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Trigger Warning: Is the Fear of Being Offensive Killing Free Speech? - Review

13 points by chippy 11y ago

chippy 11y ago
This is a review by Galen Strawson of the book by Nick Hume. I agree with Strawson's thoughts about the cause of outrage and offence not being narcissism but "something vastly more toxic: righteous indignation felt on behalf of others". "righteous indignation felt on behalf of others – typically a group with which one identifies or sympathises. ... It’s precisely because such righteous indignation is not narcissistic, and is not experienced as mere self-concern, that it comes with a feeling of absolute purity – purity of cause and of justification – that seems to license absolute violence.... the anger is cleared to express itself without inhibition." Group psychology - The defence of the group will always come before the protection of the self. Having a group behind you allows your actions to be justified - no matter how badly behaved, aggressive or morally wrong - because the group justifies these as right and good.
kaonashi 11y ago
No.
- collyw 11y ago
  Yes.
RUG3Y 11y ago
There is no right to not be "triggered". There is a right to free speech. The expansion of the victim mentality in the last few years blows my mind. Maybe I'm just getting older? I don't fit in with this society anymore.
- Dylan16807 11y ago
  In this context there is no right to "free speech" either. People misuse both the terms "trigger" and "free speech" in massive amounts.
- dba7dba 11y ago
  I concur. It is mind blowing. Reminds of a herd being herded into a cage with not many raising their heads asking, is this right?
- dudul 11y ago
  Especially since a "right to not be triggered" is impossible to enforce. Let's say I had a traumatic experience involving a dolphin and an harmonica in my youth. Am I gonna demand that people/movies/songs/... give me a trigger warning before talking about dolphins and harmonicas? People have their own experience and it's great (or not when it's traumatic), but why demand from others to know about them before talking?
- kaonashi 11y ago
  If the people are asserting themselves in situations they may have sat quietly in the past, that sounds like more of a heroic mentality than a victim mentality.
dropit_sphere 11y ago
If this is appearing in the Guardian---then, no, not anymore.

13 points by chippy 11y ago

This is a review by Galen Strawson of the book by Nick Hume. I agree with Strawson's thoughts about the cause of outrage and offence not being narcissism but "something vastly more toxic: righteous indignation felt on behalf of others". "righteous indignation felt on behalf of others – typically a group with which one identifies or sympathises. ... It’s precisely because such righteous indignation is not narcissistic, and is not experienced as mere self-concern, that it comes with a feeling of absolute purity – purity of cause and of justification – that seems to license absolute violence.... the anger is cleared to express itself without inhibition." Group psychology - The defence of the group will always come before the protection of the self. Having a group behind you allows your actions to be justified - no matter how badly behaved, aggressive or morally wrong - because the group justifies these as right and good.

kaonashi 11y ago

No.

collyw 11y ago
Yes.

RUG3Y 11y ago

There is no right to not be "triggered". There is a right to free speech. The expansion of the victim mentality in the last few years blows my mind. Maybe I'm just getting older? I don't fit in with this society anymore.

Dylan16807 11y ago
In this context there is no right to "free speech" either. People misuse both the terms "trigger" and "free speech" in massive amounts.
dba7dba 11y ago
I concur. It is mind blowing. Reminds of a herd being herded into a cage with not many raising their heads asking, is this right?
dudul 11y ago
Especially since a "right to not be triggered" is impossible to enforce. Let's say I had a traumatic experience involving a dolphin and an harmonica in my youth. Am I gonna demand that people/movies/songs/... give me a trigger warning before talking about dolphins and harmonicas? People have their own experience and it's great (or not when it's traumatic), but why demand from others to know about them before talking?
kaonashi 11y ago
If the people are asserting themselves in situations they may have sat quietly in the past, that sounds like more of a heroic mentality than a victim mentality.

dropit_sphere 11y ago

If this is appearing in the Guardian---then, no, not anymore.