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posted by Fnord666 on Friday October 20 2017, @01:36AM   Printer-friendly
from the et-tu-brute? dept.

⚠ Warning: Contents of summary and comments may be offensive. ⚠

Cambridge Uni students get Shakespeare trigger warnings

Shakespeare contains gore and violence that might "upset" you, Cambridge University students have been warned. The "trigger warnings" - red triangles with an exclamation mark - appeared on their English lecture timetables.

Lectures including Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus contain "discussion of sexual violence, sexual assault", the BBC's Newsnight programme has learned.

The university said the warnings were "at the lecturer's own discretion" and "not a faculty-wide policy". The lecture timetables were issued to this term's students by the university's faculty of English.

[...] Asked about the warnings, one Cambridge academic who did not wish to be named, said their "duty as educators was to prepare students for the world not protect them for three years". Prof Dennis Hayes from Derby University's education faculty said: "Once you get a few trigger warnings, lecturers will stop presenting anything that is controversial... gradually, there is no critical discussion".

Cambridge University said the English faculty "does not have a policy on trigger warnings", but added: "Some lecturers indicate that some sensitive material will be covered in a lecture... this is entirely at the lecturer's own discretion and is in no way indicative of a faculty-wide policy."

Forsooth!

Also at Cambridge News, The Guardian, and The Independent.


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  • (Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @01:43AM (17 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @01:43AM (#585043)

    Anybody who is upset by Shakespeare wins a long term, all expenses paid holiday to a psychiatric ward.

    • (Score: 3, Funny) by Ethanol-fueled on Friday October 20 2017, @01:56AM (2 children)

      by Ethanol-fueled (2792) on Friday October 20 2017, @01:56AM (#585051) Homepage

      H-Hey, don't d-drag me off for electroshock therapy. I SWEAR that Smithers was Black! [cinemablend.com] He really was! No, he wasn't always White, you're LYING!

      There...are...FOUR...lights!

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @02:15AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @02:15AM (#585060)

        Hahahaha, we all know you'd be the one saying there are five lights, no torture required...

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @12:57PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @12:57PM (#585203)

        False statement. Well, not about the black part as that was true, but he has never been white. He is yellow.

    • (Score: 4, Insightful) by Whoever on Friday October 20 2017, @02:45AM (9 children)

      by Whoever (4524) on Friday October 20 2017, @02:45AM (#585077) Journal

      Anybody who is upset by Shakespeare wins a long term, all expenses paid holiday to a psychiatric ward.

      Have you actually read Titus Andronicus?

      • (Score: 4, Insightful) by c0lo on Friday October 20 2017, @03:22AM (8 children)

        by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Friday October 20 2017, @03:22AM (#585094) Journal

        And...?
        Wikipedia [wikipedia.org] with citation:

        It is thought to be Shakespeare's first tragedy, and is often seen as his attempt to emulate the violent and bloody revenge plays of his contemporaries, which were extremely popular with audiences throughout the 16th century.[1]

        What's next?
        - ban Shakespeare because the utmost majority of his characters are white and the only black one killed his wife (for failing to iron his hankie)?
        - ban Casablanca because everybody and their dog are smokers? (hold a second on to this, I'll need to pay attention next time to identify the non-smokers. But you get the gist)

        --
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
        • (Score: 3, Disagree) by tfried on Friday October 20 2017, @10:26AM (7 children)

          by tfried (5534) on Friday October 20 2017, @10:26AM (#585162)

          ban

          Umm - where exactly did you get that?

          Yes, this particular warning is sort of silly, but I certainly prefer an overcautious lecturer including a warning, just in case, to an overcautious lecturer omitting anything "problematic", just in case.

          • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Friday October 20 2017, @11:04AM (2 children)

            by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Friday October 20 2017, @11:04AM (#585175) Journal

            From TFS

            "Once you get a few trigger warnings, lecturers will stop presenting anything that is controversial... "

            Nothing formal, just a de facto ban.

            --
            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
            • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @05:22PM (1 child)

              by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @05:22PM (#585324)

              No, they won't. You are just making a mountain out of a mole hill.

              • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday October 21 2017, @12:42AM

                by Anonymous Coward on Saturday October 21 2017, @12:42AM (#585498)

                Yes, they will. You are making a mole hill out of a mountain.

          • (Score: 5, Insightful) by nobu_the_bard on Friday October 20 2017, @12:39PM (3 children)

            by nobu_the_bard (6373) on Friday October 20 2017, @12:39PM (#585198)

            Just start putting warnings on everything until it no longer has any meaning.

            Calculus I
            * Trigger Warning: Students may be exposed to unshielded derivatives and excessive talk about sin, not just cos.

            Physics I
            * Trigger Warning: There may be discussion of gravity that both agrees with observable reality and defies students' expectations, which sometimes leads to bouts of discomfort.

            Introduction to Computer Use
            * Trigger Warning: Microsoft Office has proven to lead some weak-hearted students to uncontrollable anger or thoughts of suicide.

            • (Score: 2) by Grishnakh on Friday October 20 2017, @06:45PM

              by Grishnakh (2831) on Friday October 20 2017, @06:45PM (#585363)

              Ok, I have to agree about the one about Microsoft Office. That thing is indeed horrible, especially the version where the background color is bright red and the menus are in ALL-CAPS. Holy shit, what fucking moron UI designer came up with that shit?

