Essay Why I Use Trigger Warnings

When thinking of safe spaces and trigger warnings what comes to mind? A place where all differences are accepted and never downgraded. A trigger warning that there may be content ahead that some people may be uncomfortable with. Safe spaces and trigger warnings should be encouraged on college campuses because you never know what lies beneath the surface and what someone could be going through. While searching more on the topics three authors helped me understand more why safe spaces and trigger warnings are important roles on a college campus. Safe spaces, which are an important role on college campuses, are defined as “a place (as on a college campus) intended to be free of bias, conflict, criticism, or potentially threatening actions, ideas,

Trigger warnings are just a little heads up that the material ahead may be troubling to some. Not all material is so detailed that it needs a trigger warning but if it is more graphic than normal throw a little heads up to those that may be affected by it. Kate Manne, a professor, talks about why she uses trigger warnings in the article, Why I Use Trigger Warnings. She talks about how “Trigger warnings are nothing new” (Manne) and “The idea was to flag content that depicted or discussed common causes of trauma” (Manne). Kate’s explanation of why she puts trigger warnings is to not point out students, but to explain that they should take caution when reading forward and understand that it may be a sensitive topic for some. Also, trigger warnings are just warnings and it is up to the reader if they want to read the material about to be presented or not. Trigger warnings are for sensitive material and it is to hopefully help people be ready and to not have a serious reaction to what is being shown or read. That is also why Kate may add a trigger warning “to allow those who are sensitive to these subjects to prepare themselves for reading about them, and better manage their reactions.” She wants her students to try and feel as comfortable as they can and if using trigger warnings is the options she will add them. Especially since most classes may

Sophie Downes, the author of Trigger Warnings, Safe Spaces and Free Speech, Too, makes a good point of why they can be included on college campuses. Professors choose whether they have trigger warnings or not and that is the thing, that don’t have to, but they understand their students. In the article, it said, “The instructor told us that we could reach out to her if we had difficulty with the class materials, and that she’d do everything she could to make it easier for us to participate” (Downes). This quote helps show that professors understand that some material might be difficult to some students and that they would do whatever they can to help the students to make it easier and for them to feel a little more comfortable with the material. It also said in the article, “support systems can be a lifeline in the tumultuous environment of college” (Downes). The helps support that there are safe spaces on college campuses and they can help students who have gone through trauma and they really do help those