More unpacking of the disingenuous whining about trigger warnings

[Cassius Clay]

https://modelviewculture.com/pieces/bet ... moderation

This stands out in particular:

One of the major arguments against content control is that people blow the abuse and harassment they receive out of proportion; they should just try being “less sensitive." These arguments draw an informal parallel to Exposure Therapy - a type of therapy designed to combat severe anxiety through gradual and controlled exposure to its source, to inure an individual to these triggers and lesson the disruptions they can cause. The misapplication of this concept to content control discussions represents a misunderstanding of human psychology: Exposure Therapy is not about having random internet strangers hurl insults and threats at someone with the hope they somehow come out more mentally durable. Without controlled exposure, someone suffering from PTSD is likely to have their trauma magnified rather than reduced when faced with triggering content.

[Anakin McFly]

I actually wanted to post something asking about the PTSD from Twitter thing, since I also developed PTSD-like symptoms from past incidences of internet bullying. I never dared to bring it up with a psych because it seemed proof like I was just oversensitive like my brother says. So it's validating to hear an actual psych weigh in.

Most of my agreement with the initial article against trigger warnings were based on how exposure therapy has worked for me and that I still believe that in certain circumstances, warning for content may be hampering the healing process. I'd consider trigger warnings good and necessary in cases where actively harmful material is involved (e.g. this is a collection of some misogynist insults from the internet) but potentially harmful if used in the long run in cases where the material is otherwise innocuous (e.g. this is an informative brochure about depression in which the word 'suicide' is mentioned).

[aels]

So this is weird because I was literally just talking to Brandon about how I am beginning to suspect I have mild PTSD from the abuse that went on in my home. Any and all conflict (and even the possibility of conflict) causes me to have major panic attacks. I can't breathe, my hands shake and I feel like I'm going to throw up and it persists for hours and hours and is reactivated by thinking about it and my reaction is not at all normal, even for someone who is one of God's Sensitive Daises like wot I am. I have to avoid pretty much all arguments because they make me so distressed and then people think you're running away because you can't handle their righteous logic.

I haven't read the article yet because I have a condition But I stand by my previous comments regarding trigger warnings, in that I generally think they are a good thing. I think it's generally quite audacious for someone to say 'You are too sensitive and I have decided that you need to be less sensitive' because even if someone is sensitive to a degree that is considered atypical or dysfunctional (I say this as a sensitive daisy), that is generally something they need to negotiate for themselves and for their own reasons and in their own time and is not measurably helped by people yelling at you to stop wussing out, you wussbag. While I'm on it, it generally irritates me that the onus is always on sensitive people to toughen up and rarely on insensitive people to develop greater empathy and sensitivity. 'You're too sensitive!' Am I? Or are you maybe a callous narcissist who doesn't consider the impact of their actions on people with different temperaments and lived experience?* Similarly, it's always on quiet and shy people to make themselves heard and never on loud people to shut up and make space for others. I forgot what we were talking about.


*jk I am too sensitive. But sometimes it's that the other person is an insensitive fuck

[Anakin McFly]

Any and all conflict (and even the possibility of conflict) causes me to have major panic attacks. I can't breathe, my hands shake and I feel like I'm going to throw up

Yeah, I experience that, but less severely and for a shorter duration. Including for things that have nothing to do with me, like walking down the street and hearing some fellow pedestrian yelling angrily on his mobile phone. It makes me feel like crying or throwing up and I need a while to recover.

I also know it's not normal, and 'be less sensitive' is one of the top things in my continuing quest for self improvement. So I admit I also end up projecting a lot and getting mad when others demand greater sensitivity, when all my life I've been told to grow a thicker skin and stop expecting the world to be nice, because it's not, and the only way to stay safe is to toughen up.

EDIT: actually yesterday I was googling 'how to be less sensitive', and found an article talking about how highly sensitive people tend to also be hypersensitive to stimulants like coffee. Which was creepily accurate, because I can't consume more than the tiniest amount of coffee or alcohol or anything with too much sugar. I drank one third a tiny cup of expresso on Saturday and spent the rest of the day being hyper in a bad way and then feeling very sick and wanting to puke. I also get mildly drunk and have problems walking straight after a quarter pint of beer.

tl;dr I hate hypersensitive people because I'm one and it's one of the things I hate most about myself.

