A ban on Trigger Warnings [discussion]

[The Emerald Dragon]

I had no idea you were a rape victim.

Chilly down, folks ... anyone can be a victim. Let's not get all stupidly judgmental here. This is about trigger warnings, not everything else to go with it. Thank you.

I was judging, i was emphasising what i didn't know.

EDIT: Apologies, i misspelled 'wasn't' unintentionally.

[Dakini]

If you don't want to use trigger warnings in your thread, you don't have to use trigger warnings. If other people are aware that someone might have a problem with the content of a thread or a post then what does it matter to you if they use them?

[Dakini]

So what exactly is the big deal? Why should we ban people from voluntarily self-censoring or adding disclaimers or warnings? I mean, I could see the issue if people were forced to add such warnings, but that's not what's going on here.

Seriously, as someone who has been lucky and is not triggered by anything, trigger warnings are significantly less annoying than when someone censors a swear in their own post. If you can't bring yourself to type "fuck", find another word instead of typing "f*ck". That doesn't mean the latter behaviour should be banned.

[The Batorys]

Why does it bother the OP to see "trigger warning"?

Is it really that terrible that someone else might know to avoid some content or be able to mentally brace themselves?

Seems like a very douchebaggy stance to take.

[Nua Corda]

Aye. Keep that Tumblrshite off NS.

Push a hipster down the stairs. Who's tumbling now?

[Murkwood]

I have to agree with this. Trigger Warnings are just plain stupid, especially when you can gauge what the thread will be like from the title. Let's keep Tumblr and NSG separate.

[Great Empire of Gamilus]

I, along a few others have expressed our displeasure with a certain user trying to import the idiotic idea of posting "trigger warnings" on a thread, implying that people are so weak that the mere mention of anything slightly discomforting could send people into a panic attack. I for one, would not like to see this place turn into Tumblr.

So what say you, great folks of NS?

agreed, the social justice tumblrites can go back to their own 'friendly' site.

Aye. Keep that Tumblrshite off NS.

Push a hipster down the stairs. Who's tumbling now?

got a good chuckle out of me.


but still, there should be no need for a trigger warning because the title of a threat usually covers pretty much everything that the thread is about. if some people can't understand that then they should turn off their computer, disconnect their internet then go into the corner and have a good think.

[Transnapastain]

This is really, super easy to understand

I know for a fact that discussion of Tumblr's cultural and its supposed "circle jerk"ness doesn't belong here at all. So lets drop that and see if we can get this on a "related to NS" wavelength?

This thread is not, in any way shape or form, about tumblr, the discussion is on the merits and disadvantages of trigger warnings in relation to NationStates

So, keep it that way if you want to have a discussion at all.

[Ayreonia]

I see no problem here. I mean, if you want to clutter up your thread title, why not? It doesn't harm anybody.

[Forsher]

While I don't think they're particularly necessary in NSG (as the thread titles are, almost always, very clear on what the thread is about) that's not a reason to ban them. I can only recall one example (the current) so it's not like we're being spammed with them or that it's been attached totally randomly (as would be the case were someone to go "What is your age? [trigger warning]") which would be another kind of spam in my eyes.

[Swith Witherward]

I'd like to see trigger warnings in titles banned due to being a nuisance. "Trigger warning" means, to me, Pleeeease read my thread. Please, please, please!

The thread title should give us a heads up as to the subject ("Woman microwaves cat" or "Police beat disabled kid"). The content itself is what matters and we're governed by the PG13 standard. I have seen threads where the spoiler warns us that the quoted article contained therein might be unsettling, and people at times use "warning, graphic" to identify a link to a video or news source.

The problem with "trigger warning" is that it only applies to a very small population. Let's look at rape as a topic. If the thread title has "rape" in it, still-sensitive victims will probably avoid it. It's their choice to peek at the thread content otherwise. The rest of us (non-victims as well as victims who have overcome the psychological horror) don't see it as a trigger at all. The "warning" has done nothing more than drawn rubberneckers to the train wreck. It becomes free advertising.

Case in point: "Rubber Duckies" vs "Rubber Duckies [trigger warning]".

