Trigger Warnings and criticism

[Rhythmdvl]

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[VinylTurnip]

@BleizDu

Some examples from posts on tumblr:

[trigger warning: dream about incestuous sexual harassment, family dysfunction]
[trigger warning: emotional abuse and coercion]
[trigger warning: abuse, stalking, sexual abuse]
[TW: rape]
[TRIGGER WARNING: SELF INJURY]
[trigger warning: consensual rape play, abduction play]
[trigger warning: suicidal impulses and self-harm]
[trigger warning: chubbychasing, fetishization of fat people]

This kind of stuff is posted at the very top of messages/blog posts.

Sounds equally useful to fetishists of those things, for highlighting posts of interest.

[Silver_Tyger]

@VinylTurnip

Sounds equally useful to fetishists of those things, for highlighting posts of interest.

Which is another reason I don’t label them ‘trigger warnings’ when I write.

[Ferret_Herder]

@Arabella_Flynn

I do, however, try to make it clear what the post will be about in either the title or the first paragraph. It’s both good writing style, and a courtesy to people who I presume have much better ideas of what will upset them than I ever could.

I like this, and you’re right, it’s both courteous and a proper writing style.

I remember reading one discussion of the death penalty in GD (years ago), where someone out of the blue decided to go for the visceral reaction and posted something to the effect of ‘but what about <no-warning in-depth description of brutal capture, rape, and extended torture of women by previous criminal>, huh? I guess you’re OK with that happening then if you don’t approve of executing criminals.’ Not only was I not swayed by that stellar argument, I was also deeply pissed at the poster for the printed equivalent of stuffing a gross-out pic in someone’s face and telling them they’re evil unless they agree with the suggested penalty. Years ago, it might well have triggered some really bad reaction in me, but by then it only caused extreme anger at the poster (mostly at the cheap stunt substituting for an argument) and a vague feeling that I had to scrub the top layer of my skin off and/or watch fluffy kitty videos. (Mostly the latter. It’s like very dilute brain bleach.)

[Rhythmdvl]

@Ferret_Herder

I like this, and you’re right, it’s both courteous and a proper writing style.

I remember reading one discussion of the death penalty in GD (years ago), where someone out of the blue decided to go for the visceral reaction and posted something to the effect of ‘but what about <no-warning in-depth description of brutal capture, rape, and extended torture of women by previous criminal>, huh? I guess you’re OK with that happening then if you don’t approve of executing criminals.’ Not only was I not swayed by that stellar argument, I was also deeply pissed at the poster for the printed equivalent of stuffing a gross-out pic in someone’s face and telling them they’re evil unless they agree with the suggested penalty. Years ago, it might well have triggered some really bad reaction in me, but by then it only caused extreme anger at the poster (mostly at the cheap stunt substituting for an argument) and a vague feeling that I had to scrub the top layer of my skin off and/or watch fluffy kitty videos. (Mostly the latter. It’s like very dilute brain bleach.)

Was that the same poster who non-spoiler linked a picture of cats being killed (or something) in a thread about adopting a cat (or something similar)? Did that fucker ever get banned for that? I forget the fallout.

[DiosaBellissima]

@Freudian_Slit

I’ve seen them posted for posts on eating disorders, too. They seem really prevalent on feminist blogs/sites – I know one that won’t even let people mention sizes (like weight/height, or clothing sizes) when commenting.

It’s super common on fat fashion blogs, too. If anybody shares a story about gasp someone calling them fat or double gasp their doctor suggesting that just maaaaaaaaaybe losing 20 lbs would help their chronic knee problem. . . large, flashing TRIGGER WARNING!!!1 at the start of the post. Then the comments are full of people commiserating about just how downright hard it was for them to even get through the post.

I’m saying this as a total fat ass myself: stop being so freaking delicate, people. Jesus Christ, we are fat, sometimes people will call us that and sometimes it has ill affects on our health and medical doctors will mention it.

< / end rage >

Ok, sorry. Phew.

[raspberry_hunter]

In fanfic I tag for things that could be trigger warnings, but heck, might also be things that people want to read, who knows. I don’t think of them in my head as trigger warnings so much as “people might like to know that it contains X, and maybe they don’t want to read about X today.” X has included things like “didactic discussion of nonconsensual sex,” warned more for the “didactic” part than the non-con part (do you really want to read about one character lecturing another? maybe, but perhaps not). I do this because it’s somewhat likely a stranger somewhere may check it out without knowing the kind of thing that’s in it.

On my blog I don’t warn for anything, but the two people who read it know the kind of stuff I’m likely to talk about, so whatever. (If I did, it would probably look something like “Warning for major ranting about how this author got a quote from Dante wrong OH NOES!!”)