Trigger Warnings and Splats

Trigger warnings, spoilers and splats. The thought of those just send collective shivers down our spine - Yet places where people who are multiple, (and those who are dissociative generally) get support use these items to make sure people aren't hurt by what people call "triggering" material.

While I agree with the reasons why they do it I find them to be a bit much sometimes, we do them -- yeah, but that is to comply with the rules of where we post nothing more. This essay address my problems with the current system of using trigger warnings/ spoilers/ splats in the context of our right as a collective unit to speak our thoughts and other issues.

PROBLEM ONE: splats make words unreadable.

The problem we have with splats is they make the word splattered unreadable which could totally confuse the message we try to convey or The whole message loses its context all together (or both).

PROBLEM TWO: spoilers and trigger warnings don't stop people reading (in our opinion anyway).

I have read spoilered material on a self injury list I am on. What I am trying to say is that with us, we don't pay attention to the spoilers, and usually read everything. What is it to say that anyone would read it if the message had spoilers? Even if it did have the space and the written warning, people read it anyway.

PROBLEM THREE: splats/spoilers/trigger warnings aren't real life.

In real life, we don't put up warnings when we are triggered. We don't say "spoiler: swearing". We go ahead and say it. Why should we should we have to self-censor in the cyber world we live and enjoy so much?

Well there you have it. These are some of the problems associated with the current splat/spoiler/trigger warning system (there is one problem for each one so you get an understanding from where we come from).

If we take this current system away what will replace it? Well, there are a few options which I would like to share with you here as alternative to the splat, spoiler and trigger warning system, since it is so out of place and to us as a group outdated.

1. No censorship policies.
Its real simple, this means no splats/spoiler warnings or trigger warnings can be used. One website I know of that is doing that with their mailing list. I commend them for taking a pro active approach to this and other issues relating to it.]

2. Educating the rest of the survivor community about No Censorship Policies (or NCP for short).
What use is the NCP without educating the rest of the survivor community about it. So they can understand where we and others come from when we talk about it. It will be probably common place in the next few years... but only time will tell if the survivor community will accept or reject it

Well there you have it just my point of view though I will take good and bad email either way.

Thank you,
James of the Black Widow Crew