The thread might be nothing more than "man sets fire to rubber duckie factory" but the author can easily claim that it might offend those who are fond of rubber duckies or who are animistic and mentally picture thousands of rubber duckies screaming as they melt.

[Takatashi]

I, along a few others have expressed our displeasure with a certain user trying to import the idiotic idea of posting "trigger warnings" on a thread, implying that people are so weak that the mere mention of anything slightly discomforting could send people into a panic attack. I for one, would not like to see this place turn into Tumblr.

So what say you, great folks of NS?

I agree. Unless it was proved intended to start a panic, there should be no warnings. However, if it is proved a trigger meant to cause panic, that would require a warning.

[Nua Corda]

I, along a few others have expressed our displeasure with a certain user trying to import the idiotic idea of posting "trigger warnings" on a thread, implying that people are so weak that the mere mention of anything slightly discomforting could send people into a panic attack. I for one, would not like to see this place turn into Tumblr.

So what say you, great folks of NS?

I agree. Unless it was proved intended to start a panic, there should be no warnings. However, if it is proved a trigger meant to cause panic, that would require a warning.

An OP intended to cause panic would probably require a lock and a warning on the OP for trolling.

[Paddy O Fernature]

My opinion:

If you want to post like your on that site, perhaps you should be posting on that site instead of here. Keep that Tumblr shit off this site.

[Dumb Ideologies]

Deport warning. It should be clear from the title what the topic is. It's a nuisance habit reminiscent of a poster years ago who used to stick a bunch of symbols at the front or end of his titles so that he could find them easier when searching. It will also create controversy as a substantial section of the thread will no doubt end up being about the use of the term - as happened with "USian".

[Mallorea and Riva]

I, along a few others have expressed our displeasure with a certain user trying to import the idiotic idea of posting "trigger warnings" on a thread, implying that people are so weak that the mere mention of anything slightly discomforting could send people into a panic attack. I for one, would not like to see this place turn into Tumblr.

So what say you, great folks of NS?

Can you explain what the problem is specifically that this new rule would seek to fix?

[Nua Corda]

I, along a few others have expressed our displeasure with a certain user trying to import the idiotic idea of posting "trigger warnings" on a thread, implying that people are so weak that the mere mention of anything slightly discomforting could send people into a panic attack. I for one, would not like to see this place turn into Tumblr.

So what say you, great folks of NS?

Can you explain what the problem is specifically that this new rule would seek to fix?

One might argue that it is effectively a form of spam, clogging up thread titles with meaningless nonsense.

[Mallorea and Riva]

Can you explain what the problem is specifically that this new rule would seek to fix?

One might argue that it is effectively a form of spam, clogging up thread titles with meaningless nonsense.

Could you point out some examples?

[Nierr]

Don't need an all out ban, but they absolutely must not be made mandatory even for the worst content (which arguably is already limited somewhat by nationstates rules). I think if people want to self censor well technically that's covered under free speech. Again as long as they aren't a requirement or added by mods without poster permssion I have no real problem with them remain totally optional.

My fear is that with summer more or less here, we might see a mass migration from tumblr, and a short term crackdown may be needed to set the standard, at which point it can be loosened up in the fall when things return to somewhat normalcy.

That implies that the NSG Summer is a real thing. I've been here, on various accounts, for a long time. It isn't real.

Edit: How is this supposedly a problem anyway? There is one thread with [trigger warning] in the first ten pages of nsg.

[Nua Corda]

One might argue that it is effectively a form of spam, clogging up thread titles with meaningless nonsense.

Could you point out some examples?

No, I can't, since it doesn't seem to happen all that much. I'll grant you, this is largely a solution wanting for a problem, but I despise tumblr sjw types enough to support it. All that said, if you'd care to imagine a General where 70% of the thread titles are prefixed by an inane and unnecessary "trigger warning" which takes up most of the thread title when viewing the index on a mobile device...

[Page]

I fear trigger warnings on this site are ineffective as proven by the creation of this thread; while they are well-intentioned and a decent thing to do, they probably invite malice from certain people on this site who make inflammatory remarks deliberately as some kind of pathetic "anti-PC warrior" act of spite.

