Or how conveniently smart to understand the difference and learn to control themselves, even among things they do not like.
I suspect the politically correct will soon be living together, and no one will be saying anything to each other, but platitudes and living rather boring existences on the grounds that showing excitement is insensitive to those with low dopamine levels since excitement is not a normal emotion they have.
Sometimes trigger warnings are ignored. Those students and parents who are bothered by religious symbolism still tour Catholic colleges and are disturbed by the crucifixes, clergy and statuary. If the view book and website indicate that it is a Catholic college I would think that to be a sufficient trigger warning.
It is a particular segment of the generation, not all. Remember, only 25% of population have a bachelors degree or higher.
Anyway, triggers can be used to one’s advantage for excellent crowd control.
My DS uses so-called triggers just to get pontificators away from him. Every so often some colleague thinks he or she can lecture a group of other students or a class about something. Whenever he gets this sense of moral superiority coupled with some progressive policy, he responds with something he knows is a trigger for these types and it literally stuns them and they lose it. And worse, he uses the triggers subtly within a logical response, so it is no like he just says it out of context. The people often literally freeze and cannot believe it and then give up and leave. He says it works every time. And better yet, it is permanent as they never attempt to pontificate again. (Only works on progressives though - libertarian and conservative students do not have triggers and they stand there and debate right back).
If one can ignore a trigger, then it indicates that a choice is being taken when one overtly reacts to a trigger. Therefore, it is really a power play/ruse to try and control what people think, do and say and not an uncontrollable condition that causes involuntary and autonomous vapors. It is a passive-aggressive attempt to control others.
I’m going to lurk and not post on this thread because no good can come of it…
If trigger warnings bother you so much, why don’t you just ignore them?
awc: Am I understanding correctly that your son’s goal is to shut down discourse and silence some classmates? - that he is silencing those whom he believes are attempting to silence him? And that this is praise worthy?
Sometimes I just walk away when people are extremely rude or deliberately offensive. Sometimes I believe it to be the best choice. It certainly doesn’t further any kind of dialogue, so I never know if it’s the best idea or not.
No, not at all. They stupidly shut down themselves. You are giving the students too much credit here, as they do not know what discourse is.
My DS would gladly have discourse, but these students are only willing to have a discussion if done on their terms, accepting only their premises, and where no anyone else’s ideas are allowed to be accepted as legitimate. In short, they call other ideas such things as hate speech and the like. That approach is not discourse. Therefore, when my DS experiences this, he has fun making them short circuit themselves, since they are only really have a conversation with themselves at that point anyway.
As a prime example, I cite the young female at Princeton in the one video who says she wanted “discourse” with the President. OK, she got her audience with the President and proceeded to freak out and went bonkers when the President even mentioned a thought that was different than hers and her groups. She did not discuss anything with him after that; she just started yelling nonsense that Princeton was hers etc. Typical reaction to different ideas of these progressive students - they cannot handle discourse and other ideas. Therefore, not worth the time to engage.
Second example, the shrieker at Yale who had no ability to understand an idea other than her own, as well. Another idea was expressed and she short-circuited. No reason to engage her either.
Third example, the assistant professor at Mizzou who asked for muscle when asked about what she was actually promoting. No attempt to discourse; just an attempt to shut down any idea that was not hers or the protesting group’s. She paid the price, as she should have.
Etc…
None of the above are examples of discourse, and my DS understands that quite well.
OK, you changed the premise.
You are now saying rude. No one mentioned anything about rude behavior. My DS does not classify the students as rude, just unable and unwilling to entertain other ideas. Their behavior is more akin to juvenile. No need to walk away and change his life for them.
In addition, I never said that my DS thinks what the others are saying is offensive. My DS does not see differing ideas as offensive, so no need to walk away there either.
As for the larger picture, in a common area with other students or in a class, if someone is unwilling to logically entertain other ideas, then only weak people will walk away and give that pontificator(s) the power to make them move.
I specifically taught my DS to never give anyone such power over him and to use their weakness against them and make them shut down themselves and make them tailor their lives avoiding him, not him having to avoid them, i.e., make them expend their scarce resources staying away from him, not him wasting his resources on them - they are not worth his resources.