[aels]

I spoke to a friend of mine today, who suffers complex PTSD as a result of abuse in her home, and I was like 'Hey, tell me if I'm being ridiculous but I am starting to wonder if I exhibit some PTSD symptoms because my behaviour and my reactions to things are dysfunctional as balls' and she replied with ' I have already assumed quietly that you have it because you react to things like I do. Shaking and feeling sick in the face of confrontation. Lots of other things too'. So yeah. Gonna stick it on a list of things I should probably discuss with a therapist but never will. Wheeeeeeeeee.

[Blade Azaezel]

I spoke to a friend of mine today, who suffers complex PTSD as a result of abuse in her home, and I was like 'Hey, tell me if I'm being ridiculous but I am starting to wonder if I exhibit some PTSD symptoms because my behaviour and my reactions to things are dysfunctional as balls' and she replied with ' I have already assumed quietly that you have it because you react to things like I do. Shaking and feeling sick in the face of confrontation. Lots of other things too'. So yeah. Gonna stick it on a list of things I should probably discuss with a therapist but never will. Wheeeeeeeeee.

The UK is probably the worst place in the world to be a therapist. The "stiff upper lip" really doesn't help them get clients.

[aels]

I do know a therapist but he practices a branch of therapy that I consider to be bollocks and also he has some deep mental problems and physician, heal thyself. Like, now. You're a fruitcake.

[Blade Azaezel]

I do know a therapist but he practices a branch of therapy that I consider to be bollocks and also he has some deep mental problems and physician, heal thyself. Like, now. You're a fruitcake.

Pfft, you don't need to see a therapist anyway. You know exactly what's wrong with you

In some of my darker moments, I have wondered whether seeing a therapist may help. Then I remember how much I hate talking to strange people about my life, and I know exactly what all my character flaws are and how to fix them, I just choose not to, and I think...fuck therapy.

[aels]

And knowing is half the battle!

I had some therapy after my suicide attempt in... 2002? I think? The woman doing it was absolutely rubbish and kept saying that we should bring my mother into our sessions like, did you literally miss the part where I mentioned I was living in an abusive home, why the fuck would you advocate bringing an abuser into a designated safe space, I did not sign up for family counselling, go away. A friend of mine saw the same woman, also as an adolescent, and thought she was atrocious. I haven't had anything since then - my GP surgery literally could not keep psychiatrists or therapists on staff for more than a couple of months so I never go anywhere with NHS support and I can't afford private practice. I've had professional coaching with my boss, which is not therapy but kinda turned into therapy because it turns out that all of my problems with work are tied into deep psychological issues (WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT). It was probably good for me (probably? I haven't noticed any change but my boss has) but it was like plunging your hand into a pot of boiling water every week for an hour. Absolutely the most painful and lacerating experience of my life having things dragged out of me that I had buried with good reason. I cried every week.

[phe_de]

Most of my agreement with the initial article against trigger warnings were based on how exposure therapy has worked for me and that I still believe that in certain circumstances, warning for content may be hampering the healing process. I'd consider trigger warnings good and necessary in cases where actively harmful material is involved (e.g. this is a collection of some misogynist insults from the internet) but potentially harmful if used in the long run in cases where the material is otherwise innocuous (e.g. this is an informative brochure about depression in which the word 'suicide' is mentioned).

I agree.
My problem with trigger warnings in the context of the thread discussed months ago was that apparently, some people weren't just content with trigger warnings; they wanted to completely remove contents they deemed offensive or triggering. And this is something I don't agree with.

I have no problem with trigger warnings. They are like a list of ingredients on food, which lets the buyers decide for themselves if they want to buy stuff they might be allergic too. But I have a problem with removing contents. I don't support peanuts, but I am not lobbying to have peanut products removed from the shelves.

[Blade Azaezel]

And knowing is half the battle!

I had some therapy after my suicide attempt in... 2002? I think? The woman doing it was absolutely rubbish and kept saying that we should bring my mother into our sessions like, did you literally miss the part where I mentioned I was living in an abusive home, why the fuck would you advocate bringing an abuser into a designated safe space, I did not sign up for family counselling, go away. A friend of mine saw the same woman, also as an adolescent, and thought she was atrocious. I haven't had anything since then - my GP surgery literally could not keep psychiatrists or therapists on staff for more than a couple of months so I never go anywhere with NHS support and I can't afford private practice. I've had professional coaching with my boss, which is not therapy but kinda turned into therapy because it turns out that all of my problems with work are tied into deep psychological issues (WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT). It was probably good for me (probably? I haven't noticed any change but my boss has) but it was like plunging your hand into a pot of boiling water every week for an hour. Absolutely the most painful and lacerating experience of my life having things dragged out of me that I had buried with good reason. I cried every week.

