Why I Use Trigger Warnings

A common debate in many American Universities has emerged regarding the necessity for trigger warnings in class syllabi as an attempt to warn every student of offensive and triggering material that they may not want to discuss. Although it may seem important to give notice to students of scandalous or offensive material, the addition of trigger warnings in syllabi is excessive and will only leave students unable to develop intellectually. This form of censorship only coddles the students, keeping them from learning that there will always be upsetting topics that they cannot control. By censoring college curriculum, we are allowing students to rely on trigger warnings to be there during every uncomfortable situation they may face. Students must be able to see those topics at an intellectual level in order to move past them, instead of wanting to be shielded from any controversial ideas. Just as Jonathan Haidt argues in The Coddling of the American Mind, campuses have become safe places "where young adults are shielded from words and ideas that make them
According to Kate Manne in her article Why I Use Trigger Warnings, the purpose of trigger warnings "...is to allow those who are sensitive to these subjects to prepare themselves
With a warning given beforehand the students can decide whether or not they are able to participate in discourses of such nature. Although this may protect the mental and emotional health of students, it is only providing them with a safety blanket that they can run to when faced with any type of confrontation. The addition of trigger warnings deprive the students of an education filled with critical topics and ideas, which must be discussed in order to achieve some form of intellectual