why, and funnily enough, not a single one has been able to explain the humor behind the joke.

So to all of you who find those jokes funny, Triggers are real, tangible things that make living in a society that refuses to help people with mental health issues, in even the simplest ways, extremely difficult and your forms of degrading humor sure don’t help. Day to day survival in a society that expects us to function the same way as everyone else is a struggle, not only because of the pressure we put on ourselves to perform the same ways but also because of the ridiculous stigma that follows mental illness. You all sure wouldn’t make fun of a war veteran who lost a limb in the line of duty, so why is it ok to degrade one who suffered damage to a different part of the body? And honestly, It’s really not too much to ask to not make trigger jokes, if that’s really all you’ve got in your humor toolbox, sorry to have to tell you this, but you really weren’t that funny to begin with.

Sincerely,
Someone who's put up with too much bullshit for far too long.