See, I'm sure there are lots of great therapists who are therapists for a reason, but I also think that there are times when being able to talk comfortably with a friend can be just as helpful. Especially as they have more insight into your personal life already than someone being paid £40 an hour. If you pay me £20 an hour, I will list all of your faults and recommend ways to fix them

I don't like crying. I try to limit it to once a decade and I already used up that quota. The next 5 years are going to be tricky.

[aels]

The guy I know charges £60 an hour. For that, I could buy the Witcher 3 and ignore my problems for hundreds of hours.

[Blade Azaezel]

The guy I know charges £60 an hour. For that, I could buy the Witcher 3 and ignore my problems for hundreds of hours.

So....why don't you? I bought Elder Scrolls Online to aid with forgetting my problems. I bought the Witcher 3 PC DLC, even though I don't have it on PC, just so I could get the Scoia'tael and Monsters Gwent card packs. Now I have all 4! muahahahahahaha etc BUY WITCHER 3

[aels]

Son, I don't have £60! That's nonsense talk. Although if I get this job, I'll be on £60 a week during term time.

[Islandmur]

I had therapy twice, once was when my aunt decided that me skipping school to go to the library was a sign of deep trauma, I went to 2 session then I started skipping :) lol. When my aunt found out she went to the therapist who then told her she should be having sessions... that was the end of that.

Then after 3 of my brother's friends attacked me I also attempted suicide (it was a very weak attempt and now looking back I guess I just wanted attention) that was at the hospital though and stopped when I left the hospital.

Reading to me doesn't require trigger warnings because I usually see where writing is going so I can stop before it comes to what I don't want to read. It's the images in movies or social network that gets me unaware and those I think definitely need triggers!

[Blade Azaezel]

Son, I don't have £60! That's nonsense talk. Although if I get this job, I'll be on £60 a week during term time.

I am assuming you would get it for the PC, in which case it is £26.60 on amazon. Put my tax to good use and get it, i'll inform the government I've said it's ok

[aels]

Aw, I had no idea it was so cheap on Amazon, it's still £49.99 on Steam! I mean, I still don't feel comfortable paying £26.60 when I have like £60 total to get me through... the rest of my life, but it's good to know for future reference!

[Blade Azaezel]

Aw, I had no idea it was so cheap on Amazon, it's still £49.99 on Steam! I mean, I still don't feel comfortable paying £26.60 when I have like £60 total to get me through... the rest of my life, but it's good to know for future reference!

Yeah, don't trust Steam. I mean, it's great for the odd bargain, but paying to download new games is generally more expensive than just buying the disc copy and waiting a few days for delivery.

[aels]

I moved to digital downloading because I was often freaked out by on-disc DRM but maybe it's time to move back because money.

[Blade Azaezel]

I moved to digital downloading because I was often freaked out by on-disc DRM but maybe it's time to move back because money.

Money really is the only reason to do anything.

[Whitey]

I actually wanted to post something asking about the PTSD from Twitter thing, since I also developed PTSD-like symptoms from past incidences of internet bullying. I never dared to bring it up with a psych because it seemed proof like I was just oversensitive like my brother says. So it's validating to hear an actual psych weigh in.

Most of my agreement with the initial article against trigger warnings were based on how exposure therapy has worked for me and that I still believe that in certain circumstances, warning for content may be hampering the healing process. I'd consider trigger warnings good and necessary in cases where actively harmful material is involved (e.g. this is a collection of some misogynist insults from the internet) but potentially harmful if used in the long run in cases where the material is otherwise innocuous (e.g. this is an informative brochure about depression in which the word 'suicide' is mentioned).

That's my general view. There's plenty of circumstances where trigger warnings are a good, helpful, and realistic thing to have. Sometimes though it's not feasible though, and if something that the majority of people see as totally harmless or normal is your trigger it's kinda hard to avoid or expect people to assume someone might be triggered by it. And I don't think it's that helpful to try and force the issue in those cases.