              But a trigger warning isn't the answer. An outright ban on using Microsoft Office in the university is. There's no reason for using MS Office in an academic setting (where students are typically on tight budgets) when LibreOffice is both Free and free, and as a bonus it won't cause you to want to rip out your eyeballs.

            • (Score: 2) by darkfeline on Friday October 20 2017, @10:01PM

              by darkfeline (1030) on Friday October 20 2017, @10:01PM (#585450) Homepage

              Life
              * Trigger Warning: You may experience uncomfortable feelings. Are you sure you wish to live?

              --
              Join the SDF Public Access UNIX System today!
            • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday October 21 2017, @12:54AM

              by Anonymous Coward on Saturday October 21 2017, @12:54AM (#585507)

              excessive talk about sin, not just cos.

              Cosplay is just advanced sinplay.

    • (Score: 5, Funny) by krishnoid on Friday October 20 2017, @06:02AM (2 children)

      by krishnoid (1156) on Friday October 20 2017, @06:02AM (#585128)

      I'm mostly concerned that there's enough detail in those trigger warnings to make them spoilers. That's just unforgivable.

      • (Score: 2) by DannyB on Friday October 20 2017, @04:08PM (1 child)

        by DannyB (5839) Subscriber Badge on Friday October 20 2017, @04:08PM (#585280) Journal

        What if the things in the trigger warnings are the only things you need to know for the exam?

        Thank Cambridge for protecting the precious minds of young students from upsetting things. Once they graduate from academia, they won't ever have to worry about encountering upsetting things.

        --
        The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.
        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @05:24PM

          by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @05:24PM (#585325)

          You do realize that the warnings to do prevent students from reading / listening right? For the slackers it just changes the method from "I'm siiiick" to "I'm twigahd!" No censorship, no watering down of academia, just fear mongering by people without perspective.

    • (Score: 2) by Grishnakh on Friday October 20 2017, @06:42PM

      by Grishnakh (2831) on Friday October 20 2017, @06:42PM (#585362)

      That's ridiculous. These people are not insane, just misguided, and psychiatric wards are very expensive and won't help here. Those who are upset by Shakespeare should simply be given the choice of dealing with it, or leaving the school.

  • (Score: 3, Informative) by c0lo on Friday October 20 2017, @01:48AM (6 children)

    by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Friday October 20 2017, @01:48AM (#585046) Journal

    'Huckleberry Finn' re-write: Political correctness or censorship? [pleasantonweekly.com] - this was Jan 2011 story

    Next month, NewSouth Books will publish a combined edition of Mark Twain's "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" and "Tom Sawyer" which will omit a particular racial epithet.

    Spearheaded by Twain scholar and Auburn University-Montgomery professor Alan Gribben, the new edition will remove the word "n----r" and/or substitute it for "slave." The word appears in "Huck Finn" over 200 times and has been the source of much contention since the book was published in 1885. According to the American Library Association, it has also been among the top five books challenged or banned during the 1990s.

    Well, seems like the problem is more than only 6 years old.

    --
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
    • (Score: 5, Insightful) by Ethanol-fueled on Friday October 20 2017, @02:05AM (1 child)

      by Ethanol-fueled (2792) on Friday October 20 2017, @02:05AM (#585053) Homepage

      When my sister was studying Political Economics at U.C. Berkeley, she took a "Literature of Hunter S. Thompson" class.

      Now, I am a fan of Hunter, in fact, he's the primary influence of my writing style. But he does occasionally say "nigger" and of course there's that detailed and titillating quote from Hell's Angels regarding every woman's secret enjoyment of rape I posted here in another's journal (too lazy to find now).

      What I am suggesting is, even their own idols run counter to their current beliefs -- so, you pry them apart from their own idols and watch them eat each other alive in holy wars of pedantry and righteousness as they are trying to do to everybody else.

      The ideology of Saul Alinsky is a sword which cuts both ways and quite effective against those who wield it. Don't believe me? Ask Harvey Weinstein and by extension the rest of Hollywood.

      • (Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @03:09AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @03:09AM (#585086)

        Also see the work Hollywood has done to associate homosexual men with AIDS and transwomen with serial killers.

        Weinstein is so not a surprise.

        I think we had a story a while back about a bunch of anti-gamergaters, all sex-negative feminists, who turned out to be completely skeezy.

        It's all about power and about being an authoritarian leader on the side of righteousness.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @02:28AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @02:28AM (#585066)

      Was going to mention the same thing about the censored Huck Finn. I know an engineering prof at Auburn U and I asked him what was going on, back when this hit the news. Turns out he's at the main Auburn campus, didn't know anything about the satellite Montgomery campus.

    • (Score: 3, Touché) by Gaaark on Friday October 20 2017, @12:19PM

      by Gaaark (41) on Friday October 20 2017, @12:19PM (#585193) Journal

      Solution: just make Tom Sawyer black and call him "Ol' Tom" and then he can call Jim "N1gger Jim" all he wants.

      'Cause....

