The Triggers Thread (Thread is safe)

[stogucheme]

Welcome to the Triggers Thread! Read the whole post, please. Here, we ask questions like these which you don't have to answer and are examples:

1. What are your triggers?
2. How did you get them?
3. What do you wish people would Trigger Warn (TW) for? What images shouldn't be on posters/commercials/etc.?
4. Do you think TWs are needed? Do you think it's wrong not to TW?
5. Anything else? (Like advice for how to calm yourself down, etc.?)

(You don't have to answer these specific questions- they're just a topic starter.)

Note: When answering question 2, put it in this format:

How did you get your triggers? (TW: TYPE HERE) {[COLOR=WHITE]TYPE HERE[/COLOR]}

It should be like this: "How did you get your triggers? (TW: TYPE HERE) {TYPE HERE}"

(The {} are just there for convenience.)

 

My answers as an example:

1. Medical needles is one of them. Smells associated with hospitals (like rubbing alcohol) is another.

2. How did you get your triggers? (TW: medical needles, hospitals, description of medical incompetence & cruelty, near-violence by a man against a woman, and anger) {When I was ten, I was hospitalized. That hospital had nursing students. One of them apparently thought it was a good idea to try their poor needle-sticking skills on me, the ten yr old. My dad wasn't there at the time- he'd gone somewhere else for a few minutes- and I was too timid to say anything at the time. She dug in my arm, trying to find the vein, for five minutes before my dad came in and nearly tore her head off kicking her out.

Until I was in high school, my fear of medical needles remained strong. I screamed and ran whenever I saw a medical needle- especially being injected into someone/thing. I was terrified when I walked past blood drive posters at my school. Today, I just grow apprehensive when I see medical needles.}

3. I wish that TWs and excluded items would include medical needles, images of violation, and images of one person being clearly uncomfortable with something another is doing.

4. They are most definitely needed. From someone who knows personally the near all-consuming fear that certain triggers bring, it is definitely cruel to not TW.

5. I want a debate on which triggers should always be warned for, and which are valid but not mainstream enough that you have to warn for them. Also, if it's okay to claim 'it's not mainstream enough so I don't have to warn for it.'

As for advice, when I get triggered, I just bite my thumb (not to the point where I bruise it or break the skin). Not the best solution (and I don't recommend it) but it works for me.

 

RULES- may be changed at any time. I will make a post alerting you when I update them, though.

1. Trigger warn, TW, trigger warn. Here is a pretty good list of triggers, though I personally am on the fence with a few of them.
2. You don't have to post answers to all or any of these questions. They're just there to get a dialogue started.
3. Posting images of any kind at any time will get you auto-banned. There are no exceptions to this rule.
4. You may post links (to websites or images). When you post them, put a TW on it. (Which means outlining the triggering things in the website like I did in my part 2 above, and not just posting, "TW. [link]". Re-read posts and websites for maximum assurance if you need to.)
5. Not posting part two in the correct format will get you warned. We have a TWO strikes and you're out policy. If you have a warn against you, it'll be at the bottom of this post. It will go away after two weeks, but if you get warned again before then, you're banned.
6. If your post contains something you should have but didn't warn for, someone will gently remind you to add it. If you do not add it within 24hrs of the reminder, you get a warn.
7. Be respectful at all times. Someone may be triggered by cute puppies, and that's okay. They probably have a reason, and you shouldn't make fun of them for it.
8. Please read the red.
9. If you think something should be added, or some precaution taken, please make it known. The last thing this thread wants to do is hurt someone.
10. Follow the board rules and keep it PG-13.
11. Have fun discussing, debating, and giving advice!

One more note to all: don't feel that you have to answer the first two questions. While it's nice to know other peoples' triggers so we can warn for them in the future, feel free to give only the information that you want to give out.

 

BANNED LIST:

No one!

 

WARN LIST: (Goes away after two weeks)

No one!

