There seems to be quite a few levels of problems here.
1. Weak people needing warnings of things they feel 'trigger' them.
Triggers exist. They are an artifact of PTSD, and are a very real phenomenon. However, just like "gluten sensitivity" and newer fads, 'trigger warnings' are the artifacts from new-age feminists and SJW (social justice warrior) types. They have no basis in medical fact, nor are many of them being actively treated for PTSD. It just happens to be the current cudgel one can smack others against the head to do their bidding.
2. Professor who dismisses said "feels".
Professors, and schools, are expected to be bastions of safety and security when exploring oneself. Or at least, that's the current understanding of one of the aspects of a university. Anyone who goes against that idea, including telling weak people they are wrong, is "evil". And the worst one can do is dismiss someone's "feels", mainly towards women, and some men.
The 'Other' way to read this is :
Patriarchy Professor tells PTSD feminist sufferer that Your Rape is Invalid
One must understand the other side, the view from the new wave feminists (16-30). It's an ugly, bleak, mild world similar to that of the fainting women of Victorian times. And it's one I have no respect for.
3. Degree that requires class that may or not pertain to said curriculum.
This view will be fought here at HN. This challenge is the fight over curriculum and what University degree is for. Is it for the well-roundedness of your education, or is it to be employable in a field that makes you more money?
If it is to be a better citizen, then absolutely the Classics should be included in every education. It is the foundation of the ancient Greeks and Romans that our society is based upon. Where our Senate came from is directly from the Roman Senate.
But, what if you attended college to obtain a better job and easier life? Then surely, Classics mean little. They do nothing to further your goals, nor do they put direct skills in your pocket for the next position you take. They might have auxiliary skills taught via Socratic dialectic, but most of these classes are for naught.
With a final nail in its coffin, school costs raising much higher than inflation, one must be money conscious. Those costs translate into less classes in your chosen major, and more time in school. And that leads to lost opportunity and extra uncancellable debt.
4. University for harboring political correctness to the extremes.
With the plight of the universities and un- and underreported rapes and assaults, they are showing to be astute to the ills of college life. With this, universities are convening kangaroo courts to find "guilty" all sorts of college crimes, like rape, even when there is no founding. This whole atmosphere feeds upon itself even more with higher and higher political correctness. And this is where the professor, even though believes he is justified in ignoring such 'trigger claims', may still be punished by loss of tenure or not given grants.
Does the Uni require a modicum of protection for its students, staff, and faculty? Of course! But one does not need to shield 'weak minds' from the hardness of life, and harsh words and powerful critiques. Instead, the idea of shielding assault has migrated downward to 'he said a bad word', ala kindergarten.
I agree that 'trigger warning' is a leftist slogan that's bandied out mainly by social justice warriors, but just because the people pushing it are annoying doesn't invalidate the idea in itself.
But what's with this classification of "weak" people?
"Anyone who goes against that idea, including telling weak people they are wrong, is "evil"."
"But one does not need to shield 'weak minds' from the hardness of life,"
Is this a paraphrase from the story, or are you actually claiming PTSD-afflicted people are 'weak', and that weak people should be ignored? Did I miss something?
PTSD is a real medical disorder, as set forth by the DSM-5. Triggers are a well known phenomenon regarding PTSD. Usually, treatment revolves around either psychological sessions or drugs.
The feminists and some liberals who use "trigger warning" do not have PTSD, or are not working with professionals to assist with psychological disorders that have triggers (like PTSD).
Instead, they have latched on this language from a legitimate disorder and are coopting it for making their world tame and easy. This is what I am calling weak: people who want the world around them to bring the hardness to that of a kindergartner.
Life is not all happiness and candy. Life also has hardships, disagreements and harsh criticism, and death. And these "kids" are demanding to be treated like children.
"Your argument is triggering me, so shut the fuck up with your criticism."
"Clapping is triggering me, so everyone do jazz hands."
"Ancient Greek works trigger me, so I can't participate in class."
Oh, okay. I know what you're talking about now. I've dealt with the same people before: people who mis-use the phrase and apply it to things it doesn't actually apply to.
I had one person tell me "You can't call me a bitch! That's a violation of my consent, and is triggering." Which, it's not, and, it's not. As uncouth and sexist as it may be, the use of the word is so widespread (and has so many uses in our modern American culture) that it can't be legitimately claimed that this word will cause an anxiety attack. And I certainly don't need (or care for) someone's consent when I am intentionally trying to insult them. There's lots of other examples of these phrases being misused or misunderstood, of course.