      --
      --- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
    • (Score: 2) by Thexalon on Friday October 20 2017, @01:35PM (1 child)

      by Thexalon (636) on Friday October 20 2017, @01:35PM (#585218)

      Oh, I remember that incident. That was about the dumbest kind of censorship possible. I'll let the certifiably black Larry Wilmore explain it [cc.com].

      That said, there are certainly aspects of Shakespeare that I could reasonably imagine being "triggering" in the original sense of the word, namely causing somebody with PTSD or a similar problem to have a nasty mental health episode. Imagine, if you will, reading:
      - King Lear as somebody who had actually had their eye removed as an act of torture.
      - The Scottish play as somebody who had watched their children be murdered, or somebody who had chosen to save their unborn baby's life at the expense of his wife's life.
      - Julius Caesar as somebody who had murdered a good friend.

      Just because it's classic literature doesn't mean it can't be traumatic.

      --
      The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
      • (Score: 2) by hendrikboom on Monday October 23 2017, @02:10AM

        by hendrikboom (1125) Subscriber Badge on Monday October 23 2017, @02:10AM (#586129) Homepage Journal

        If that's all you can think of, you haven't seen Titus Andronicus. Next to Titus Andronicus, all those others are pablum.

        -- hendrik

  • (Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @02:07AM (6 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @02:07AM (#585054)

    Cambridge University said the English faculty "does not have a policy on trigger warnings", but added: "Some lecturers indicate that some sensitive material will be covered in a lecture... this is entirely at the lecturer's own discretion and is in no way indicative of a faculty-wide policy."

    So it is something that some professors are doing, big deal. No one is inconvenienced except some delicate snowflakes triggered by a trigger warning.

    Hold on, I need to go crumple some clothes for all the irony about to be dropped.

    • (Score: 2) by FatPhil on Friday October 20 2017, @06:25AM

      by FatPhil (863) <reversethis-{if.fdsa} {ta} {tnelyos-cp}> on Friday October 20 2017, @06:25AM (#585131) Homepage
      Agreed. I have no objection to simple warnings that keep idiots away from academic courses. That way those who actually want to educate themselves by immersing themselves in the wider world of history and culture can have clearly prefereable CVs (resumes) when they enter the job market.
      --
      Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @12:41PM (3 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @12:41PM (#585200)

      Not too long ago, people who are so delicate that they would need something akin to a "trigger warning" because they might see something that would offend their delicate eyes were called thin skinned pussies. I do believe that these days, "trigger warning" requirements are not really a necessity for poor snowflakes, but just another way for new bullies to try to exercise power over others.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @05:29PM (2 children)

        by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @05:29PM (#585327)

        You obviously have a very limited world view, this means you were coddled by you parents and not forced to learn anything that made you uncomfortable.

        Trigger warnings are for people who have experienced trauma and may suffer PTSD if they're not prepared for the material. If you think this is ridiculous I welcome you to go to prison, get raped, then spend the rest of your life breaking out into a cold sweat when large men walk past you. Emotional trauma is a real thing, and actually I hope you never have to experience it to the level where you are grateful for a trigger warning.

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @07:45PM

          by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @07:45PM (#585393)

          You obviously have a very limited world view, [sic] this means you were coddled by you [sic] parents and not forced to learn anything that made you uncomfortable.

          I learned grammar.

          You have no idea what trauma I may or may not have suffered. What you do know is that I did not expect others to warn me about the horrifying perils of reading Shakespeare or anything else.

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday October 21 2017, @04:58AM

          by Anonymous Coward on Saturday October 21 2017, @04:58AM (#585564)

          It's still bullshit. That kind of thinking is why OCD so often winds up being a death spiral out of control as the actions that would get one out become unbearable.

          Unless you're so sensitive that exposure will lead to murder or suicide you should be locked up for treatment. Of you're not that sensitive you should just suck it up as colleges are for educating people which includes coming across sensitive issues.

          The world is an unsafe place and people regularly come across triggering things they have to learn to cope with.

    • (Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Friday October 20 2017, @05:47PM

      by DeathMonkey (1380) on Friday October 20 2017, @05:47PM (#585342) Journal

      So it is something that some professors are doing, big deal. No one is inconvenienced except some delicate snowflakes triggered by a trigger warning.

      Why is the title of the submission lying to me? 'Cambridge' hasn't done anything.

  • (Score: 5, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @02:14AM (8 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @02:14AM (#585058)

    When I teach college courses, which I do quite often, since it is my job, I am very careful to post trigger warnings for all the conservatives that may be taking one of my classes. A few examples:

    WARNING: this course will be covering IDEAS. If you are not comfortable with thinking and IDEAS, there is a safe space for you at the College Republican House, just off campus.

    WARNING: this course will suggest that property rights are non-absolute. If this assertion will cause you undue stress or agony, you may want to consider dropping the class.

    Or:

    WARNING: THIS COURSE MAY CONTAIN TRANS-SEXUALS!!!! It could undermine your faith in a sky fairy. It may cause hives and/or shingles. This course may have been used to process nuts. If you are one, please stay away.

    OK, that last one I never actually used. But there were times I regretted not doing so.