Edited November 14, 2011 by stogucheme

[HeatherMarie]

1. What are your triggers?

talk/debate/conversation about suicide, and about eating disorders, people using "fat" or other fat-related words as an insult, pictures/videos with super-skinny models where you can see their bones

 

2. How did you get your triggers? (TW: suicide attempt talk and eating disorder talk) {I've attempted suicide more times then I can count over the years, the majority happening when I was a teenager. Trying to unbias-ly read/talk about suicide usually results in panic attacks.

I also struggled with anorexia (and, for a short time, bulimia) for a good 6+ years. I'm "better" now, but I still struggle constantly with my body and that state of mind. It's *way* too easy for me to slip back into that mindspace of needing Ana...

}

 

3. What do you wish people would Trigger Warn (TW) for? What images shouldn't be on posters/commercials/etc.?

I think people need to TW for *anything* that could be upsetting to someone. Talk about eating disorders, or even just someone ranting about their body, can be very upsetting to some of us. I would like to see that kind of thing TW.

 

Personally, I think that if someone (ie, a model) doesn't look *healthy*, they shouldn't be allowed to model. Seeing a bare-bones skeleton on the runway is not attractive and only reinforces the idea that you can never be too skinny.

 

4. Do you think TWs are needed? Do you think it's wrong not to TW?

I think TWs are needed, definitely. But I also think a lot of people don't *knowingly* not-TW. Many people just don't know, don't think about the fact that what they are saying could be upsetting to people.

 

[stogucheme]

3. What do you wish people would Trigger Warn (TW) for? What images shouldn't be on posters/commercials/etc.?

I think people need to TW for *anything* that could be upsetting to someone. Talk about eating disorders, or even just someone ranting about their body, can be very upsetting to some of us. I would like to see that kind of thing TW.

 

Personally, I think that if someone (ie, a model) doesn't look *healthy*, they shouldn't be allowed to model. Seeing a bare-bones skeleton on the runway is not attractive and only reinforces the idea that you can never be too skinny.

 

  4. Do you think TWs are needed? Do you think it's wrong not to TW?

I think TWs are needed, definitely. But I also think a lot of people don't *knowingly* not-TW. Many people just don't know, don't think about the fact that what they are saying could be upsetting to people.

3. I definitely agree with you. However, there are some lines I think need to be drawn. For example, some people are afraid of/triggered by long words (ironically called hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia). If you know of someone in your community who will read your paper and is hippo...phobic, then definitely trigger warn for that. But if you don't think anyone in your community is hippo...phobic, then you shouldn't, because then you'd be TWing for everything in your post. I believe that- unless someone tells you to TW for a specific thing- you should stick to the most common triggers. Definitely add to your list if someone requests it, but otherwise, you just can't list or catch them all.

 

One thing I want to add here. Skinny doesn't always mean unhealthy, just like 'overweight' people aren't always unhealthy. It actually depends on your numbers (cholesterol, etc.). But it becomes a problem when all the models are skinny. If they are diverse, then it's fine in my opinion.

 

4. This is true, which is why we should get the word out.

 

One more note to all: don't feel that you have to answer the first two questions. While it's nice to know other peoples' triggers so we can warn for them in the future, feel free to give only the information that you want to give out.

[Princess Artemis]

Iiiiiinteresting topic! I hope this doesn't go badly.

 

All right, here's some, though I don't think this is the space to be opening up about everything...

 

1. A trigger of mine: People eating/chewing gum. Graphic descriptions of eating. Images of anything making chewing motions.

 

2. How'd I get said trigger? (TW: Uh...? I don't think there is, honestly. It's pretty much a description of the symptoms of misophonia.) {I have misophonia, which is an extraordinary sensitivity to soft sounds, especially related to eating and breathing. And no, I'm not the only person in the world who has it. Those sounds put my whole system into full on fight or flight and it's really upsetting getting flooded with adrenaline and rage for something so ordinary. As far as I know, it's just something I have and always have had.}

 

3. What I wish people would warn for? Big things like domestic violence, rape or anything even hinting at same, medical nastiness, descriptions of real violence. What images shouldn't be on posters/commercials/etc.? Same, and situations where there is a very large and obvious power imbalance. Although it would make my life easier if the person in charge of those horrible Carl's Jr's commercials was fired and if they would stop sticking microphones in people's mouths for other commercials.