But these aren't the people we should be concerned with, or even talking about. The people we should be talking about are the few but very real people who really do suffer attacks and re-live traumas when certain subjects unexpectedly come up in daily life.
Do you have the money for them to get therapy? I don't know if you realize this, but trauma therapy is usually not free, nor widely available in every community. There are some not-for-profits that provide free counseling to specific groups, but they don't exist everywhere, and not everyone qualifies. It's a bit like homeless shelters: they're there to help, but they sure as hell don't "fix" people from being homeless.
And more importantly, therapy does not cure PTSD. You can't just go to a doctor, talk about your feelings and suddenly you're trauma-free. Regardless of any therapy taking place, there is still a potential for harm, and so we still need to actually care about not harming people whenever it is reasonable to do so. Sometimes it will be reasonable, and other times not. I think it's important to recognize we need to have a multi-colored approach to issues that negatively affect people's lives, rather than a black & white approach.
You have a good point about the costs of therapy and medication. This is just a bit of my anger seeping through.
My wife has a trigger. I'm one of 2 who know about it. She was beaten by an old boyfriend years ago with a certain type of belt.
I found out about this because I was taking off the belt from my pants, and she suddenly got quiet and started to shake. Then I realized that she couldn't speak. She would do things, like "Go over there" and likewise. She was expecting me to hit her with the belt, and was nigh catatonic from it.
She was also "raped", when she was with a guy who I am friends with (before I was dating her). He didn't know about that belt thing. He takes his pants off, and she's triggered. She didn't want to have sex with him, but did so because of the belt. Was this rape, considering she took off her clothes and made herself compliant? Well, not really. But it wasn't consensual.
That's what I'm used to when they say they are triggered.
I've known many people who are similarly afflicted. It's very unfortunate and scary and sad. It's also the thing that makes me super pissed off when certain people claim consent is dead simple, or that triggers are unimportant to consider.
My hope is that the more these stories are told, the more they will be investigated as serious topics to consider for their potential to negatively affect people's lives. We don't have a good system to deal with them now, but hopefully someday soon we can.
1. Weak people needing warnings of things they feel 'trigger' them.
Triggers exist. They are an artifact of PTSD, and are a very real phenomenon. However, just like "gluten sensitivity" and newer fads, 'trigger warnings' are the artifacts from new-age feminists and SJW (social justice warrior) types. They have no basis in medical fact, nor are many of them being actively treated for PTSD. It just happens to be the current cudgel one can smack others against the head to do their bidding.
2. Professor who dismisses said "feels".
Professors, and schools, are expected to be bastions of safety and security when exploring oneself. Or at least, that's the current understanding of one of the aspects of a university. Anyone who goes against that idea, including telling weak people they are wrong, is "evil". And the worst one can do is dismiss someone's "feels", mainly towards women, and some men.
The 'Other' way to read this is :
Patriarchy Professor tells PTSD feminist sufferer that Your Rape is Invalid
One must understand the other side, the view from the new wave feminists (16-30). It's an ugly, bleak, mild world similar to that of the fainting women of Victorian times. And it's one I have no respect for.
3. Degree that requires class that may or not pertain to said curriculum.
This view will be fought here at HN. This challenge is the fight over curriculum and what University degree is for. Is it for the well-roundedness of your education, or is it to be employable in a field that makes you more money?
If it is to be a better citizen, then absolutely the Classics should be included in every education. It is the foundation of the ancient Greeks and Romans that our society is based upon. Where our Senate came from is directly from the Roman Senate.
But, what if you attended college to obtain a better job and easier life? Then surely, Classics mean little. They do nothing to further your goals, nor do they put direct skills in your pocket for the next position you take. They might have auxiliary skills taught via Socratic dialectic, but most of these classes are for naught.
With a final nail in its coffin, school costs raising much higher than inflation, one must be money conscious. Those costs translate into less classes in your chosen major, and more time in school. And that leads to lost opportunity and extra uncancellable debt.
4. University for harboring political correctness to the extremes.
With the plight of the universities and un- and underreported rapes and assaults, they are showing to be astute to the ills of college life. With this, universities are convening kangaroo courts to find "guilty" all sorts of college crimes, like rape, even when there is no founding. This whole atmosphere feeds upon itself even more with higher and higher political correctness. And this is where the professor, even though believes he is justified in ignoring such 'trigger claims', may still be punished by loss of tenure or not given grants.
Does the Uni require a modicum of protection for its students, staff, and faculty? Of course! But one does not need to shield 'weak minds' from the hardness of life, and harsh words and powerful critiques. Instead, the idea of shielding assault has migrated downward to 'he said a bad word', ala kindergarten.