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haakev2 said:
cmon on tumblr, it is very easily to read/see something while you’re scrolling and it is just basic decency to warn people who need to avoid it. and triggered is not the same as upset, it means ptsd symptoms like panic attacks and anxiety
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belishabeacons posted this
My point was that everyone's triggers are different, and if others aren't aware of what triggers someone then they cannot stop it. And when they can, they're rarely (if ever, can't think of a single case) 'ramming it down' someone's throat. It's a manner and a personal choice, and if someone wishes to speak openly about something, why should they need to preface it with "you may be upset with what's about to happen". Life doesn't afford you such things.from edwardshallow
Yes, life doesn’t afford people 20/20 hindsight and thus we’re all upset by many stimuli. However, when it comes to discussing issues of consent, violence, and trauma, I would like to think that everyone wants to be compassionate and help discussions by removing people who aren’t ready to talk about it, or simply don’t want to, from the dialogue.
In regards to your point that society doesn’t broadcast (strongly) how people feel victims should respond to trauma, I would like to present exhibit a and exhibit b as evidence to the contrary. The latter article is even written for a publication that tries to adhere to feminist reportage, but yet condemns Rihanna’s actions.
I personally feel that I hear conversations about rape and abuse fairly consistently, and often those conversations are between two people who state that they haven’t experienced these traumas yet feel confident talking about their opinions on the subject matter without regard to who might be listening. I can only speak for myself, but when I overhear conversations like these it rarely if ever makes me feel like I’ve learned something more about my experiences or how to deal with them. Instead, frankly, it makes me feel really shitty and uncomfortable.
Because these issues range in socioeconomic background, people should be aware that when they talk about these things it’s likely that someone who’s listening may have experienced them. On the internet, where hash tags and trending topics make it easy to differentiate content, you can choose to not hear it or to only participate in conversations where you feel safe to express what you want.
I’m not criticising you for this at all, and I actually think you raise a really important issue about how to discuss these things online. I admire your desire to be honest and open to all different viewpoints, and I’m glad that you posted about this.
//edit// I realise you raised the point that lots of things trigger people. I automatically picked up on what’s triggering for me, so I can’t speak about other issues. However, I think that really what trigger warnings come down to is a desire to facilitate effective two-way conversation between willing participants.