The result is he walks around freely and enjoys everything freely, and these students limit themselves for if he is doing something they stay away until he is done. He is free, and they shackle themselves. He says it is quite fun to watch the bizarre behavior, as people shackle themselves and give him that much power to mess up their day without ever needing to talk to them or do anything to them.
Triggers? As an adult adoptee, I’ve lived with them all my life, since everything about being adopted is joyous, beautiful and positive and we adoptees must be grateful for everything. It’s only recently that I’ve learned to that I’m allowed to be triggered. So my attitude is pretty much “suck it up, buttercup!” Everybody on God’s* green earth has a trigger or two, and who among us hasn’t accidentally triggered someone?
*My apologies to those of you who may be atheist, pan-theist or Wiccan.
@QuantMech I will probably be attacked for this, but if a student is in danger of having a flashback or suffering a serious psychological incident because they must read Lolita, or discuss a rape scene from Greek literature, they shouldn’t be enrolled. If they are that fragile, they shouldn’t be in an atmosphere where vigorous debate, and the confronting of unpleasant realities, is part of the program.
I also wonder why we didn’t have students suffering from flashbacks in the past? Generations of students went to university without “trigger warnings” on Lysistrata, Lolita or Ovid. Vietnam vets watched The Deer Hunter and Apocalypse Now. Black students, including students who experienced discrimination and racial violence, watched Gone with the Wind and read Tom Sawyer. During the 60s, 70s and 80s, students confronted demonstrations and angry invective regarding segregation and the war on a daily basis. Somehow they functioned. Universities weren’t turned into social services organizations.
If a student cannot handle a piece of literature, they are not going to be able to function well in society. Universities are there to train students to function in life. For students who have experienced a trauma, part of recovery is functioning again in society. As for what to do is someone has a flashback and is incapacitated, I’d treat them the same as any medical emergency. But I frankly think this proposition is far fetched and that we are creating a generation of self indulgent individuals where too much of the focus is on “me” and too little on others.
@TomSrOfBoston I find the very idea of someone experiencing intense psychological trauma because they are confronted with religious symbols preposterous. Especially if they are visiting a religiously-affiliated institution. Some people have a fear of water. Are they traumatised when they visit a university situated along the coast?
@Bestfriendsgirl At many universities, you would have had to include a trigger warning on your post. Someone might have been traumatised by the religious references. Or possibly by contemplating what you must have experienced as an adoptee. It might have been too much for them.
@exlibris97 You are new to CC. If you read the threads about college visits here on CC there are many posters who say that they were bothered by the "blatant’ display of crucifixes etc. at Catholic colleges. If 50 students at Emory University can feel physical pain upon seeing the word “Trump” chalked in a stairway then anything is possible.
Post 123 in this thread is just one example:
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/19586767#Comment_19586767
@TomSrOfBoston I’ve seen those posts. They left me speechless. It was the subject that I felt was preposterous, not your post.
@TomSrOfBoston - I remember that post and as a lifelong practicing Catholic, I laughed my butt off. My Ss attended our parish K-8 school with quite a few non-Catholics, since in our area Catholic schools are the only quasi-affordable non-Fundamentalist alternative to the public schools. I was astonished at what some of the non-Catholic parents found objectionable. Catholic schools exist so that the faithful can pass on our beliefs and traditions to the next generation. We welcome children of all faiths but not at the expense of our own. Some non-Catholic parents truly expected religion to be left out of it.
I’m a Catholic but never went to Catholic schools. I did go to CCD. As a result I have a deep aversion to nuns. They scare the hell out of me. Must be post-traumatic distress as a nun in a big, dark habit with clanking rosary beads once ran down the hall and yanked me out of line. I must have been in 2nd grade. I was terrified. Crucifixes are nothing. Nuns are scary.
Why are these discussions always so one-sided? What are they accomplishing?
Free expression of opinion?
@warbrain Unsuccessful attempt to shut down discussion. You are free to voice a contrary opinion. Or to ignore the thread if it is not to your liking.