“Trigger warnings” are the hot new trend on college campuses. What are “trigger warnings”? They are basically warning labels that there might be content that might “trigger” panic or trauma. As Reason TV points out:
The problem with this is that these warning have been cooked up by “Social Justice” activists to label dissenting speech as not only evil, but dangerous. Oberlin College provides just such an example:
“Oberlin College attracted some media attention when its Office of Equity Concerns posted, and later removed, a trigger warning guide advising professors to avoid triggering topics such as racism, colonialism, and sexism when possible. The memo also suggests introducing discussions of potentially triggering works with language such as this: We are reading this work in spite of the author’s racist frameworks because his work was foundational to establishing the field of anthropology, and because I think together we can challenge, deconstruct, and learn from his mistakes.”
In effect, this is soft censorship. Professors and students are shamed at providing course materials or opinions that are deemed “triggering.” This provides a disincentive to continue with “incorrect” and “dangerous” thinking and views. It also provides an excuse for “social justice” advocates to assault and censor others.
