Trigger warnings have been in the public consciousness for decades—originating on feminist messaging boards in the late 90’s—but only recently have I begun to see them used outside of a handful of indie works. Heck, I can count on one hand the number of traditionally published books I’ve read that contained a trigger warning! Personally, I find this utterly baffling behavior—in an environment where trigger warnings are known tools, why wouldn’t people want to use them? The few arguments I’ve heard against them usually cite that they aren’t commonly utilized, which is something we are capable of changing, and that trigger warnings can ‘spoil’ a book, which is an objectively bad statement to make.

I value trigger warnings not just for the much-needed heads up they provide, but also because they are a sign of good faith from the author. Most of the topics that really need trigger warnings—for example, sexual violence—have a long hisotry of being used for cheap shock value or are often portrayed in insensitive and downright harmful manner. A trigger warning on these subjects isn’t just a matter of courtesy—it’s a way for creators to show that they are going to be handling these topics with the maturity and respect they deserve to a portion of their audience that has been burned before. 

If someone is unwilling to add trigger warnings to media that obviously needs it because they’re worried about spoiling it—i.e., if someone believes the value of a narrative hinges so heavily upon the shock value of something traumatic occuring that even a vague warning can destroy it, then that is a massive freaking red flag that the topic will not be handled with anything resembling grace. The fact of the matter is that if a piece of media is playing something traumatic for shock value, it is not being respectful and needs to seriously reconsider its priorities.

I doubt that trigger warnings will become industry standard anytime in the near future, but I do hope that the gradual trend I’ve seen with more recent publications using them will pick up over time. I really appreciate them, both as a reader and a writer, and think that wider usage of trigger warnings would be to the benefit of all.