You Couldn’t Make It Up

Calistemon

We are discussing classic novels, not the showing of graphic pictures of foetuses, murder victims, mutilated animals etc.

I agree these could be distressing, especially for those who have had experience of these events personally.
Don't do medicine, become a pathologist, forensic scientist, social worker, police officer - that would be sensible.

But if a student doesn't realise that some classic literature does contain descriptions deaths, exexcutions, politically incorrect (by today's standards) events such as young girls aspiring to meet the military - always an officer, never a private ?, then perhaps they are taking the wrong course.

Good points Callistemon. It’s an aside but, some of the best forensic psychologists, police, social workers etc shared some traumatic experiences. These brave souls somehow integrated their trauma/loss, became stronger, more empathic workers.
But yes, what nonsense it seems to wrap students in cotton wool so they can’t sue if upset

"perhaps they are taking the wrong course" indeed Calistemon.

Dinahmo

Calistemon I wasn't 4 I was in my thirties. It was the Lassie with Elizabeth Taylor. Anything with animals, especially dogs sets me off. I usually mange to hide it but sometimes I can't.

I'm hopeless too, Dinahmo but it's fiction.

Real life can be so much worse sometimes.

I don't think we need to strive for 18 year olds and under to go through real life trauma

Dinahmo

Calistemon

I noticed today that Jane Austin is also under attack because of the way in which the young girls in some of the novels are always trying to meet the military.

Sorry, but all the nice girls love a sailor ?

But there aren't any sailors in Hertfordshire P & P or Emma, perhaps both.

I thought I'd posted but it disappeared!

Jane Austen's brothers were in the Navy and she did have links with the RN. Nelson was hero of the day so she made some of her heroes Naval officers.

Admiral Croft, Captain Wentworth, Midshipman Price (and the dastardly Admiral Crawford) to name some.

I haven't seen anyone suggest otherwise JaneJudge.

Yet again, I have just grabbed the tv remote to change channels because of an upsetting anti animal cruelty ad on the tv. No trigger warnings before they show them through out the day is there.

MayBeMaw, it's just an insult to anyone's intelligence - like the frequent 'scenes that some viewers may find disturbing' warning before TV programmes!

I remember being young, looking at the adults around me and thinking, humans must be a mistake. They don't know how to be happy, or mind their own business or stop wanting things, or stop demanding that the way they did things was the best way.

Now the young give me hope with their focus on mental health and their understanding of how it affects physical health.

A little kindness goes a long way, sometimes that kindness is just speaking the truth.

Why wouldn't we want to live in a society where violence needs a warning everywhere it exists? We want everyone to know violence of any kind is not acceptable.

This seems another good way to show it.

I'm forever traumatised about those piggies going to market!

MissA.

I would agree, if the idea was that the more sensitive should could all opt out of reading anything upsetting and concentrate on gentler texts; but there is nothing in the OP to suggest that this is the case - just that they would know in advance.

The student I knew who left a class because it was looking at a poem about a car crash was embarrassed to have to do so. She didn't know that it was going to come up, but as soon as she saw it she realised that she wouldn't be able to sit through it without getting upset. She excused herself and explained in an email why she'd done so. It would have been kinder all round had she known beforehand - maybe she and the lecturer could have arranged that the poem would be looked at at the beginning of the seminar, and she could have come in later, or at the end with a nod to her so that she could leave without comment. I don't know - it just doesn't seem a lot to ask.

I don't think that staff could be expected to accommodate every trigger for every student. Someone scared of Humpty Dumpty is probably going to have to learn to live with it, in the unlikely event that a nursery rhyme is going to crop up unexpectedly on a university course.

hatty58 are you so intelligent

sorry hetty I was going to say are you so intelligent you know beforehand when upsetting scenes will be played? Or are you never likely to be upset by anything? Or if you were likely to be upset - wouldn’t you like to be prepared?

Where do you draw the line, then?
I often get upset; music on a tv ad, a chat on here, all manner of things can start me off.
How much upset is too much?

There are traumatic life events like suicide, child abuse etc that maybe some people ( not the intelligent ones on here ) would rather avoid so to have a warning would enable them to do that. I can’t see a problem with such a warning, apart from it annoying some people, who obviously lack empathy .

That actually sounds fair enough.

I don’t believe that young people today are that pathetic or ignorant. Most are much more aware of what goes on in the world. Why have the Jane Austin novels been sexed up if we are all so sensitive?

I remember when dds were about 16 remarking how nice two lads were who lived down the road only to be told scornfully that they were drug dealers and I hadn’t a clue what it was like with drugs in school. They really treated me like an innocent abroad. I bet youngsters today probably think the same. They aren’t that naive. They don’t need this protectionism.

I wonder what they'd make of Struwwelpeter.

I read that as quite a young child.

I imagine it would need a multitude of warnings.

However I do agree that this is just a silly story for the DM to get their teeth into. A bit like the time when students wanted to do pass hands instead of clapping.

Jazz hands, not pass hands.

Warnings are just that, warnings, they op anyone reading a book or watching a programme. They may annoy the unsympathetic and resilient, but if you don’t fall into that category and don’t wish to witness something which may have caused you trauma in the past then the warnings enable you to avoid or be prepared for such content. There would be plenty of complaints if some explicit scene popped up when you were watching something with a child or someone who had a traumatic experience. Just ignore the warnings if you don’t care and let others have the choice without mocking them .

“they don’t stop…”

Part of the University experience is to learn about life, with all it’s joys and faults.To obtain a greater understanding of the human condition.To really think and to reason.
It isn’t the students themselves who want warnings slapped on
Books or lectures it’s ( as usual) left wing students who run the union.They then try and impose what they want and the Universities usually capitulate.

A final (?) word quoting Michael Deacon in today’s DT
I wonder whether they’ll add a trigger warning to War and Peace. On the one hand, it contains depictions of war. But on the other, it also contains depictions of peace, so perhaps those balance it out

It isn’t the students themselves who want warnings slapped on
Books or lectures it’s ( as usual) left wing students who run the union.

It isn't the students, it's the students

And what is it about the warnings that prevent those stiff-upper-lip, resilient, devil-may-care non-lefties from reading the material?