Thank you so very much for illuminating some of the reasons for trigger and content warnings. I share many of the same concerns. I just really appreciate your emphasis on choice, because that's what a content warning provides: a choice to read now or read later, when the reader is mentally and/or emotionally prepared. I think there is a huge misconception (especially in academia) about the message of a content warning--that it encourages avoidance. That those of us who need or value those warnings are so fragile and delicate that we can't face anything negative, scary, violent, etc. I faced violence. So did you. So do many of us. Why shouldn't I have a choice now about when and how I will face more violence? It takes almost no effort whatsoever to provide a content warning, but it drains me for days to be triggered when I read something I wasn't prepared to read. Thanks again for sharing, and I'm sorry for everything you endured. <3
I'm sorry for both of us too. But I also think having that experience has made us more compassionate people and I can't be sad about that.