TW: brief mention of domestic violence
I have been very outspoken in my support of trigger warnings in the past. I believe it is crucial that we don’t shut trauma survivors of all kinds out of conversations and readings. I believe warning people about the content they are about to consume is not enabling avoidance, but choice. I believe no one else but me should decide when I read or view something that might disturb me. I believe trigger warnings are shows of compassion.
At the college where I work, there was recently a guest speaker who talked about trigger warnings. I couldn’t go, but a colleague gave me the run-down. She said this speaker was adamant that “trigger warning” is an insufficient label, and it really made me think.
A trigger is not necessarily a word or phrase or topic. Triggers are multi-sensory. I am triggered, for example, by loud, competing noises, because concurrent to my being abused was lots of screaming and throwing things and breakage. Sometimes the TV was blaring in a wholly insufficient attempt to cover those other noises. Sometimes my ears still ring. Yes, reading about domestic violence and rape can be triggering for me (less now than ever, thanks to self-care), but I have a very low tolerance for yelling.
Others might be triggered by the smell of a certain cologne, or a specific shade of this or that color. Still others might be triggered by a specific action, such as turning down a familiar road in one’s car or preparing a particular meal.
In short, what I realized–what I probably have always “known” but hadn’t put into coherent thought yet–is that the term “trigger warning” sort of misses the point. We can’t successfully prevent someone from being triggered, and we can’t put warnings on all triggering events. Perhaps the more accurate term for what we need on visual or literary media is content tags or descriptions.
What do you think?
another writing mom 
This is very true – but at least I won’t be the one actively inviting it! Lead by example as they say – haha 🙂
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I understand what you mean about loud sounds. Some people have naturally loud voices and they can view themselves as being “passionate” about a topic, but I kind of have a moment of freaking out. Screaming usually meant someone was going to say a lot of emotionally abusive things or threaten worse. I’m learning more about trigger warnings for articles.
Do you think novels/memoirs should contain a warning in the introduction? When my book comes out, I know a lot of people might think my book is about a near-death experience, but it will also cover child abuse, a suicide attempt, rape, and domestic violence. I’ve always been drawn to memoirs that cover topics like this, but sometimes I’ve been taken off guard and not expected a book to veer off in a certain direction when I wasn’t expecting the book to go in that direction.
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That’s a really good question, Tricia. My feeling is that it would be up to the author, of course, but I don’t see such warnings very often in introductions or prefaces to memoir. When I think of content labels or trigger warnings, I find I need them most when reading online. It’s easy to start clicking around and suddenly find yourself triggered by something you weren’t expecting. Sitting down to read a book is a little different. You can read blurbs on the back cover. Maybe you came across the book via a friend who recommended it, or you picked it up at a writer’s conference or the library. One could argue that you have more time to prepare or acquaint yourself with the book’s content than you do online content, maybe? I’m not sure I’m making that argument, just considering it. I will say that, as a reader, I am almost always aware of the subject matter of the book du jour before I begin reading–because I seek out books on certain topics, because I read book reviews before making book purchases, and because most books are marketed in such a way that readers have at least a general sense of the content within. Thanks for a great comment!
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I know what you mean. In the middle of a busy day, sometimes the last thing you expect is to go down that rabbit hole and think about certain subjects. I have been surprised by a few memoirs, but usually the setting, poverty, and other elements make certain trauma seem more likely. Maybe good writers give foreshadowing, and you are right…usually someone recommends the book or we’ve read a review or interview.
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I tend to use “content warning”. It is impossible to warn me for all triggers. There are sounds, smells, and many other things that you wouldn’t expect to be triggering but very much are.
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More and more, I am becoming a fan of using a “content warning.” I think you are absolutely right, triggers are multi-sensory and you can’t always protect yourself from them. Things like scents, the color of a someone’s hair, or a song playing too loud in a car as they drive past you surround you.
I like a content warning because it says (to me, anyway) “Hey, I know that you are doing a lot of work to function and consuming this content could be challenging for you.”
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I agree – I don’t put trigger warnings on my work. I always hope that the title itself should be enough for the potential reader to have an idea what’ll be in the content. Trigger warnings for me was a very new thing when I began to write professionally. For me, I’ve always dealt with trauma survivors on the basis that if they don’t talk about it – they won’t. As a trauma survivor myself I pretty much knew what I was getting myself in for before reading an article.
I also feel trigger warnings invite labelling. And I hate labels – but that’s just me and the way that I work 🙂
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I hear you, Raymond. To play devil’s advocate, I think all our work, to say nothing of our actual selves, will be labeled whether we intentionally or unintentionally invite labeling or not!
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