    • (Score: 3, Touché) by Runaway1956 on Friday October 20 2017, @02:34AM (6 children)

      by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Friday October 20 2017, @02:34AM (#585070) Journal

      Yeah, sure, we believe you, perfessor. Just like we believe that other nutcase who claims to shit golden bricks. Now, climb into the paddy wagon, and we'll take you to your safe space, with all the nice doctors, orderlies, and soothing drugs. What's that? Oh, sure, perfessor, you can ring the little dingy bell as we ride along.

      • (Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @03:15AM (4 children)

        by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @03:15AM (#585091)

        And you want to pretend you're NOT the fascist? "We'll call you nuts and throw you in a cell." Sounds more like a witch hunt, now that shit is old school!

        • (Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @05:44AM (3 children)

          by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @05:44AM (#585123)

          Runaway besmirches my credentials, as suggests I am not actually a tenured full professor. Ducks off a badger's back, I always say. But as he does resemble a fascist, I am starting to believe that Runaway himself may be a persona, a mask, a pretense and a ruse, if you will. He pretends to be a redneck hillbilly who works in some kind of manufacturing environ, with "tools" and 'hardware". But the details are few and sketchy. I imagine that Runaway is not rural at all. Probably Boston. Works in a cubicle farm coding and filling out TPS reports. Knows nothing about M1911's or any other firearms, nothing about raising cattle or slopping hogs. Nothing about tilling the earth. Does not know what a two-speed differential is. He is alt-right, late 20's, early thirties, and has a dog. And his only social interaction is on the internet, possibly only on SoylentNews. So sure, Conservative Backbone of America Dude! Yee-hah! Fake dudes, I tell ya! It's all fake dudes!

          • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @11:56AM (1 child)

            by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @11:56AM (#585185)

            You're saying there are no real men on this site?

            • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @03:21PM

              by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @03:21PM (#585258)

              Just trolls and FBI NSA agents, really.

          • (Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Friday October 20 2017, @05:42PM

            by DeathMonkey (1380) on Friday October 20 2017, @05:42PM (#585336) Journal

            Well, he could work on a farm...

            Maybe this one? [vanityfair.com]

      • (Score: 2) by Gaaark on Friday October 20 2017, @11:58AM

        by Gaaark (41) on Friday October 20 2017, @11:58AM (#585186) Journal

        Hey! The perfessor can make a bamboo car run on coconut milk.... Don't. Diss. The. Perfessor!

        --Jonas Grumby

        --
        --- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @09:05AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @09:05AM (#585151)

      > this course will suggest that property rights are non-absolute

      Maybe there are hornets that don't attack whoever goes bothering them either, but I would classify it as a defect.

  • (Score: 4, Troll) by Runaway1956 on Friday October 20 2017, @02:29AM (13 children)

    by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Friday October 20 2017, @02:29AM (#585068) Journal

    All that is happening is, dipshits are being taught that it's alright to go off the deep end, provided that they can point to an "appropriate" trigger.

    And, everyone involved is a simple fuckwit. Each and every one of them should be sent to boot camp. Paris Island, 1950's or 60's style. The drill instructor in your face, about 20 hours each day. You get (maybe) four hours of sleep, and the DI is right back in your face. You learn pretty damned quickly that words are just words, and none of it means shit - or you suffer for being a fuckwit. That may not be enough to teach some, but when the rest of the company starts to suffer for you being a fuckwit, the fuckiest of fuckwits begins to learn the lessons of life.

    Don't like being called (whatever)? Don't act like (whatever).

    In short, grow the fuck up. If you refuse to grow up, stop pretending to be an academic. You don't get to act like an idiot, and be honored for being intelligent at the same time.

    Little children begin learning that lesson, almost as soon as they learn to speak intelligibly. "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me!" Usually accompanied by a protruding tongue, and looks of contempt.

    Safe spaces. Private little areas on campus where idiots can be programmed to be useful.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @02:44AM (1 child)

      by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @02:44AM (#585076)

      Safe spaces.

      Thanks Obama!

      • (Score: 3, Interesting) by FatPhil on Friday October 20 2017, @06:30AM

        by FatPhil (863) <reversethis-{if.fdsa} {ta} {tnelyos-cp}> on Friday October 20 2017, @06:30AM (#585132) Homepage
        I know you're just jesting/trolling, but you got me wondering what the history of the phrase was. I was led to this page:
        https://splinternews.com/what-s-a-safe-space-a-look-at-the-phrases-50-year-hi-1793852786
        I've not read more than a small portion of is so far, but just thought it might be an interesting read over ones morning coffee. (Assuming you don't spit it out or choke on it!)
        --
        Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
    • (Score: 3, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @03:07AM (5 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @03:07AM (#585085)

      No, you're too far removed to see how reality is playing out, but the majority of kids are learning they can work over the older generation. They see their more ridiculous peers pulling the shit you're complaining about, and it is lame. The coming generation is another generation of human beings, best stop treating people like their children grandpa cause you're demographic is shrinking faster than theirs. Treat them like adults, some deserve the respect, others deserve the lesson of reality. No one is telling you to hand out trigger warnings.

      99% of students laugh at "trigger warnings", and I'd like to remind you of all the teachers who have had to have parent teacher talks over evolution. One is a sentence on a page, the other is a pain in the ass. So the scale of this current "problem" truly doesn't worry me, the same way that White Supremacists don't seem to worry you.

