If you're anything like me (you go to a public high school, you own a Facebook account, you are friends with people with a variety of different political views), you have probably heard the word "triggered" before. Unless you are very, very lucky, you have most likely heard or seen this word used in a very improper, disrespectful manner. High school kids, college students, even some adults will use "triggered" to mean: mildly upset, angry at an idea or person, or a reaction that is not appropriate to the current situation.
Triggered, in fact, does not mean any of those things. Triggered means that one sees a specific object or person, hears a certain phrase or is otherwise reminded of genuine, severe trauma. These include, but are not limited to: war flashbacks, reminders of child abuse, seeing the death of a loved one, etc. The list goes on and on. These reminders spiral on in the victim's mind, until they endure a terrifying panic attack, where they cannot breathe, cannot think clearly, and are under the impression that they are in immediate danger.
Needless to say, getting a little upset over your grade on a pop quiz is completely different than being reminded of the Vietnam War.
So, why does it matter? Why should we care? Well, do you respect your veterans? Of course you do! Many of them become genuinely triggered by things such as fireworks and guns. To use triggered lightly is to take that word away from them, from the mentally ill, and to use it to neurotypical advantage. If someone was to now say they were "triggered" and they needed immediate help, many people would laugh it off as a joke, and the victim is laughed at for something they cannot control. Furthermore, triggered jokes make fun of very real, very terrifying conditions. To say you were "triggered" is disrespectful for people who truly have terrifying panic attacks.
Trust me, if triggered meant very angry or disgusted, we would be lucky. To laugh at a triggered joke is to laugh at the mentally ill. To say one is to poke fun at them.
Mentally ill people face enough trouble with their own battles and with the stigma surrounding them. Let's not make them a joke, as well.
