Trigger Warning!

[hppygr8ful]

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

[VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN]

Oh, for the love of God...why do the PC police have to make such a big deal out of everything?? I can just see standing up in my NAMI group to speak, and right off the bat having to urge the easily-offended to go to their safe space where they don't have to hear or see anything that might disturb their sensitivities. Pardon me, but how else do we learn than by listening respectfully to different points of view?

[NurseSpeedy, ADN, LPN, RN]

-my expression when we have once again succeeded to take PC to the next level.

Of course I can only do this “in my head” for risk of ‘violating’ updated PC rules.(-but keeping it to myself).

I got an email from my child’s teacher before Valentine’s Day stating that if a child wanted to participate in the holiday they had to bring in a valentine for every student. They also wanted them turned in to the teacher the day prior for inspection to verify compliance. My daughter told me that she needed two different valentines cards. I asked her why. She said unicorns for her ‘friends’ and poop emojis for the ‘other ones’. I had to tell her that she couldn’t do it. Her 8 year old response. “I know. It’s not politically correct enough for the school”...even the kids think we are getting carried away with the PC crap.

[SaggieRN87, BSN]

In my opinion, it is one thing to have an opinion that differs from others. However, speech that disempowers or leads to the discrimination of others is inappropriate and shouldn’t be given a platform in any arena.

[TriciaJ, RN]

34 minutes ago, SaggieRN87 said:

In my opinion, it is one thing to have an opinion that differs from others. However, speech that disempowers or leads to the discrimination of others is inappropriate and shouldn’t be given a platform in any arena.

Yes, that is the key. Name-calling and character assassinations became socially unacceptable for good reason. But if someone expresses an unpopular viewpoint, the listeners can be "triggered" and it becomes okay for them to engage in name-calling. There are some popular ones at the moment, but just as inappropriate as epithets of yore.

[RNperdiem, RN]

This topic is one that seems to exist in theory but I have not seen used in the real world.

Any topic sensitive enough to use the trigger warning term is probably happening in a very private conversation where people don't need special warning.. Topics of general conversation are unlikely to be that upsetting.

[WestCoastSunRN, MSN, CNS]

2 hours ago, RNperdiem said:

This topic is one that seems to exist in theory but I have not seen used in the real world.

Any topic sensitive enough to use the trigger warning term is probably happening in a very private conversation where people don't need special warning.. Topics of general conversation are unlikely to be that upsetting.

Not necessarily true. I've triggered someone by talking about what I ordered off of Amazon. It wasn't what I ordered, it was that I shopped on Amazon. I honestly, for REAL, did not think I was bringing up a controversial topic (I do not bring up controversial topics because I while I like to watch drama on TV, I do not like to partake in it).

So I guess it's better to just eat my lunch in silence. And I really don't care what people talk about -- I know how to keep my emotions under control, and if someone is being derogatory or abusive in their speech towards me or anyone else, I know how to confront that obviously wrong behavior as well.

But what do I know? I'm just a girl who should learn to keep her mouth shut. This is the new progressive spin and I think it's very, very ironic.

Oh, I should have said "trigger warning" before saying "progressive", let me add -- I am neither liberal or conservative ... that was not intended as a political statement but rather a generational observation.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

OK, I can see this if you're talking to a group of women who have survived domestic abuse and are warning them that you're about to describe the abuser's point of view. Or if you're teaching a class on forensic nursing and are about to describe the specifics of a rape . . . sexual assault survivors may be triggered. Unfortunately, we're taking this "trigger warning" business way too far . . . and people are becoming way too fragile.

[CharleeFoxtrot, BSN, RN]

Too bad coping skills have gone out of fashion. Instead of dealing with feelings in a healthy manner, these feelings are shunned and avoided.

It's all about control. Either you discipline yourself and keep your feelings in control and cope with them (which is healthy), or you are have ceded control over how you feel to another person and those exterior forces.

It boggles my mind that otherwise rational people allow other people to control their reactions.

tl/dr version: If all you think you are is a nail, all the world looks like a hammer.

[hppygr8ful, ASN, RN, EMT-I]

3 hours ago, RNperdiem said:

This topic is one that seems to exist in theory but I have not seen used in the real world.

Any topic sensitive enough to use the trigger warning term is probably happening in a very private conversation where people don't need special warning.. Topics of general conversation are unlikely to be that upsetting.

My husband is taking a Master's program and his teachers at the University level have to give trigger warnings at the beginning of each class.

Hppy

[Persephone Paige, ADN]

I sit and watch any new group of people I encounter. I will do this for a long time before ever speaking anything except the most basic of civilities. I will know who I would need to issue a 'trigger warning' to and just basically cut them out of my equation.

These people are the jokes of the human condition. And the longer this goes on, they will find themselves increasingly pushed out of reality.

[Leadkrm, RN]

New nurses and nursing students these days can’t make eye contact, handle constructive criticism, or engage in a conversation of any actual substance. This is a blanket statement and does not apply to everyone of course. I loathe being around people my age. They need constant attention and praise or they break down and curl into the fetal position. If they forget their phone in their bag, they can not function. It is scary to think that the future of nursing could possibly be ran by these people. Oh yea, trigger warning

[TriciaJ, RN]

10 minutes ago, Leadkrm said:

New nurses and nursing students these days can’t make eye contact, handle constructive criticism, or engage in a conversation of any actual substance. This is a blanket statement and does not apply to everyone of course. I loathe being around people my age. They need constant attention and praise or they break down and curl into the fetal position. If they forget their phone in their bag, they can not function. It is scary to think that the future of nursing could possibly be ran by these people. Oh yea, trigger warning

That's a bummer. My last job was in college health. There was no nursing program but I found the young people there generally renewed my faith in the future of humanity. Maybe it's not their age, but what nursing school does to them. I sometimes wonder if we should go back to the old hospital-based programs where your feelings were the least of anyone's worries.