      I guess what you're seeing is delayed adult hood, but not too surprising given that kids now expect to be 21/22 before they're even out of school. Idiots, or dupes, are always being programmed to be useful, citation: entire history of the military, church, state, PTA board, HOA, etc.

      Just to remind you, you're ranting like a semi-loon over: 'English faculty "does not have a policy on trigger warnings", but added: "Some lecturers indicate that some sensitive material will be covered in a lecture... this is entirely at the lecturer's own discretion and is in no way indicative of a faculty-wide policy."'

      Ooooh, the pillars of academia soaring in the ivory towers raining molten fire upon the lives of good Americans.

      • (Score: 3, Insightful) by chromas on Friday October 20 2017, @03:22AM (1 child)

        by chromas (34) Subscriber Badge on Friday October 20 2017, @03:22AM (#585093) Journal

        the majority of kids are learning they can work over the older generation…treat them like adults, some deserve the respect, others deserve the lesson of reality.

        This is an important point. While some of the kids are demanding segregation and trigger warnings and safe spaces, the faculty—the adults—are enabling them. The parents haven't taught their kids how to adult and other adults are giving in to the crybullies and coddling instead of trying to fix them. This is our fault.

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @03:46AM

          by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @03:46AM (#585098)

          and its not that big of a deal, you can't skip that part of what I said.

      • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @01:59PM (2 children)

        by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @01:59PM (#585227)

        best stop treating people like their children grandpa cause you're demographic is shrinking faster than theirs. Treat them like adults, some deserve the respect, others deserve the lesson of reality.

        Respect is earned, not given. That's the lesson of reality "grandpas" are trying to teach.

        99% of students laugh at "trigger warnings"

        Precisely. Yet the 1% are the most vocal and at times get violent when their demands are not met.

        I guess what you're seeing is delayed adult hood

        Then it is time to grow up. An adult first hurled that phrase at me when I was in the sixth grade. By the time you reach college, you should be responsible and reasonably mature. If not, it's time to rethink your life and do some growing up. Colleges and universities do their students a huge disservice catering to those immature losers and not teaching them to be responsible adults. Unfortunately, the faculty and administration are far too often immature themselves. The most vocal and enabling of them would never survive in a profession outside of academia. The problem is that the behavior tends to get reinforced as proponents congratulate themselves while declaring their personal enlightenment to everyone in earshot and work to prove their moral superiority all the while patting themselves on the back. And I say that with insight as a university employee. Methinks the bulk of those people should leave the moral indoctrination to the Philosophy and Political Science departments and focus on teaching their coursework, not their politics.

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @05:33PM (1 child)

          by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @05:33PM (#585332)

          Trigger warnings aren't about politics ya numb nuts.

          Well, everything can be about politics if someone twists it to political advantage, but that is a human problem not an ideological one. Are wheelchair ramps some political scheme? Are those little yellow signs that say "floor is wet" some leftist propaganda? I mean if someone can't figure out how to walk across a floor without some proscribed hand-holding then they just need to grow up! /s

          • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @07:02PM

            by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @07:02PM (#585372)

            Are those little yellow signs that say "floor is wet" some leftist propaganda? I mean if someone can't figure out how to walk across a floor without some proscribed hand-holding then they just need to grow up! /s

            Where did I say anything about being "leftist"? Maybe you ought to do a little self reflection before projecting your poorly thought out attempt at sarcasm. My point was that the purveyors of this are childish and immature. And the enablers are more than happy to coddle so long as they are able to pat their own backs at their own self realized moral superiority and righteous indignation. I have often wondered if this was a result of increased competition for tuition dollars as Federal and State monies dry up. Each institution seems more than happy to lower the bar to bring in more students and bend over backward to keep them happy regardless if they get a good or even effective education. What the students don't realize is that all this shit costs real dollars to administer and implement (along with all the other shit like scheduling all the classes after 10AM and before 2PM) which drives up the cost of their education. You didn't think all those cultural sensitivity classes and seminars were taught Pro Bono did you? But, hey, the government will forgive all those student loans, right?

            Students need to stick to the business of learning what they are there for instead of whining about how unfair the world is to their special sensitivities and needs. Otherwise, they have no business being there and need to be out in the real world getting the life education they sorely lack where their crying gets them wet eyes and nothing more.

    • (Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @03:12AM (1 child)

      by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @03:12AM (#585088)

      Runaway is clearly triggered at least. Takyon was even good enough to include a trigger warning, too.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday October 21 2017, @09:32AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Saturday October 21 2017, @09:32AM (#585608)

        Triggered? Hell, he's evacuated!

    • (Score: 4, Insightful) by tfried on Friday October 20 2017, @08:56AM (2 children)

      by tfried (5534) on Friday October 20 2017, @08:56AM (#585149)

      Um, to start with your ramblings on the educational value boot camps: One of the primary lessons of a military education is to accept authority. In contrast, the ideal of an academic education is to teach critical thinking. I'm not going to argue that the two are mutually exclusive (and in fact a well rounded individual should be capable of both to at least some degree), but to put it mildly, it seems rather obvious that you're not going to teach one using the educational toolset of the other.

