The other week, I mentioned that Sheffield University had introduced a trigger warning for literature students that parts of the Bible might include violence and sexual violence. The Gospels were included in this.
Now, perhaps those sharing and commenting on the story should have included their own trigger warning as it seems that this story has proved quite provocative to some news outlets and some Christians. It’s been seen as an attack on Christianity and an example of a woke, snowflake generation.
So, it is worth considering why such a warning might be provided. One problem is that we tend to think of “triggering” in terms of people being offended by something and that offence becoming an excuse for their inability to engage with others in a socially acceptable way.
However, the word has a more specific usage. Triggers are moments, events, senses, experiences that trigger a PTSD response. This can include a significant physical response. The links may not be direct, it doesn’t have to be a repeat of the trauma but a voice, smell, facial expression, similarly set out room or location can trigger the response.
This is important when we come to the Sheffield University situation. Now we might be frustrated over whether the University’s labelling shows an accurate understanding of the Gospel accounts, however for someone who has experienced sexual violence, an account of someone who was stripped, mocked, beaten, humiliated may well resonate very strongly.
This leads me to the crucial question. Are we more concerned (triggered in the other sense) that a warning is given or by the fact that so many people in our society go to University having already experienced significant sexual violence?
Faithroots 