 

4. Do I think they are needed? Yes. Do I think it's wrong not to? No, I just think if people are being considerate, they'll talk softly.

 

So, that's not all my opinion on the subject nor all my experience, but the rest isn't for this forum : )

[stogucheme]

Iiiiiinteresting topic!  I hope this doesn't go badly.

 

All right, here's some, though I don't think this is the space to be opening up about everything...

[...]

So, that's not all my opinion on the subject nor all my experience, but the rest isn't for this forum : )

Like I wrote above, no one has to open up here or give any information about themselves. They can debate what's TW-worthy or not (in the 'you can't warn for every trigger ever sense') if they want. Or what ever related to this topic.

 

4. Do I think they are needed?  Yes.  Do I think it's wrong not to?  No, I just think if people are being considerate, they'll talk softly.

I personally think it's wrong not to. I mean, if it hurts people...

Edited November 14, 2011 by stogucheme

[Princess Artemis]

I personally think it's wrong not to. I mean, if it hurts people...

Gum chewing hurts me, really and for serious. Is it wrong that people don't trigger warn for gum chewing on TV shows? : )

[stogucheme]

Gum chewing hurts me, really and for serious. Is it wrong that people don't trigger warn for gum chewing on TV shows? : )

And this is where I get into my morally grey area. On the one hand, I know you can't warn for it all. On the other hand, there are common triggers, and you should warn for them. If you know about TWs and don't, you're cruel and in the wrong.

 

But if I ever post audio I think you'll hear, I'll warn for the soft sounds.

[Nine]

I have never heard of a "trigger" before this thread. Are they basically things that automatically upset you, pet peeves, fears and the like? And "trigger warnings" are verbal cautions such as... 'hey, we're about to talk about poodles'? Are they kind of like putting spoiler tags before a post?

 

Trying to get some clarification since this is a new term to me. I'm sure I could just Wikipedia it, but sometimes it's more fun to learn straight from another.

[stogucheme]

I have never heard of a "trigger" before this thread. Are they basically things that automatically upset you, pet peeves, fears and the like? And "trigger warnings" are verbal cautions such as... 'hey, we're about to talk about poodles'? Are they kind of like putting spoiler tags before a post?

 

Trying to get some clarification since this is a new term to me. I'm sure I could just Wikipedia it, but sometimes it's more fun to learn straight from another.

Trigger aren't just things you fear, like scary movies. They're things that cause you serious physical reactions: apprehension, panic, etc. You can read my part two to understand what medical needles did to me when I was younger.

 

I guess you could call them spoiler tags. But they're spoiler tags that tell you, 'hey, we're talking about X, so if X triggers you, you might not want to read this.'

 

Also, what PrincessArtemis wrote.

Edited November 14, 2011 by stogucheme

[Princess Artemis]

Triggers are things that can cause strong emotional responses such as panic attacks, flashbacks, things like that. So yeah, automatically upset you, but usually much stronger than a pet peeve would be. They are things that have caused a large impact on someone's life, usually.

 

Warnings are sort of like spoiler tags. I've usually seen them in the form of "Trigger warning for X, Y, Z" before the text. In a forum, it might be hidden in spoiler text, in a blog it would just come before the meat of the post.

[Dragonhatchling]

1.What are your triggers? Needles/shots/anything the like

 

2.How did you get them? Not going into details, just know that doctors everywhere probably hate me after trying to take a sample from my arm that one day...

 

4.Do you think TWs are needed? Yeah! For me especially... Do you think it's wrong not to TW? Er... no, just that if someone 'knows' that talking of such things can be a bit stressful for some people that they would talk a bit softer.

 

I skipped 3 due to me not being able to think about much other than what triggers me... ...... ...........

[MURDERcomplexx]

My triggers are pretty simple, images with clusters of holes, or anything vertigo inducing in movies. Like that scene in the new Mission Impossible where Cruise is scaling up the side of the building in Dubai.

nope. no thanks.

wow, even just saying clusters of holes is giving me goosebumps, i really hate that one a lot.

