Persuasive Essay Against Trigger Warnings

Persuasive Essay Against Trigger Warnings

In the article The Coddling of the American Mind written by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt, they discuss the way trigger warnings effect campus life and students in American universities. According to the article trigger warnings negatively effect the campus and the students attending the university. In American universities today, the intellectual development and right to freedom of speech of students is denied as a result of the use of trigger warnings by professors to what may be perceived by some to be offensive or disturbing.

Trigger warnings cause students to see various types of content as microaggressions; microaggressions are actions or diction that are not intentionally hurtful but are

taken as a threat or insult. University students are easily disturbed by an uncomfortable situation or choice of words. The authors discuss what is seen as the overall aim of campuses may be, “To turn campuses into ‘safe spaces’ where young adults are shielded from words and ideas that make some uncomfortable”(Lukianoff and Haidt 44). The issue with shielding or protecting students from from feeling emotionally uncomfortable is that this comes with a cost in this case the cost being, other students freedom of speech on campuses in lecture halls. Students are no longer able to speak freely or without worry of being accused of insulting another student. Students now have to filter their thoughts so that what they say will not emotionally disturb another student. Trigger warnings are supposedly used for the emotional well being of the students, but these trigger warnings cause the students to be highly sensitive to content and violates the right to freedom of speech to other individuals.
Although trigger warnings may protect from emotional damage on campus, outside of the campus there are no longer trigger warnings to protect those individuals. University students must become aware of the potential hurtful words that they can be exposed to in the life off-campus. Lukianoff and Haidt comment on what trigger warnings cause in the preparation process of students,“It prepares them poorly for professional life, which often demands intellectual engagement with people and ideas one might find uncongenial or wrong” (Lukianoff and Haidt 45). Trigger warnings in the long term act as obstacles for the intellect of the student. Students have difficulty being in a professional environment or debate setting without being emotionally disturbed by the content discussed. Debates are greatly effected by the trigger warnings, Medina says in Free Speech: Is it Endangered on Campus?, “... professors tell her that the trigger warnings stifle, rather than encourage debate by effectively censoring important texts, perhaps arbitrarily” (Medina 91). Trigger warnings remove important topics of debate from educational settings preventing the students from openly discussing critical topics. In addition, trigger warnings prevent students from discussing current significant events and potentially finding solutions to the issues.
Since the issues are not being spoken about in universities by students and are neglected because of trigger warnings, conceivable solutions are being muted.

In the article a question is asked by Micheal Bloomberg, “Isn't the purpose of a university to stir discussion, not silence it?”(Medina 91). Trigger warnings cause students voices to be silenced to prevent emotional disturbance. Universities are shifting their focus from the importance of curriculum to students emotional stability. Issues that should be discussed regarding current events are being disregarded which means, students are not discussing probable solutions to everyday problems. When students leave American universities unlike in the classrooms, civilians discuss issues that are happening currently to find solution regardless of the distress it may cause

others.
Trigger warnings also affect faculty at the at the universities where trigger warnings are being used. In the online article the effect of trigger warnings says Jarvie, “They effect both teachers and students who fear to raise questions that might make others 'uncomfortable'.” (). Teachers are afraid to make comments or ask questions because they are worried to be labeled as an insulting person. Teachers are afraid to start uncomfortable discussions because they fear students may report complaints against the teacher and the curriculum. Trigger warnings have caused students to become more sensitive to topics that are meant to be strictly educational but are seen as offensive topics.Professors are highly affected by the use and backlash of trigger warnings. Professors are limited in what they are able to speak to the class about because of fear of social media. In the article The Coddling of the American Mind the affect of social media is discussed, “... the latter increasingly fear what students might do to their reputations and careers by stirring up online mobs against them.”(Lukianoff and Haidt 45). Professors become paranoid of the form they express their thoughts and the type of thoughts that are being shared. If the professors decide to not include trigger warnings for the course curriculum students may, in outrage, share their disagreement through means of social media, which could abruptly ruin the professor's reputation. They are not able to completely do their job because they are not able to talk about key and significant concepts that are controversial because students are easily offended and complain about the professor.
However, professors are not the only ones who are being greatly impacted by trigger warnings other students are being as well.

students are not able to have classroom debates without the concern of emotionally disturbing or offending a peer. In the online article Trigger Warnings and the Novelist’s Mind the author discusses the intent of trigger warnings, “ these warnings are meant to protect from public traumatic flashbacks” (). Although these trigger warnings may prevent few students from a hurtful memory they also stifle the intellectual development of the majority of the students.The students are not just being limited in terms of their freedom of speech but also in terms of the content they are able to learn; because in case that a book or article is deemed by students as inappropriate or offensive, than the book can be removed from the curriculum. The authors of The Coddling of the American Mind, “ There’s a saying common in educational circles: don’t teach students what to think; teach them how to think”(Lukianoff and Haidt 45) .Students are not able to expand their intellect as broadly confined by the trigger warnings. Students are deprived of the necessary skill development of speech and debate because they are not able to discuss argumentative topics that may cause the students

distress.
Vindictive protectiveness is a result of trigger warning. Vindictive protectiveness is best described as a way of protecting young adult form words or ideas that make them feel uncomfortable. This form of protection is a barrier or obstacle for the students, “... it prepares them poorly for professional life, which often demands intellectual engagement”( Lukianoff and Haidt 45). Students are easily offended when confronted with ideas which challenge their own or oppose their own. Vindictive protectiveness becomes an impediment in their professional careers because they are not able to consider others ideas without feeling offended.Lukianoff and Haidt describe the change in students, “...might be more desirous of protection and more hostile toward idealogical opponents than in generations past”. .Although vindictive protectiveness may serve students with PTSD, to a certain extent it isn't really helping or preventing PTSD from occurring. As Richson says in her article, “ A great difficulty of PTSD is that it can surface at any given time following a traumatic event…”( Richson 97). Censoring or trying to protect the students is very difficult considering anything could remind them of a traumatic event in cause PTSD. Vindictive protectiveness just makes students weaker off campus because entering the real world vindictive protectiveness and trigger warnings cannot and do not shield you from the words that are used because there are no longer trigger warnings. The students who suffer with PTSD can be provoked by anything that is discussed in the classroom environment it isn't reasonable to take away contents because of one student.
The intellectual development and right to freedom of speech is limited because of the use of trigger warnings on content that may be seen as offensive in American universities. In The Coddling of the American Mind by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt it is demonstrated the negative effect trigger warnings have on students and professors. Trigger warnings act as obstacles in the intellectual and professional development of students.In the article its stated, “ The new protectiveness maybe teaching students to think pathologically”(Haidt and Lukianoff 45) .Students fail to develop the skill to think critically and logically; they base all thoughts on emotions.Trigger warnings prevent students from being able to excel in their professional life as adults and educational life as students. Professors are not able to teach the important content to students if it is seen as inappropriate and so students lack that knowledge; they are afraid of starting class discussions because they are concerned that students may react sensitively and complain about the professor.Thus, the complain damages the professor’s reputation. Trigger warnings hinder students instead of help advance the student.