Trigger Warnings
Walter E. Block
The latest initiative from our leftish friends in academia is the requirement that professors issue “trigger warnings” if they are about to discuss controversial subjects, or those that might, God forbid, offend any of the sensitive souls who now study at universities. For example, if a lecture mentions an idea that might trigger a traumatic response, then the professor must warn students about this. For example, (I now give you warning, gentle reader, that I am about to mention words that might offend some people; continue to read at your own risk), concepts such as rape, or male privilege, or white privilege, or poverty or racism might send someone into a hissy fit; it is alright to discuss these issues. We have not (yet) arrived in college at the situation which such topics cannot be discussed. A mere warning requirement, however, is soon to be implemented if the campus pinkos have their way.
As a thick libertarian, I of course agree with this new initiative. There’s more, lots more, to libertarianism than the non aggression principle (hey, I’m kidding, I’m kidding). But, the “devil is in the details.” So I would like to jump onto this particular bandwagon, and urge that the following words be warned about, since they make me sick to my stomach: government, taxation, offensive war, Democrats, Republicans, socialism, crony capitalism, fascism, regulations, anti trust laws, minimum wage laws, rent controls, tariffs, licensing, FDA, IRS, Fannie and Freddie, fractional reserve banking, the Fed. It’s now late at night and I’m running out of ideas, and I haven’t even mentioned any individual people by name, but you get my drift.
Yes, by all means let us embrace this new trigger warning requirement (I’m kidding, I’m kidding, honest), but let us by all means includes words and concepts that are offensive to libertarians, not only to those on the left and those on the right.
Link:
http://www.prisonplanet.com/trigger-warnings.html
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