Men's Rights Memes Episode 17: Pulling the Trigger

Hello and welcome to episode seventeen of Men's Rights Memes, the show where I challenge MRA rhetoric from the relative safety of the Internet, mostly because I can't imprison every Men's Rights Activist in the molten core of the Earth. Without further ado, here is this episode's offending image.

Here's yet another uninspired talking point regurgitated by nearly every MRA or antifeminist on the Internet. They are under the impression, somehow, that trigger warnings are meant to stifle debate or 'protect' people from some of the harsher truths about life. They express this viewpoint by harassing women on the Internet. Hey, guys, quick tip. If you want people to take your movement seriously, maybe don't threaten to rape someone because they said a thing you disagree with.


Anyway, the hysteria these people feel over the concept of trigger warnings seems to be predicated on not knowing what the fuck they're talking about. Spoiler alert: that's frighteningly common in these circles. Trigger warnings do not exist so we can shelter people from 'harsh truths,' or however you want to put it. They are not intended to be markers so that everyone can avoid whatever you've attached the warning to. They are not shields, and anyone who says otherwise is either being intentionally dishonest or just plain stupid. I'm not sure which I'd prefer, to be honest.


Also, I'd like to quickly address the claim that it's impossible to contract PTSD from online harassment. This does tie into the larger point, so just bare with me for a minute. I actually do think that it's hard to contract a serious mental disorder from something like Twitter. It's not impossible, but some of those claims might be exaggerated. But that's not what trigger warnings are about. Their purpose is to prevent people who already have mental disorders from relapsing. That's it.


Their real purpose is to help people who have already experienced negative things. If someone has been the victim of rape or something similar, it can have adverse effects on their emotional well-being. Trauma is a common occurrence. Those people typically don't want to experience those emotions all over again, particularly in fiction. That's who trigger warnings are for. It's about preventing people from reliving awful experiences.

If you have a problem with that, well, I don't know what to tell you, other than "Go see a therapist."

Sorry this episode was so repetitive. This idea really gets my goat, and I felt I just needed to hammer my position into everyone who perpetuates it.