 

Honestly though I would say it's just common phobias. the hole one i have no idea where it came from, but i completely do not like holes of any kind.

 

i habitually warn for triggers like rape or suicide, and sometimes further if someone asks me to.

i am not triggered by much.

 

warnings are definitely a courtesy thing, and i tend to peg you as a jerk if you refuse to tag when someone asks it of you.

but it's not really someone's fault if something unconventional and uncommon triggers someone, and they completely go off on said person for not guessing absolutely everyone's triggers.

 

i am not going to yell at someone for not tagging a hole image. it's not that common of a trigger.

[stogucheme]

warnings are definitely a courtesy thing, and i tend to peg you as a jerk if you refuse to tag when someone asks it of you.

but it's not really someone's fault if something unconventional and uncommon triggers someone, and they completely go off on said person for not guessing absolutely everyone's triggers.

 

i am not going to yell at someone for not tagging a hole image. it's not that common of a trigger.

This is pretty much my stance.

[Princess Artemis]

I have to agree, if someone asks for a warning and others refuse, the others get the 'inconsiderate cretin' tag.

 

Considering people will post things that are physical health hazards without warnings (such as seizure inducing video) and then grump when someone complains about it negatively affecting their health, it's hard to imagine those people suddenly realizing that their words might need warnings, too.

[Gsea]

1. What are your triggers? {Similar to MURDERcomplexx...holes. Imprints/indents of any kind. I don't mean like a dent in a car, but I mean anything deep and unnatural that's not supposed to be there, like a line carved into wood or (shudder) holes. Small spaces, talk of small spaces, and talk of suffocation are some of my mother triggers. Depression and suicide are major triggers of mine- I just hate that people don't seem to know how severe depression can be and that sometimes it isn't for any reason- in fact, that's how most depression is. I've struggled with some symptoms of depression for a few years now, and I still hate hearing about it.

2. How did you get them? ...I dunno.

3. What do you wish people would Trigger Warn (TW) for? What images shouldn't be on posters/commercials/etc.? Excessive gore. I'm not sensitive to movie-gore, like in horror movies, but the real life stuff (like those awful commercials that are always playing on the TV when I wake up for school about smoking, where they show the lungs and the...eww.) does bother me.

4. Do you think TWs are needed? Do you think it's wrong not to TW? I think so. Sometimes I'll be reading a post and my eye will catch something I wish I had not seen.

5. Anything else? (Like advice for how to calm yourself down, etc.?) Not really. I can never seem to calm myself down when it comes to the depression stuff. I just launch back into suicidal mode. I also have anger issues, after things build up, I just...freak.

Edited November 14, 2011 by glamoursea2

[dragon_mando]

1. What are your triggers? Eye damage, Paranormal games, Apocolyptic theories, medical needles.

2. How did you get your triggers? (TW: All of those mentioned in #1)

Eye Damage: I got this one because when I was about 14, my sister hit me in the face with a pine branch and several needles pierced my eyes, but being the jerks my parents are, they refused to take me to a doctor unless I started losing my vision. I'm lucky I can see at all.

Paranormal Games: I only realized this was a trigger last night, actually. This one, especially games like "Hide and Seek Alone" and "Midnight Man" are by far the worst. I have a strict belief that it's a BAD idea to tempt any negative spirits, whether they exist or not, and these two games have a history of causing permanent insanity. When my girlfriend and best friend started talking about playing Midnight Man last night, I had to sign out of Skype because I was hyperventilating that badly.

Apocalypse Stuff: This one's my second oldest trigger, with record of me having panic attacks about the Biblical apocalypse since age 7 when my parents took me to a play about God ending the world. I had nightmares about that play for years and any talk about the world ending will make me nauseous.

Medical needles: Oldest trigger, not sure when it started because it did so young, I just...really can't stand them. I have to be held down at the office to get vaccines and I REFUSE to get flu shots.

