Danger, Will Robinson.
Jun. 22nd, 2009 07:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
nomoreuturnsAt first I was going to write a long post about it, and then I was going to write one sentence about it, but now I think I'll go somewhere in between, because I hate talking about it and I hate that we have to talk about it but some people just don't.seem.to.get.it. and I need to get my thoughts down or they'll drive me insane.
Trauma comes in many different shapes. People deal with it in many different ways. If you're writing about something traumatic that you know could be triggering to those who have lived through it, for the love of all the gods WARN FOR IT.
I don't care if you think your story will lose its special "shock factor", or that you feel you're compromising your artistic integrity, or if you look at it after you've written it and you think well, it's only a very little scene...it might be triggering, but I doubt people will mind, or what-the-hell-ever. It is your duty as a human being - as a person with the capacity to think through your actions and consider how they could impact on others - to prevent any undue psychological trauma being visited upon those who've already experienced more than anyone should have to in a lifetime.
Everybody is different. Everybody reacts differently. You do not know who is reading your story. One hundred people who've been traumatised could read your story and be fine, but is it worth it for the one person who gets triggered by a mere turn of phrase and has a panic attack, or a relapse into depression, or is psychologically broken for another few days or weeks or months or - gods forbid - years? For the sake of a heading entitled Warning: and a few words giving people a chance to save themselves.
Just...please. It takes five minutes at the very most, and could save someone a world of hurt. Put warnings on your story...or your essay, or if you link something...basically, if you're directing attention to anything that could be triggering? Warn.
ETA: I'd like to commend arsenicjade for how she dealt with the intial incident...by all accounts, she was calm and polite and handled all commenters with grace and dignity, and amended her warnings once she realised it was an issue. Thank-you for handling it so well.
I know - or I hope I know - that everyone on my f-list already knows all this. This is just me getting my thoughts down...not directed at anyone in particular, just a general blah of words to address the situation at hand.
Trauma comes in many different shapes. People deal with it in many different ways. If you're writing about something traumatic that you know could be triggering to those who have lived through it, for the love of all the gods WARN FOR IT.
I don't care if you think your story will lose its special "shock factor", or that you feel you're compromising your artistic integrity, or if you look at it after you've written it and you think well, it's only a very little scene...it might be triggering, but I doubt people will mind, or what-the-hell-ever. It is your duty as a human being - as a person with the capacity to think through your actions and consider how they could impact on others - to prevent any undue psychological trauma being visited upon those who've already experienced more than anyone should have to in a lifetime.
Everybody is different. Everybody reacts differently. You do not know who is reading your story. One hundred people who've been traumatised could read your story and be fine, but is it worth it for the one person who gets triggered by a mere turn of phrase and has a panic attack, or a relapse into depression, or is psychologically broken for another few days or weeks or months or - gods forbid - years? For the sake of a heading entitled Warning: and a few words giving people a chance to save themselves.
Just...please. It takes five minutes at the very most, and could save someone a world of hurt. Put warnings on your story...or your essay, or if you link something...basically, if you're directing attention to anything that could be triggering? Warn.
ETA: I'd like to commend arsenicjade for how she dealt with the intial incident...by all accounts, she was calm and polite and handled all commenters with grace and dignity, and amended her warnings once she realised it was an issue. Thank-you for handling it so well.
I know - or I hope I know - that everyone on my f-list already knows all this. This is just me getting my thoughts down...not directed at anyone in particular, just a general blah of words to address the situation at hand.
