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Monday, 6 December 2021

Trigger



TCW has an entertaining piece by Weaver Sheridan. He lampoons Cambridge University's student newspaper and its adoption of trigger warnings on articles.

CAMBRIDGE University’s student newspaper Varsity is putting ‘trigger warnings’ on articles to avoid upsetting its readers.

The policy meant that a story in a recent issue about the spiking of student drinks on a night out was preceded by: ‘Content note: This article contains discussion of spiking and sexual harassment.’

In another article, about people dressing as Zulus to attend a bonfire, readers were warned: ‘Content note: This article contains descriptions and discussions of racism and blackface.’

A couple of Sheridan's parody trigger warnings should be enough to encourage anyone to read the whole thing.

1931: Millions jobless as Great Depression deepens

*Content note: This article contains references which may set you wondering if your Mickey Mouse degree is a waste of three years and the thick end of £60,000 and if you’ll end up stacking shelves at Tesco.

1939: Hitler invades Poland

*Content note: This article contains an account of a controversial method of achieving a united Europe which you may find distressing.

6 comments:

James Higham said...

In and around parliament

This article contains gratuitous references to sex and drugs which non MPs and staffers may find distressing.

Tammly said...

OMG! My nephew is attempting to get into Cambridge. I must send him this warning article before it's too late.

Sam Vega said...

Open Borders Policy

This article might make you less eager to inherit your parents' converted Cotswold barn when it is surrounded by a predominantly Islamic shanty-town.

dearieme said...

How will the examination papers' rubrics be modified?


Natural Sciences Tripos Part 1B: Fluid Mechanics

Trigger warning: this examination paper is tough, white, and patriarchal. If you'd rather not sit the examination we suggest you go crying home to Mummy. Sorry, to your Birth-Person.

DiscoveredJoys said...

I smiled at the trigger warnings... but then I remembered how the quips about 'person holes', 'Post people' and 'Womenchester' derailed the earlier Feminism/Political Correctness debates.

I felt a small warm glow of hope that the latest CRT/Political Correctness will collapse under its own lunacy.

A K Haart said...

James - good one.

Tammly - but don't forget to send a trigger warning with it.

Sam - it's so agreeably subversive. The Guardian should do it, then we'd have some fun.

deareieme - yes, in that one the word Mummy also needs a trigger warning.

DJ - it could collapse under its own lunacy because parody and ridicule can be powerful in that respect.