3. What do you wish people would Trigger Warn (TW) for? I...really don't see the point in it. If everyone trigger warned for everything that might be a trigger for someone, we'd end up with the entire dictionary in the TW tags.

4. Do you think TWs are needed? Do you think it's wrong not to TW? See above. Beyond that, I think only the really big/common ones like rape, sexual abuse, physical and emotional abuse, slavery, and maybe incest.

5. Anything else? (Like advice for how to calm yourself down, etc.?) I try to engage my brain in something challenging so I literally can't think about whatever set me off. Usually it's something like a weird anatomy pose while trying to simultaneously listen to complex music and/or watching Top Gear, possibly sipping tea or hot broth at the same time. The more of my senses that are engaged with something, the faster I calm down.

Edited November 14, 2011 by dragon_mando

[stogucheme]

3. What do you wish people would Trigger Warn (TW) for? I...really don't see the point in it. If everyone trigger warned for everything that might be a trigger for someone, we'd end up with the entire dictionary in the TW tags.

4. Do you think TWs are needed? Do you think it's wrong not to TW? See above. Beyond that, I think only the really big/common ones like rape, sexual abuse, physical and emotional abuse, slavery, and maybe incest.

5. Anything else? (Like advice for how to calm yourself down, etc.?) I try to engage my brain in something challenging so I literally can't think about whatever set me off. Usually it's something like a weird anatomy pose while trying to simultaneously listen to complex music and/or watching Top Gear, possibly sipping tea or hot broth at the same time. The more of my senses that are engaged with something, the faster I calm down.

(TW: Medical needles) {I refuse to get flu shots, too. *shudder*}

 

That's why I think that the most common triggers should be warned for, along with any requested TWs.

 

That's great advice! I will definitely try that if I remember next time I'm triggered. I also use the 'little golden ball' strategy (imagining that nothing can enter my mind without my permission).

[Shienvien]

1./2. I do not have any triggers, nor have I ever had ones.

 

3./4./5. Now, I can agree with extreme violence (and similar) being warned of in the beginning of a visual/audio programme containing realistic footage of such, but I do not think TWs as such are generally necessary for everything which might be a trigger for someone. For one, for everyone without the triggers the warnings do not serve a purpose, and being repetitive, they will likely be a bother, or, worse, they might become milder triggers themselves. I know several people who do not tolerate certain commercials, I know at least one who will become severely irritated and upset if he hears that warning which over here is the necessity after medicine-advertisements. (He actually has to switch channel when an advertisement of such kind comes on, to avoid the following notice and the related distress.)

Furthermore, there are only a few common triggers - bloody/gory scenes, extreme violence in its many forms, medical equipment, various creepy-crawlies. The rest are somewhat rare, and you can't and shouldn't warn about all of them, at all times, else the warnings themselves become a source of severe distress.

- You can't warn about water being present for the sake of all the people who are afraid of drowning, high places for those afraid of heights, of dogs being present on the screen for all those many who are afraid of dogs... Warn of blood, of the color red or blue, of meat, of light, of darkness, of open spaces, of closed spaces, of sudden loud noises, of square shapes being present (I know one person who will immediately cover if she sees one; her colleagues don't wear clothes with square patterns because of her), of [insert a thing here]. ...Of specific TWs.

At last, being continually warned of something might by itself call forth related psychological problems. If the mother persuades the child to take his medicine at the threat of taking him to the hospital instead, then the child will likely develop a fear of hospitals, as those are constantly portrayed as something bad - an effect similar to that, for example. Many fears derive from the influences of environment, including, ironically, the very warnings present in the said environment.

 

For general socially terrible things in their stronger forms, such as someone being ripped apart or violated on-screen, yes, TWs might be present, but otherwise, I think TWs might do even more damage than they avoid.

[War Pig Killer]

1. Never heard of a "trigger" before, at least not with this definition. I suppose my triggers are basically anything that causes that gut feeling of "that shouldn't be that way", not limited to but including amputations, physical deformities, and any time a limb is bent in a way that it normally shouldn't.