      But to your question:

      What good is a trigger warning, really?

      The same as any other warning. If you intend to require your students to work on tesla coils in your class, you better include an appropriate warning, even if your target audience is statistically unlikely to carry any pacemakers. If you intend to show a hardcore splatter movie half-way through your lecture, then it's certainly polite to hint to that from the start.

      Warnings can actually be an important tool to increase the range of what you can teach. Challenging the political/religious feelings of big-donor-daddy snowflakes includes a real danger of ending your academic career, early. Including an appropriate up-front warning will reduce that risk a lot.

      OTOH, this also leads us to see the deeper logic behind the proliferation of trigger warnings: Avoiding liability. I don't think colleges and lectures are overly afraid of hurting their students feelings. However, they are afraid of those lazy asshole students who will try to weasel their way through college by playing innocent victim. "Oh, I just couldn't do any better when faced with all that gruesome cruelty. How could I have known Shakespeare would be so violent! Give me my credits or I'll give you a shitstorm!" Now, I agree that trying to stop that by way of warnings is an obvious, but terrible strategy, as it just leads to the academic equivalent of the "don't touch the cooking plate while hot" warning.

      So, yes, you can take the warnings too far, and clearly TFA is an example of just that, but that does not mean that warnings are bad in principle.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday October 21 2017, @02:40AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Saturday October 21 2017, @02:40AM (#585538)

        You're mostly right about the military, but there is the concept of the illegal order and the military does train people to deal with situations where an authority is unavailable.

        You're wrong about college. If a student engages in critical thinking and refuses to accept authority, they might just decide that a professor is full of nonsense. The student might come to the unacceptable conclusion that Islam is associated with abuse of atheists, homosexuals, and women. The student might come to the unacceptable conclusion that diversity causes conflict, distrust, and misunderstanding. The student might come to the unacceptable conclusion that there are not in fact 72 different genders. The student might come to the unacceptable conclusion that Cuba is not paradise.

        This idea of "critical thinking as long as you submit to authority" is not in fact critical thinking.

      • (Score: 2) by hendrikboom on Monday October 23 2017, @02:19AM

        by hendrikboom (1125) Subscriber Badge on Monday October 23 2017, @02:19AM (#586134) Homepage Journal

        I've seen Titus Andronicus when it was on the Shakespeare Festival at Stratford, Ontario.

        Short summary:

        It's hard-core splattergore.

  • (Score: 2) by TheGratefulNet on Friday October 20 2017, @03:01AM (9 children)

    by TheGratefulNet (659) on Friday October 20 2017, @03:01AM (#585083)

    ok, I'm an old guy. I am over 50 and this concept makes zero sense to me.

    can someone explain what this 'tw' stuff is all about?

    (seems like more pussification of america and the UK, to me)

    --
    "It is now safe to switch off your computer."
    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @03:09AM (1 child)

      by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @03:09AM (#585087)

      Given your parenthetical I'd like a little more about how much you already know before bothering to reply.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @03:15AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @03:15AM (#585092)

        I think the question was rhetorical.

    • (Score: 3, Informative) by takyon on Friday October 20 2017, @03:12AM

      by takyon (881) <takyonNO@SPAMsoylentnews.org> on Friday October 20 2017, @03:12AM (#585090) Journal

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trauma_trigger#Trigger_warnings [wikipedia.org]

      Trigger warnings are warnings that a work contains writing, images, or concepts which could act as a trauma trigger.[8] The term and concept originated on the Internet and then spread to other areas, such as print media and university courses.[8]

      https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/trigger_warning [oxforddictionaries.com]

      A statement at the start of a piece of writing, video, etc. alerting the reader or viewer to the fact that it contains potentially distressing material (often used to introduce a description of such content)

      http://www.dictionary.com/browse/trigger-warning [dictionary.com]

      a stated warning that the content of a text, video, etc., may upset or offend some people, especially those who have previously experienced a related trauma:
      a blog post with a trigger warning for rape.

      https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Trigger%20warning [urbandictionary.com]

      A warning before showing something that could cause a PTSD reaction. Commonly used as a joke, its meaning has unfortunately depreciated, drawing more stigma to mental illness.

      The teacher gave a trigger warning before showing us the rape scene in the movie.

      --
      [SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
    • (Score: 5, Funny) by chromas on Friday October 20 2017, @03:55AM (5 children)

      by chromas (34) Subscriber Badge on Friday October 20 2017, @03:55AM (#585101) Journal

      If you were in The War and got the PTSDs, a trigger warning would allow you to leave the room if there's going to be explosions or whatever triggers your PTSD. Unfortunately, there's something worse than veteran PTSD, and that's Twitter PTSD. [kym-cdn.com]

      You see, receiving mean messages from people you don't know on the internet or reading a book with a word you hear at least 850 times in almost any rap is much more harmful than being shot in the face or seeing your best friend's leg blown off and watching him bleed out in your arms. It is for this reason that well-to-do young adults with zero life experience must be forewarned, lest they accidentally stumble across classic literature and gain perspective.

      • (Score: 1) by Noldir on Friday October 20 2017, @09:45AM (1 child)

        by Noldir (1216) on Friday October 20 2017, @09:45AM (#585155)

        Twitter PTSD....I thought you where joking. And proactively trying to silence the armed forces because Twitter PTSD is worse then the stuff the boys and girls in green get.

