Seriously, WTF happened to us? I’m an adult – I don’t need to be warned that something might be objectionable. Life is fucking objectionable and no one warned me about that.
Here’s an idea – if something is too much for you to handle just leave. It’s not that complicated. And BTW – if you’re a college student (or professor), shame on you. You’re supposed to think about and discuss difficult things, it’s how you grow.
You can’t turn the world off. You can tune out, something I’m actually a big fan of, but that’s different. And let me be clear: I’m not condoning any behavior that‘s racist or misogynistic, but I am talking about art, culture, history, and discussing real issues and difficult topics (like racism and misogyny). Because trigger warnings are affecting other’s ability to explore the root causes and work towards a better understanding of how to find solutions – and you don’t do that by shutting the discussion down because it’s upsetting to you. There’s just something so nauseating and entitled about this whole idea. It’s infantilization, which, BTW, is another form of control.
So for gods sake grow some fucking balls and open your mind. If you don’t like something either ignore it or change it. But you’re not a three year old who needs to be protected from unpleasant ideas.
Learning how to deal with objectionable shit is how we become thoughtful and ethical humans.
It’s also how we learn to survive.