 

2.How did you get your triggers? (TW: Anatomy) {I really don't know. The only one I DO know is the limb thing - something's up with my knees that makes them dislocate really easily. So the result is I panic whenever I see someone do something like sitting on their knees, sitting cross-legged, and so on.}

 

3. I wish people wouldn't put anything with displays of physical deformity or illness, or anything that displays the effects of mental illness. Describing it is one thing, but pictures tend to be especially upsetting. Now do I believe I have the right to say to someone who wants to post those things "you can't do this"? No, absolutely not. But I wish they wouldn't.

 

4. I think they're necessary, but I am not sure where I draw the line between "this is necessary" and "this is just plain silly", as there cannot be trigger warnings for everything that could possibly upset someone in that way.

 

5. I use a technique from cognitive behavioral therapy - breathe through your nose and take a deep breath, the kind where your stomach starts to expand. It's quite relaxing and allows you to gather yourself without being very noticeable to others.

Edited November 15, 2011 by War Pig Killer

[stogucheme]

1./2. I do not have any triggers, nor have I ever had ones.

 

3./4./5. Now, I can agree with extreme violence (and similar) being warned of in the beginning of a visual/audio programme containing realistic footage of such, but I do not think TWs as such are generally necessary for everything which might be a trigger for someone. For one, for everyone without the triggers the warnings do not serve a purpose, and being repetitive, they will likely be a bother, or, worse, they might become milder triggers themselves. I know several people who do not tolerate certain commercials, I know at least one who will become severely irritated and upset if he hears that warning which over here is the necessity after medicine-advertisements. (He actually has to switch channel when an advertisement of such kind comes on, to avoid the following notice and the related distress.)

Furthermore, there are only a few common triggers - bloody/gory scenes, extreme violence in its many forms, medical equipment, various creepy-crawlies. The rest are somewhat rare, and you can't and shouldn't warn about all of them, at all times, else the warnings themselves become a source of severe distress.

- You can't warn about water being present for the sake of all the people who are afraid of drowning, high places for those afraid of heights, of dogs being present on the screen for all those many who are afraid of dogs... Warn of blood, of the color red or blue, of meat, of light, of darkness, of open spaces, of closed spaces, of sudden loud noises, of square shapes being present (I know one person who will immediately cover if she sees one; her colleagues don't wear clothes with square patterns because of her), of [insert a thing here]. ...Of specific TWs.

At last, being continually warned of something might by itself call forth related psychological problems. If the mother persuades the child to take his medicine at the threat of taking him to the hospital instead, then the child will likely develop a fear of hospitals, as those are constantly portrayed as something bad - an effect similar to that, for example. Many fears derive from the influences of environment, including, ironically, the very warnings present in the said environment.

 

For general socially terrible things in their stronger forms, such as someone being ripped apart or violated on-screen, yes, TWs might be present, but otherwise, I think TWs might do even more damage than they avoid.

To me, your statement is similar to a person who states, 'don't point out racism because you'll upset the white people.'

The purpose of trigger warnings is to prevent people with triggers from being triggered. Being triggered is like your whole world crashing in on you. You can't think, you can't move, it's...terrible. I got triggered so badly from one thing that I had a full-on panic attack, and it took hours to calm down.

And you're claiming that we shouldn't warn for triggering things because it'll upset people who don't have these reactions?

 

Your example doesn't work. You're referring to a mother emotionally abusing her child, telling him that she will take him to the hospital as a threat. Abuse develops triggers. Putting a content warning does not, or all the people who watch movies with ratings would go into panic attacks.

 

Yes, we can't warn for it all. Yes, we should trim it down to the most common ones. But if someone asks you to warn for cussing and you don't because it might upset the people without triggers? I'm sorry, but you need a reality check.

 

War Pig Killer, I'll read yours later, sorry. I've got class.

[Princess Artemis]

3. I wish people wouldn't put anything with displays of physical deformity or illness, or anything that displays the effects of mental illness.

Just curious, is it images used as shock value or is it anyone and anything? Like, would a family photo of a person born without arms and her children trigger you?