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @05:58PM

          by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @05:58PM (#585350)

          Reading comprehension pal, "there are groups that have higher statistics of PTSD than you" in reference I suppose to military personnel giving her a hard time for using the term PTSD like they are the only ones who suffer from it. There is absolutely nothing about "twitter PTSD" but there is reference to online harassment / stalking, and if you don't realize by now that it can be a big deal then you need to get out of the house more, expand your consciousness to include more than teenage bravado.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @12:10PM (1 child)

        by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @12:10PM (#585189)

        We need a "+1 holy cow, it's real" mod.
        "Twitter PTSD" - shakes head slowly and walks away.

      • (Score: 2) by realDonaldTrump on Friday October 20 2017, @01:50PM

        by realDonaldTrump (6614) on Friday October 20 2017, @01:50PM (#585222) Homepage Journal

        There’s some real danger there. It’s amazing, I can’t even believe it. I’ve been so lucky in terms of that whole world, it is a dangerous world out there. It’s like Vietnam, sort of. It is my personal Vietnam. I feel like a great and very brave solider. You know, in this era, and if you have any guilt about not having gone to Vietnam, we have our own Vietnam -- it’s called Twitter. But she knew what she was getting into when she signed up. They lay it out in the Terms of Service.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @04:43AM (9 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @04:43AM (#585110)

    I've provided students with a long disclaimer that included everything I could find: if irritation persists - seek medical attention, slippery when wet, do not operate heavy machinery while using, batteries not included, apply as directed, consult your doctor before using, refrigerate after opening, parental guidance is advised, etc.

    I haven't updated my much longer list in a while, but I think the bold text covers the "trigger warnings".

    • (Score: 3, Troll) by aristarchus on Friday October 20 2017, @05:53AM (8 children)

      by aristarchus (2645) on Friday October 20 2017, @05:53AM (#585125) Journal

      I remember that I used to have the mother of all disclaimer statements, let me see if I can find it. Ah, here it is! This is what all those snowflake alt-right types need to read, so they are not disappointed when no one wants to listen to them!

      The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are
      not responsible for them in any way. Classic, funny disclaimer... (Score:2)
      by antdude (philpi@apu.eduANT) on Monday November 04, @04:23AM (#4593106)
      (User #79039 Info | http://antfarm.ma.cx/) [antfarm.ma.cx] I found it many years ago:

      This product is meant for educational purposes only. Any resemblance to real
      persons living or dead is purely coincidental. Void where prohibited. Some
      assembly required. List each check separately by bank number. Batteries not
      included. Contents may settle during shipment. Use only as directed. No other
      warranty expressed or implied. Do not use while operating a motor vehicle or
      heavy equipment. Postage will be paid by addressee. Subject to CAB approval.
      This is not an offer to sell securities. Apply only to affected area. May be too

      intense for some viewers. Do not stamp. Use other side for additional listings.
      For recreational use only. Do not disturb. All models over 18 years of age. If
      condition persists, consult your physician. No user-serviceable parts inside.
      Freshest if eaten before date on carton. Subject to change without notice. Times

      approximate. Simulated picture. No postage necessary if mailed in the United
      States. Please remain seated until the ride has come to a complete stop.
      Breaking seal constitutes acceptance of agreement. For off-road use only. As
      seen on TV. One size fits all. Many suitcases look alike. Contains a substantial

      amount of non-tobacco ingredients. Colors may fade. We have sent the forms which

      seem right for you. Slippery when wet. For office use only. Not affiliated with
      the American Red Cross. Drop in any mailbox. Edited for television. Keep cool;
      process promptly. Post office will not deliver without postage. List was current

      at time of printing. Return to sender, no forwarding order on file, unable to
      forward. Not responsible for direct, indirect, incidental or consequential
      damages resulting from any defect, error or failure to perform. At participating

      locations only. Not the Beatles. Penalty for private use. See label for
      sequence. Substantial penalty for early withdrawal. Do not write below this
      line. Falling rock. Lost ticket pays maximum rate. Your canceled check is your
      receipt. Add toner. Place stamp here. Avoid contact with skin. Sanitized for
      your protection. Be sure each item is properly endorsed. Sign here without
      admitting guilt. Slightly higher west of the Mississippi. Employees and their
      families are not eligible. Beware of dog. Contestants have been briefed on some
      questions before the show. Limited time offer, call now to ensure prompt
      delivery. You must be present to win. No passes accepted for this engagement. No

      purchase necessary. Processed at location stamped in code at top of carton.
      Shading within a garment may occur. Use only in a well-ventilated area. Keep
      away from fire or flames. Replace with same type. Approved for veterans. Booths
      for two or more. Check here if tax deductible. Some equipment shown is optional.

      Price does not include taxes. No Canadian coins. Not recommended for children.
      Prerecorded for this time zone. Reproduction strictly prohibited. No solicitors.

