(no subject)

[case]

Ok, just a general announcement.

ONE, "trigger warnings" are for COMMON triggers only. Things like talk of rape, abuse, child abuse, eating disorders, self-harm, serious drug use, and suicide are common triggers. Less common ones are homo/transphobia/gender dysphoria, blood, needles, knives -- or traumatic events (Holocaust, genocides, earthquakes, 9/11, you know what I'm talking about). Gender identity is not a common trigger. Food is not a common trigger. Mudkips (mudkips, really?) are not a common trigger. Someone just gave me a secret with a trigger warning listed for a whole movie. No. You are doing triggers wrong.

TWO, RFTM. Or the FAQs, at least.
They're right here: http://community.livejournal.com/fandomsecrets/104153.html
- Why isn't my secret up!?!? Question 4.
- Why is the subs post closed!?!? Question 9.
- How come my second secret got posted before the first!? Is it lost!?!? Question 7.
- HOW DOES I JOINED!? IT'S THE FIRST QUESTION.

（╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻
（╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻
（╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻

That's it. (:

Comments

[thechameleonnn.livejournal.com]

how is reading words on a screen upsetting you? you're at home, safe, with the doors locked. the way people react to this stuff you'd think they were getting stabbed through their computer screens.

[siamesegoth2.livejournal.com]

I was raped anally at 14, it was brutal and left me with internal damage. I still have nightmares about it. Not all words set me off, it could be a word or a smell or a sound that sets off the memories, and when that happens you're not just remembering it, you re-live it, the fear, the pain and the humiliation.

The smell of Garlic bread sets me off, so does the smell of certain aftershaves or if someone , anyone I don't know is standing behind me.

I have no control over that, I don't know when it's going to hit me because there are no warnings that I'm going to come across such things. And the worst part of it is, these things don't ALWAYS do it.

The fact I'm at home safe with the doors locked means nothing. I'm not afraid of it happening again, I'm a scared shitless of having to relive that night again, because that memory every time it crops up, feels like I'm being raped again.

I lived with an abusive parent, I have no triggers concerning her, and at times she was much worse than the rape itself.

If I could find a way for these thing *not* to set me off, I'd be all over it. Asking for a trigger warning in red capitals isn't asking too much, I can chose to skip over those secrets.

I'm not going to live my life in fear of it happening, but just once , I'd like to know when there is the potential to avoid anything that put me back there. Psychological trauma doesn't need an excuse to rear it's head, it just does, and we have to deal with it the best way we can.

[clownfrogg.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry you got raped, but you do realize that rape (particularly ANAL RAPE) is a common thing featured in both f!s and fan-fiction, right?

I know people who have been abused, molested, neglected, raped, shot, stabbed, beaten, harassed, traumatized, addicted to drugs, addicted to alcohol, hit by cars, broke bones, had concussions, were victims of hate crimes, were victims of racism and homophobia, etc. etc. etc.

Most of those people do not go around WARNING PEOPLE not to talk about certain subjects when they're around. It's a waste of time and an infringement on free speech. It sucks that you have a bad reaction, but that's the way of the world and you have to get used to the fact that not everyone is going to be on the look out for you.

Especially on the internet.

Warning for triggers is a nice idea, but it's virtually pointless to do so. Almost every single secret is now going to be loaded up with warning after warning. I mean, what happens when you see: "WARNING: MENTION OF ANAL RAPE". Are those words going to set you off?

Don't you normally click off the screen when you begin reading a secret and the secret maker writes, "I was abused." or "I was raped." etc.? I mean, I think most of this is just common sense.

[siamesegoth2.livejournal.com]

Words don't set me off, smells and certain movements do, so have fun with trying to set me off with typing ANAL RAPE in caps.

I'm saying that triggers to any kind of trauma cannot be helped. As for fanfic, I write it, and sometimes it's non con. I'll always put a trigger warning for non con, it's common courtesy.

Triggers don't affect people the same way, some people it's an image or a word or a certain scenario. I don't think having a trigger warning on the front page before a cut, is a bad thing and give the victim(s) a chance to avoid the triggers themselves.

[clownfrogg.livejournal.com]

I was not trying to set you off by typing those words, nor do I find it amusing in any way. That's your own misinterpretation. The point being that you will SEE those words in bright red capital letters in order to warn for them. For some people, words ARE a trigger.

Also, you made a good point: warning for controversial kinks, etc. in fan-fiction is a common courtesy and should also not be mandatory as it is a form of censorship. I understand general ratings (such as the movie system) but I don't think anyone should be forced to specifically warn for content. That's absurd.

Common courtesy =/= mandatory censorship, so I think we may be in agreement there.

[thene]

Well, I run a comm where certain trigger warnings are mandatory. If you (general) think that this policy represents censorship, you (general) are welcome to stay the fuck off my comm.

[thechameleonnn.livejournal.com]

you can censor whatever you want, it's your comm. you have the right to do whatever you want.

[siamesegoth2.livejournal.com]

I meant general trigger warnings for the more common ones, Listing all triggers is going to take time and woah complicated. I don't think people are asking for exact details, just a ' OH HAI THAR, under this cut we have potential triggers for non con, self harm, eating disorders and terribly scary pokemon, read at your own risk' is more than enough.

What gets me is that people who do have triggers are made to feel like over sensitive hyperbolic babies, who need to get a grip.

sorry shitty day and misinterpretation is the order of the day, I apologise if I sounded snippy.

[thene]

Dude, there is no need to apologise to someone who is calling you a 'dramatic crybaby' because you have PTSD. It should kinda be the other way around.

[judo-creature.livejournal.com]

Censorship is preventing someone from writing or posting a certain thing. Saying "You can't post that here" is censorship. Saying "You can post that here, but you have to put up a warning" is not.

