Your Triggers Are Not My Problem
#2 I have my own problems.
Prompt: Do you feel they are necessary or that we live in an overly sensitive and overly protected society where people may not be censored but have to warn others that what they’re about to say might upset them? How about in schools? Learning about certain things in history SHOULD trigger emotions — but should it not still be learned? Are we setting a dangerous precedent by worrying about tripping over people’s feelings constantly? Explain.
Trigger warnings are a polite way to give a heads-up to someone. After the warning displays, it’s up to the person to decide whether to partake in the activity. If one chooses to be hardheaded, bypasses the warning, and looks anyway, that is nobody’s problem but theirs. One word that gets lost when topics come up like this is discernment.
We all should be aware of ourselves enough to know what we like and dislike, what makes us angry or sad, and what frustrates us; it’s nobody’s responsibility to understand what your bag of shit is; it’s not fair.
If I just met someone and I’ve made a strong opinion about fruit cake, and all of a sudden you get upset and tell me that I triggered you, how in the hell am I supposed to know that if we’ve never discussed what your triggers are in the first place?
You are more than welcome to pull me to the side and discuss how my opinion about fruit cake made you feel, and I will then be more careful with my words because I don’t want to offend anybody, but at the same time, I will show my disgust on regards to fruit cake.
I don’t care for the entitlement of most people: the sun doesn’t rise and set on you, and the snow doesn’t stop falling if you are cold. Not enough people use their moral compass anymore to navigate the terrains of this weird world.
At what point are you? Yes, you will look into the mirror and say, “Maybe it’s me?” the first step into healing is acknowledgment, which brings me to America’s educational system. To change the dynamic of history, we have to share the good, bad, and ugly.
We can’t glance over the blood that America has shed over the years. It must be told, and to ban books that encourage self-esteem and loving their hair is a damn shame.
Books open the imagination, tell stories, and teach. Native Americans and Black people were slaughtered at the hands of white men and women, but all of a sudden, those topics were “too much” for my white son or daughter.
Erasing history is erasing my ancestors, and I wouldn’t say I like it one bit. The truth reveals a wickedness that has happened in America, and education is supposed to present a problem and use critical thinking to find solutions and prevent it from happening again. I can’t rely on our school systems to teach my nieces about their blackness and how beautiful it is to be black.
So, guess what? You can ban books, but what you can’t ban is where and how I spend my money. It will be my duty to purchase every banned book and give it as a gift to my nieces. It’s a book, with words, that tell a story; those who ban them have yet to ask the children how they feel about the banned books.
Do you want to know what’s triggering?
- Homelessness exists in the “rich country.”
- Forty-one million Americans face hunger every day, with 13 million of them being children.
- To attend college for four years, you must cough up $25,864.
- To enjoy a fake mouse at the happiest place on earth costs families over $500.
- Inflation
- People are not able to afford their first home.
- Unemployment
- Companies that preach diversity and inclusion hire employees who don’t reflect diversity and inclusion. Having one to two African Americans isn’t enough.
Mental health is no longer taboo; get the help you need and deserve to talk through your triggers. Not only will you get a better understanding of the trigger, but you’ll get a better understanding of you in general.
Nobody is responsible for how you react and what you feel strongly against. As long as social media is around, people will find things to disagree with to feel seen or want something to complain about because it’s a Friday.
Kindness, consideration, empathy, and understanding seem far-fetched with how the world is today. Those are considered “soft skills” that a teacher cannot teach, no matter how many books you ban. This “me” mentality is cute when you’re a kid.
Grow up and get help because I am NOT responsible for your triggers.
Tagging Ruby Noir 😈