That said, if there are threads entitled "should hetro sexual marriage be beaned?" then I can hardly imagine trigger warnings should be considered spam.

[Ostroeuropa]

I have no issue with people utilizing trigger warnings if they decide to do so.
I also have no issue with someone telling others why trigger warnings are a nice thing to do.

The issue I have is people who immediately flip out when a trigger warning is present, or who immediately flip out when one isn't present.
Both of those types of people drag down the debate into whether or not trigger warnings are actually useful.

No. They aren't useful. They are polite. Sometimes I might forget to be polite. It happens, so stop being so judgemental when people don't TW.
Similarly, flipping your shit when someone decides to say god bless you after a sneeze and ranting about how it's them trying to impose a culture of religious observance on you makes you somewhat silly.

[The Serbian Empire]

If you don't want to use trigger warnings in your thread, you don't have to use trigger warnings. If other people are aware that someone might have a problem with the content of a thread or a post then what does it matter to you if they use them?

The problem with trigger warnings is that of culture. Tumblr is not a place of debate due to the trigger warnings. Here it might as well say... Please read this thread and it collapses into a thread about trigger warnings. It would be like for one of us to author a thread with special characters in the thread title as to make people notice it. A trigger warning is little more than a cry for attention on a forum where merely authoring a thread that is interesting tends to generate replies almost automatically.

[The Batorys]

If you don't want to use trigger warnings in your thread, you don't have to use trigger warnings. If other people are aware that someone might have a problem with the content of a thread or a post then what does it matter to you if they use them?

The problem with trigger warnings is that of culture. Tumblr is not a place of debate due to the trigger warnings. Here it might as well say... Please read this thread and it collapses into a thread about trigger warnings. It would be like for one of us to author a thread with special characters in the thread title as to make people notice it. A trigger warning is little more than a cry for attention on a forum where merely authoring a thread that is interesting tends to generate replies almost automatically.

So... people shouldn't use trigger warnings, because other people might be dipshits and threadjack?

Why not just discourage people from threadjacking, which, if I recall correctly, is already against the rules, by handing out warnings and bans for threadjacking?

I don't see how a trigger warning is any different from a movie or show being given a certain rating, with a short summary of why it's rated that way.

It's a tiny phrase at the top of a post. If none of the warnings are things that will be problems for you to read about, I don't see why you'd possibly care about them. Unless you just want other people to be unhappy, for no reason or benefit for yourself, which would kinda make you a shitty person.

We already have parenthetical labels on RP threads, all the time, saying whether it's an IC or OOC thread, whether it's PT, MT, FanT, PMT, or FT, or, if it's a Portal to the Multiverse RP, what universe it's set in.

I don't see how having trigger warning labels, if the author chooses to use them, is any more troublesome.

If a trigger warning at the top of a thread keeps you from debating, you probably suck at debating anyway.

[Reploid Productions]

That implies that the NSG Summer is a real thing. I've been here, on various accounts, for a long time. It isn't real.

Yeeeeah, I've been here for a really long time too, and seeing the actual enforcement end of things. "NS Summer" is a real thing, it just hadn't really reached the general public awareness until comparatively recently around the 2012 US presidential election cycle. "NS Winter" is also a thing, albeit far smaller in scale and intensity than the summertime upswing in rulebreaking behavior. A really bad summer season can see as much as a 50% increase in deletions/warnings issued compared to the non-summer period. What's now known as the "NS Summer" meme was originally known as variations of "summertime nazi trolls."

As for the subject of trigger warnings, given so far I've seen precisely one instance of such being used, so I sincerely think this is a solution looking for a problem rather than an actual problem in need of solving. If someone wants to use them, okay, just means they have that much less space in their thread title for actually useful information about the contents. If they don't wanna use them, also fine. Personally, if you're gonna put a trigger warning anywhere, I think the best place for such is at the start of the opening post; you can still put a full and useful title, you avoid looking like it's an attention ploy, and those who legitimately would benefit from any such warning will see it first thing in the post before they actually reach the potentially triggering material.