Trigger Warning!

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Specializes in Psych, Addictions, SOL (Student of Life).

Mods : This may be in the wrong place as I have yet to figure out how to get to the break room.

I have been told at my school and facility that we are now required to give a trigger warning before we speak an opinion that may offend the sensibilities of another. Something on the lines of "I have to warn you that I am about to say something that may trigger a strong negative emotion in you!" This gives members of the intended audience the opportunity to recuse themselves from the conversation to avoid being triggered or otherwise negatively effected by what I am about to say!

IMHO political correctness is simply suppression of constitutionally protected free speech which is a basic human right in this country (USA). I am wondering how many others on this forum find this trend ridiculous. I am purposely not going into specific details or issues with this - just wondering how many of my fellows feel about this.

Hppy

14 Votes
Specializes in Psych, Corrections, Med-Surg, Ambulatory.

It's beyond ridiculous. Especially since it depends on the opinion. You can throw out all kinds of virtue-signalling non sequiturs as long as they are consistent with the prevailing winds. Offer a slightly different perspective and expect to be shut down on the spot.

15 Votes
Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.

Wow. I guess I would just be running around saying "trigger warning" before every sentence? Haha. Because truly, everything bothers somebody these days. I posted something on *my* Facebook page about my experience with postpartum heart failure in the interest of educating people about rare conditions, and someone admonished me for not posting a trigger warning. I was like, what? Bye! Who needs that in their life? Not me. Sorry if *my* heart failure made you anxious. Sheesh.

22 Votes
Specializes in ER.

That's funny, although, the workplace is a bad place to talk about religion or politics. That's good manners.

BTW, the free speech clause of the constitution only refers to protection from the government. It doesn't give us a carte blanche in every situation.

23 Votes

I'm triggered by this. ? I find it ridiculous we have to preface something we are about to say because it may offend someone (even in a professional setting). It will be obvious when it's spoken and has happened for, I'm guessing, hundreds of years and people have managed? I feel that "PC" has gone overboard in some areas of life and have made some areas/convos/environments not worth getting involved in for many. If someone has an opinion I don't feel it should be that persons responsibility to assess everyone else's emotions before speaking or engaging. I realize this isn't just in professional circles and I DO realize there are people who will purposefully trigger others. I'm not referring to those intentional moments but more to the professional and/or unintentionally triggered crowds. It would seem completely strange to me to start every sentence/action/breath with a warning.

7 Votes
Specializes in Peds, Med-Surg, Disaster Nsg, Parish Nsg.

Sounds like a good opportunity for someone to sell Trigger Warning T-shirts.

image.png.589a5b97a604506f942c7ae4616bae58.png

15 Votes

I tend to agree. While I understand that importance of not offending people's sensibilities, I feel this trend has really gone sideways. My personal pet peeve are 'euphemisms'. I realize that some of these may be from a bygone era and are now considered objectionable, but what happened to just calling things by their well known, and often simpler, names? personnel department (Human Resources), housekeeping (Environmental Services), being poor (economically disadvantaged), glasses (prescription eyewear), cough drops (throat lozenges)....

7 Votes
2 minutes ago, morelostthanfound said:

I tend to agree. While I understand that importance of not offending people's sensibilities, I feel this trend has really gone sideways. My personal pet peeve are 'euphemisms'. I know that some of these may be from a bygone era and are now considered objectionable, but really, what happened to just calling things by their well known, and often simpler, names? personnel department (Human Resources), housekeeping (Environmental Services), being poor (economically disadvantaged), glasses (prescription eyewear), cough drops (throat lozenges).... The list goes on and on and medicine is rife with these ridiculous misnomers!

4 Votes

Imagine you give this "trigger warning", but the offendee is timid and too embarrassed to run away before being offended??? Maybe they have no place to go. Maybe they can't run fast enough. They will have to endure the abuse. How can we protect them ? Obviously, the only way to truly protect everyone from speech spoken freely is to not allow it to be spoken in the first place. ?

8 Votes

Rubbish.

4 Votes
Specializes in Psych, Addictions, SOL (Student of Life).
1 hour ago, tnbutterfly said:

Sounds like a good opportunity for someone to sell Trigger Warning T-shirts.

image.png.589a5b97a604506f942c7ae4616bae58.png

Where do I get one?

3 Votes
Specializes in Psych, Addictions, SOL (Student of Life).
1 hour ago, Emergent said:

That's funny, although, the workplace is a bad place to talk about religion or politics. That's good manners.

BTW, the free speech clause of the constitution only refers to protection from the government. It doesn't give us a carte blanche in every situation.

I know - In fact my son argued this point in Civic's class when he wrote a paper about weather athletes who kneel during the national anthem are protected under the free speech clause of the constitution. He found and successfully argued that this was not protected and the football teams are private entities and the stadiums are private property. So no free speech protection.

Hppy

7 Votes
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