      No alcohol, dogs or horses. No anchovies unless otherwise specified. Restaurant
      package, not for resale. List at least two alternate dates. First pull up, then
      pull down. Call toll free number before digging. Driver does not carry cash.
      Some of the trademarks mentioned in this product appear for identification
      purposes only. Objects in mirror may be closer than they appear. Record
      additional transactions on back of previous stub. Unix is a registered trademark

      of AT&T. Do not fold, spindle or mutilate. No transfers issued until the bus
      comes to a complete stop. Package sold by weight, not volume. Your mileage may
      vary. Known as Hellman's east of the Rockies. Beware of greeks bearing gifts.
      Beware of gifts bearing greeks. This side up. Don't take any wooden nickels.
      Don't take candy from strangers. Void where prohibited. Caveat Emptor (Buyer
      beware) Caveat Vendor (Beware of street people). Donde esta el bano. Beware of
      DOS. Look both ways before crossing the street. All your base are belong to us.
      Always wear safety belt. Always wear deodorant. Don't forget to breathe. If you
      park, don't drink...accidents cause people. This supersedes all previous
      notices.

      This modified disclaimer may not be copied without the expressed written consent

      of whoever I stole it from.

      Copyright notice not included, for obvious rebuttal reasons.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @08:13AM (3 children)

        by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @08:13AM (#585145)

        "Void where prohibited." is contained twice.

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @12:12PM

          by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @12:12PM (#585190)

          Thanks for the warning. Unfortunately it came too late for me.

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @12:15PM (1 child)

          by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @12:15PM (#585191)

          It's the Irish version. "To be sure, to be sure."

          • (Score: 3, Insightful) by aristarchus on Friday October 20 2017, @10:32PM

            by aristarchus (2645) on Friday October 20 2017, @10:32PM (#585460) Journal

            And I am triggered by that old stereotype about Greeks:

            Beware of greeks bearing gifts.
            Beware of gifts bearing greeks

            Give somebody a gift horse just once, and you'll never hear the end of it.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday October 21 2017, @02:22AM (3 children)

        by Anonymous Coward on Saturday October 21 2017, @02:22AM (#585533)

        Funny how those liberals can just appropriate terms like "snowflake", which were coined by more conservative people, ehh?

        Funny how a troll post such as this can be modded as anything other than a troll post. But, the real snowflakes such as Aristarchus need all the help they can get, don't they?

        • (Score: 3, Insightful) by aristarchus on Saturday October 21 2017, @02:37AM (2 children)

          by aristarchus (2645) on Saturday October 21 2017, @02:37AM (#585537) Journal

          I take it you are not a unique and precious individual, AC? If we heat you, will you not melt? If we troll you, will not your delicate crystalline structure crumble under the weight of cognitive dissonance? Do you enjoy gladiator movies, Jimmy? Do you have nightmares about the SJWs under your bed, the Antifa on your street, and God in his Heaven judging your malicious and mendacious self? Sorry, I forgot to give a trigger warning. God. He's a liberal, you know.

          • (Score: -1, Redundant) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 22 2017, @06:33AM (1 child)

            by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 22 2017, @06:33AM (#585891)

            Which god, exactly, is a liberal, jism breath? Mephistopheles isn't a god, he's merely a fallen angel.

            • (Score: 3, Insightful) by aristarchus on Sunday October 22 2017, @09:59AM

              by aristarchus (2645) on Sunday October 22 2017, @09:59AM (#585915) Journal

              Satan: What mockery is this?!
              Hooded Figure: My Lord...
              Satan: The feeding tube has been pulled! If the child dies and his soul returns to Heaven, God will have his Keanu Reeves!
              Hooded Figure: Perhaps the child won't die in time.
              Satan: Forget it! I'm calling the attack off!
              Hooded Figure: No! Keep your army marching, my Lord. I will get that feeding tube put back in. [turns and walks off]
              Satan: How?
              Hooded Figure: I will do what we always do:Use the Republicans.

              http://southpark.wikia.com/wiki/Best_Friends_Forever/Script [wikia.com]

              And if you want the standard answer, there is only one god, and mohammed is his prophet, as well a moses, and ezechiel, and John the Baptist, but not so much any Graham crackers. And he created humans in her own image, which means giving humans free will. Liberalism is all about free will. You will have to make up your own mind. In fact, you are condemned to make up your own mind, and to take full responsibility for the consequences. Ergo, God is a liberal, since she created humans free.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @08:25AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @08:25AM (#585146)

    s/t

  • (Score: 2) by inertnet on Friday October 20 2017, @09:46AM (1 child)

    by inertnet (4071) on Friday October 20 2017, @09:46AM (#585156) Journal

    My advice: give newborns a trigger warning about life and be done with it.

    • (Score: 2) by chromas on Friday October 20 2017, @08:38PM

      by chromas (34) Subscriber Badge on Friday October 20 2017, @08:38PM (#585422) Journal

      WARNING: This newborn contains chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @11:02AM (2 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @11:02AM (#585174)

    ... I was triggered by the word "Uni".

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @05:35PM (1 child)

      by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @05:35PM (#585334)

      Aww, did you lose one of your balls in the war?

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday October 21 2017, @03:23PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Saturday October 21 2017, @03:23PM (#585680)

        No, but I did lose your mother in an alley. Oh wait, your mother is a trigger-word for everyone in the Dallas Cowboys.

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