Trigger warnings seem to a relatively recent phenomenon. They've come partly from the internet, partly from a changing academic landscape, partly from the increasingly postmodern attitude in this country. I understand that trigger warnings are intended to be courteous and a way to protect people from potentially offensive content, but in most cases I think they stand to do more harm than good. Here's why.

First of all, what is a trigger?

The first thing everyoe needs to realize is the difference between a trigger and something that makes you uncomfortable. A trigger causes you to do something destructive to yourself or others that you would not have otherwise done. Reading about a tragic part of history, a violent crime, or something else of that nature is going to make people uncomfortable, and it should, but with a few exceptions I think it's unlikely to cause a damagingly negative reaction that they woudn't have had toward anything else. Just because something is a difficult topic doesn't mean it shouldn't be discussed, on the contrary, it usually means it should be talked about by people who have experienced it more than anyone. Which brings me to my next point.

Trigger warnings dehumanize trauma survivors

This may sound counter-intuitive, but hear me out. I realize that it can be painful to read or watch something that makes reference to a traumatic experience that you've been through, and topics like suicide, self-harm, torture, sexual violence, or any other serious subject should be handled respectfully, sensitively, and with the audience and intended purpose in mind. But to put trigger warnings on every piece of art, non-fiction, or online content that includes a reference to a potentially painful topic survivors of those things seem like damaged victims who can't handle the reality of the trauma they've been through. I'm not saying that individual people who have survived really bad things have to talk about them, or that they're weak if they don't want to do so; it's up to the individual to know what is best for him or herself. All I'm saying is that stamping any topic with a trigger warning because it might be painful for those who have lived through it silence the voices of those very survivors in the conversation. People who have been through trauma are not damaged goods, and we shouldn't dance around them by implying that they can't engage a serious issue with just as much awareness and insight as anyone. More, in fact, if they have firsthand experience with it.

Trigger warnings are unrealistic

Pretending your problems don't exist is no way to go about solving them. When trigger warnings make a serious problem taboo or make people even more hesitant to engage it than they already are, it's incredibly counterproductive. Many things that are wrong with the world persist because they are largely ignored, and giving people license to continue ignoring them because they're "touchy" or "sensitive" topics is not going to fix anything.

I understand that trigger warnings are part of the culture in some places, especially online, where people are more likely to stumble across something they weren't expecting to be confronted with. But overall, I think they hurt more than they help.