[(Anonymous)]

Words don't set me off, smells and certain movements do, so have fun with trying to set me off with typing ANAL RAPE in caps.

I think it's ridiculous for you to claim to know the mind of someone you've never met and to accuse a total stranger - who has been very polite to everyone here, can't say the same for his opponents - of trying to trigger you with the use of CAPS of all things.

Also, just because words don't trigger you, you feel that they shouldn't trigger anyone else, which is why you put details of anal rape in a post without a warning for triggers. You don't see the hypocrisy in that? You don't see the hypocrisy in everything you've said here?

[siamesegoth2.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry, where did I imply words don't set people off? I said they don't set 'me' off.

If I thought words didn't set anyone else off, I'd not bother my arse about trigger warnings for secrets or fanfic.

[thene]

Aha, you KNOW PEOPLE and therefore you are an expert! Thanks for your highly qualified advice, doc, I am sure you are right about absolutely everything!

Also, fans infringe on free speech because fans are the government.

What.

[clownfrogg.livejournal.com]

Um, the person before me used their personal experience to justify their opinion, and I used reverse logic by using personal experience to justify mine to show that personal issues mean nothing in the real world.

Also, censoring things on the internet = censoring FREE SPEECH. How hard is that to understand?

Thanks for playing!

[thene]

You didn't use personal experience, you used other people's experiences. Not only is that not the same thing, it comes off as kinda creepy with a side order of 'some of my best friends are [insert group here]'.

No, censoring things on the internet is not censoring free speech because if you don't like the rules of my comm you can go post your fic somewhere else, or start your own comm. Mandatory warnings are not censorship in any case as they don't in any way prevent someone from posting anything the hell they want; the rule just specifies that some content must be indicated in the header. (It's easy to spoilertext out a warning, so people who don't feel they need to be warned don't have to read warnings if they don't want to.)

Warnings are like putting nutritional information on food. Some folks have allergies.

[clownfrogg.livejournal.com]

I did use personal experience in a previous comment. Perhaps you missed it. And for some of those things listed, I too have experienced. I don't think it's necessary to spell my life out on the internet the way other people do, and the point I was trying to make is that EVERYONE has some type of experience; it doesn't mean that the rest of the world is obligated to make accommodations. I fail to see the complexity of my statements.

As for censorship on the internet: technophile makes certain to put pornographic/NSFW items under a cut because they are obscene (by definition) and even the news media will censor things of that nature. However, we are not PAYING tech to commit himself to accommodating people with triggers. He's simply the maintainer of a community.

Words do not equal allergies; I'm sorry but it is very much an example of censorship to pick out each and every little potential trigger and warn for them. It is a COURTESY to do so; not MANDATORY.

Do we censor art this way? Of course not; we have things like the movie rating system or the "parental advisory" sticker for entertainment materials.

Spoilers are different, but again, shouldn't be MANDATORY to warn for. Coming to fandom secrets, you are going to be squicked and you are going to be spoiled. Your options? 1) scroll down. 2) click the little "x" button and leave.

[(Anonymous)]

this FTW!

[michygeary.livejournal.com]

censoring things on the internet = censoring FREE SPEECH

Rofl. You clearly have not read or understand the constitution.

[(Anonymous)]

i'm very sorry about your trauma, but, er, isn't that a little personal to be screaming across the internet?

Irony!

[(Anonymous)]

Not when you're demanding that every stranger in the world police all their actions/speech/typing/hobby activities to accommodate your personal trauma. Throwing out brutal and intimate details (and possibly triggering details without a trigger warning in the subject line! Irony, siamesegoth2!) is the way to go, then. Oh! And accusing them of trying to trigger you for talking about the same things they're talking about, or being "just as bad as their rapist" for leaving out warnings on fic.

JUST LEAVE ALREADY!

[(Anonymous)]

NEWSFLASH!

This community isn't the world, things about it are within the moderators control. that same mod has agreed to make certain accommodations so that it can be a more pleasurable experience for a minority of people that were very vocal about things that made enjoying it less possible.

so what's the deal? you don't like the change? It's interfered with your appreciation the community suddenly? Are you hoping to bitch it back into something else?

Re: JUST LEAVE ALREADY!

[(Anonymous)]

This may be difficult for you to understand, but I don't care about the trigger warnings. I truly don't. Most other readers don't either. They just skim them and ignore the big red letters. For me, they neither add nor take away from the comm. If you can't see that it's a bigger issue within fandom than just one group getting their way over another group or some pesky red lettering, then you simply aren't that smart or you haven't been paying attention. The sudden demand of trigger warnings on things like f!s are symptoms of the more far-reaching problems within fandom, not the cause of them. Problems that need to be resolved, not thrown into a pit for the loudest and bitchiest bullies to win. Those more far-reaching consequences are the things worth fighting for, and the only reason your !!!!post!!!! got a reply.

[taleya.livejournal.com]

You're assuming it's something that's calm, rational, and somewhat controllable.

It's not.

It could be a smell. A sound. A single word, a single fucking note that just makes your brain go I KNOW THAT and next thing you know you're utterly fucked. Kinda hard to recognise from the outside, but the most frightening thing is the way your own brain can just turn on you and eat you like that on a random, simple thing.

[thechameleonnn.livejournal.com]

ok so how is anyone ever supposed to know every single word ever that sets someone off? i'm sorry.

[taleya.livejournal.com]

Youre not supposed to know every word :) Just explaining in response to what seemed an honest query with how is reading words on a screen upsetting you? you're at home, safe, with the doors locked.

Brains are funny, funny things and do some damned weird shit.