[War Pig Killer]

Just curious, is it images used as shock value or is it anyone and anything? Like, would a family photo of a person born without arms and her children trigger you?

I wouldn't say anyone and anything, but most things are triggers to some degree.

[Princess Artemis]

Sounds sorta like mine in its irrationality: I wish the whole world only ate through very quiet straws, but this is obviously not possible so I remove myself from the situations as the problem is quite clearly me, not them.

 

That's right around where the line is I draw upon thinking trigger warnings are good or necessary: if it is acts committed, they may be up for warning, but if it is simply something that is, it is absurd to warn about them. Well, except for things that are physical health hazards. Anyone who doesn't warn that something might cause seizures and they know this, they need a boot to the head.

Edited November 15, 2011 by Princess Artemis

[Shienvien]

To me, your statement is similar to a person who states, 'don't point out racism because you'll upset the white people.' ... And you're claiming that we shouldn't warn for triggering things because it'll upset people who don't have these reactions?

Your example doesn't work. You're referring to a mother emotionally abusing her child, telling him that she will take him to the hospital as a threat. Abuse develops triggers. Putting a content warning does not, or all the people who watch movies with ratings would go into panic attacks.

Yes, we can't warn for it all. Yes, we should trim it down to the most common ones. But if someone asks you to warn for cussing and you don't because it might upset the people without triggers?

 

Here I admit I've no idea how triggers feel personally, because I don't have any. However, I do know how it looks like, and for the most part, I know how to deal with those people, too. If I know the person will end up paralyzed and hiding in a corner is s/he sees a square or a snake, I naturally wouldn't wear a shirt with square-patterns on it near the one, or send the one a picture of a friend's new pet-snake (or worse, go to the one with a live snake). That is common courtesy of a personal level, and an entirely different thing from commercial warnings.

 

As I said, I've already got a person who has severe problems with voice-read text-warnings on TV - there is no guarantee the same wouldn't occur with TWs, if those were commonly implemented. The person wouldn't be able to watch TV anymore, since those warnings wouldn't conveniently have advertisements of various medicine before those, so he wouldn't know to switch a channel. True, he doesn't know whether it is the dictor's voice, the fact that there is white text on gray screen, or something else. He simply can't take those, and it takes some effort to calm him down if he accidentally still sees one.

And here you are underestimating the psychological effect constant warnings might have. I know of many cases when warnings of (using/watching) things attached to the things have eventually developed into fears of said things. It is far more common then you would think. Including, why I brought the child-example out, the warning labels on everyday items. If it says, 'may cause blindness if gets in the eye', there actually is a considerable probability that someone, especially if the idea of eye-injury already quirks him/her, will refuse to handle that item or substance altogether, though the probability of actual harm is very, or almost insignificantly low. 8 out of 10 things next to me might actually cause immediate blindness in at least one eye, if handled carelessly. - Here was an example where a warning actually deepened the fear of something.

- Most phobias are, at least to an extent, derived from something or someone indicating that said thing is bad - society tells you spiders, over here completely harmless creatures, are to be feared, you start to fear spiders. I can't think of a case when a small child sees a tiny spider at distance for a first time and is immediately terrified of it, but I know several cases when a person has developed the fear later. If it is big and moves too fast, such as with dogs occasionally, or when it crawls onto your arm, causing unpleasant sensation... or when something actually does hurt you, the reaction is more logical, and might be naturally induced, if expressing, in case of phobias, exaggeratedly.

I know TWs would usually and for most be just a minor annoyance - hey, I've been ignoring whatever commercials contain for as long as I've watched TV or used the net - but I also know many fears would be much less common when the society wouldn't enforce those, and living in a world filled with constant warnings is terrifying for many. To the point where they refuse to step out of the door because they might encounter something or have something happen to them.

