tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post4136123373497259098..comments2024-03-26T23:57:42.268-04:00Comments on SpeEdChange: Trained Immaturity, or, the Problem with Readingirasocolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01412837280249622430noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-4348372093530722712014-06-19T12:42:59.902-04:002014-06-19T12:42:59.902-04:00Indeed, encourage reading is the key.
Everything m...Indeed, encourage reading is the key.<br />Everything must be done in a mid range without over jumps to better grasp the content.<br /><br />This certainly helps to <a href="http://careers-schools.com/" rel="nofollow">studies online</a>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-623399709628653042014-06-12T09:13:13.948-04:002014-06-12T09:13:13.948-04:00I feel like your discussion of what the function/p...I feel like your discussion of what the function/purpose of a “trigger warning” is a bit lacking. I do actually have a background in feminist theory, as well as queer and disability theory (after I finish my post-colonial theory classes, I’ll hopefully qualify for an official “Academic pain-in-the-ass” badge). “Trigger warnings” are meant to allow readers/consumers of media to structure their consumption of said media in a way that helps them get the most out of it and engage with it in productive ways. I think your point at the end of this piece, about helping students learn how to pace and manage their own learning (and not punishing their attempts to do so), is like…precisely in line with my understanding of how trigger warnings are supposed to function. Obviously it’s impossible to always know what does and does not warrant a warning. That’s why I think that it’s important to teach students how to advocate for their needs (as you point out), and personally check with a professor if there’s a specific triggering topic or event that could make engaging with class material really difficult for them. <br /><br />As an example of a situation in which I think trigger warnings are important: I took a (incredible, fabulously designed) literature class in which, at one point, we read a short story in which a young woman got physically abused by her favorite teacher, and then her village was raped and massacred overnight and she came home to find her family’s naked, dismembered bodies laying outside. It was a great story. But I didn’t finish the reading until months later, because I ended up throwing up in the bathroom after those scenes. I consider that piece one of the most impactful and valuable I’ve read, and I later wrote a paper on it, but I would have preferred to know beforehand that there would be really violent content/imagery. Then I might have actually been able to pace my reading and make sure that I didn’t get completely derailed by unexpected physical and emotional reactions. <br /><br />The people who use trigger warnings for “rape” or “graphic violence” or “racist hate crimes” to manage their physical and emotional health are rather unlikely to seriously benefit from experiencing their triggers' “shock” value. One of my biggest issues with arguments opposing trigger warnings is that they not-so-subtly imply that classes are the only place where college students will ever be exposed to shocking or traumatizing content. In these arguments, trigger warnings are seen as a way of maintaining “trained immaturity,” as you put it, by protecting privileged minds from the harsh realities of the world. <br /><br />As an actual college student, I can tell you that 99% of the people I’ve encountered who would benefit from being shocked by the harsh realities of the world are the kind of people who think trigger warnings are for pussies. I’d challenge you to be more critical of how this kind of rhetoric is often just another version of the “all kids need is more grit and criticism” attitude—accounts of institutionalized and/or graphic violence against marginalized people isn’t surprising or shocking to all students. For people who’ve already experienced shit like that, it makes us dissociate, it makes us nauseous, it makes us mentally decompensate and struggle to function on a basic level. You know this stuff.<br /><br />(I think I built up a lot of words after reading your blog religiously for a long time but never commenting…so please don’t take this as a kind of raging tirade; I think you’re utterly great and your writing has made a big difference in my life. I just also happen to be a bitchy baby academic with lots of opinions.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-63792427627809755682014-05-25T10:49:06.118-04:002014-05-25T10:49:06.118-04:00I've long been fascinated the whole issue of t...I've long been fascinated the whole issue of trigger or content warnings. I'm convinced that their best model of use is one which treats this as a matter of good manners. <br /><br />When it comes to popular culture, I think more specific warnings could actually encourage reading and watching, as a lot of people are very much happier when they know roughly what to expect. As it is, a many people will avoid an entire genre, or any 18 certificate movie, for fear of being surprised by very specific content (whether that's because they're squeamish or traumatised).<br /><br />But I do think there's a danger in framing certain people - mostly already marginalised people - as vulnerable and in need of protection from themselves, the idea of trigger warnings as a sort of "may contain nuts" health & safety mechanism, as if certain people are allergic to reminders of their own life experience. Especially in school or college.<br /><br />As such, Dr Davis' warning at the beginning of the semester that the class may cover disturbing material, allowing students to walk out and inviting them talk to her about it, strikes me as a perfect model. I was very impressed by that article. The Goldfishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15213378454070776331noreply@blogger.com