 

True, a little bulletin in the beginning of the movie, stating 'contains violence/blood/scenes which might disturb some' doesn't do that. Not usually, at least. But now imagine the bulletins were about every very common phobia/trigger (since phobias and triggers are undeniably related), every time one appeared on-screen. (What about on posters? Should posters advertising spider-exhibitions or an anatomy museum be banned?) And, should the programme stop before the potential trigger-scenes to show the warning? I imagine most horror-movies, if shown on TV, would lose the reason why they are shown. Besides, many people just flick the TV-set on when they feel like it, switch the channels at random, et cetera. They would never see the warnings unless those were repeated constantly right before each trigger-scene. In case of TV, a warning shown on the screen once, or even after each commercial-break, does have very little in the way of a beneficial effect.

 

Most people have something what quirks them, however those things do not have a powerful enough impact to be called triggers. The majority would accidentally flick on a scene that disturbs them, very quickly switch the channel or look away, shudder, and live their lives on. The world crashing down on the person just because a woman in a movie is sewing, and the sewing-needle resembles those of syringes, must have a very severe phobia of needles. Not just get uneasy near needles, or have an issue with getting one under the one's own skin. And, phobias like that, those which hinder the person's very functionality, are, even if sadly common, psychological problems, and might require help, if the phenomenon is common enough. Say, you freeze when you see a dog. Now, think of how common dogs are. Should you be allowed to drive if you require a warning on TV-screen before a dog is shown? Seeing a dog on a street is extremely common, and if you will crash the car into the lamppost or the unfortunate pedestrian because of it... You can probably see why freezing when seeing a dog, even if that *is* common, needs to be worked on. I don't say it would be easy.

Now, you brought out cussing - you've probably never seen me using what is generally considered strong language, simply because I do not habitually swear other than muttering something quietly under my breath when I, say, trip over something I didn't see and only barely manage to maintain my balance. I rarely might use some very mild terms every now and then when the situation includes strong feelings, sometimes impliedly stronger terms abbreviated to for example the first letter of the word and '-ing', and I'll even warn, if it is said I should, in the ways of common courtesy, despite of it perhaps seeming ridiculous to me. (I don't know anyone who would have a panic attack over a typed-up swearword, though I know many who dislike swearing.)

Do I print 'Contains language and descriptions of blood/death/what have you' on the back covers of my books? No. If the intended audience isn't small children, why would I? I do skip detailedly describing certain scenes anyway, but I don't think I should necessarily write it out somewhere that someone would die a violent death, when the nature of the piece doesn't generally exclude that.

Most people will be fine three minutes after, if they just close the thing that disturbs them, look aside, or stop reading.

 

 

To put an end to this long text of mine, I actually said in the previous post and maintain, that some things which are socially accepted as commonly very disturbing (in the lack of better term) perhaps should be warned against. Including things which show severe injuries or medical conditions, or getting the former - people being ripped apart, not just a bit of blood; various stages of infections, internal parasites or mutilated corpses, not just a few red dots on someone's skin or a lacking finger -, strong physical violations of people, etc. (EDIT: Or flashing things that might cause seizures, same with other purely medical hazards.) Those kinds of things, yes, though even in that case, let the warning not be displayed every two minutes, but remain (in case of TV-programmes) in the beginning and after the commercial-break.

Edited November 15, 2011 by Shienvien

[Princess Artemis]

I am pretty sure no one is asking for the world to be papered over with warnings and it is a bit disingenuous to take support of warnings as meaning anyone wants them every two minutes interrupting everything.

 

It is basically, be polite, and if you know it sends someone into a panic, give them a heads up. If it is something that a significant portion of the population gets really upset about, it's probably a good idea for the warnings to be before the show or whatever, like a rating. It isn't as if the people who have these triggers aren't already careful of what they watch, knowing what will happen if they run across something that triggers them!

 

The example you brought up with the child was clearly emotional abuse, it wasn't a case of having small warnings on bottles. It was more like you telling your co-worker you would cover her cubical walls in squares if she didn't do what you asked, rather than saying, "Hey, this show, 'The Lives of Circles', it's really about squares, just to give you a heads up."

 

That's all it's about, not flying off the cliff of conclusions and saying it must be for everything under the sun and then some, and then every two minutes besides. Otherwise, stogucheme wouldn't have outright said they didn't think commercials with gum chewing needed warnings!