Trigger Warnings vs Content Warnings

I was asked why I was against the trigger warnings that some university students nowadays demand, and how this is different from rating labels that say "Warning: this movie contains strong language / violence/ partial nudity".

For one, trigger warnings are expected to be a lot more detailed rather than in the general category of "strong language / violence/ partial nudity". For example, in 2017 Monash University launched a pilot requiring academics to look for "emotionally confronting material" relating to "sexual assault, violence, domestic abuse, child abuse, eating disorders, self-harm, suicide, pornography, abortion, kidnapping, hate speech, animal cruelty and animal deaths including abattoirs". Evidently, this is a lot more detailed than "strong language / violence/ partial nudity". And if that isn't enough the Network of Women Students Australia has an even more extensive list.

For another, content labels are not mandatory. Trigger warnings on the other hand are demanded and sometimes even mandatory.

Also, people can and are allegedly triggered by almost anything. So you end up having to shrink wrap everything under the sun. For example the Network of Women Students Australia list includes as triggers: Classism, Eye contact (scopophobia), Flashing lights, Food, Insects, Medical procedures, Misophonia, Needles, Panic attacks, Pregnancy, Slimy things, Snakes, Spiders and Vomit. Nope, I am not joking.

In addition for movies (where content warnings are sometimes put) there might be a case to be made that graphic depictions onscreen are salient enough that people need to be warned. But people are objecting to phrases like "violate the law" - used when teaching law (or indeed, to asking that rape law not be taught in law school).

Consider too that while movies are discretionary entertainment that people choose to consume - and thus have leeway about consuming, in an academic setting you are expected to deal with the material as part of course requirements. So you should have to deal with it.

There's also the point that the psychological framework of trigger warnings is totally bogus (and indeed counter productive).

(Someone else added that "giving a trigger warning is almost akin to a semi-spoiler if it's a fictional work, or may make audience feel overly wary about a scene/production/work and miss out on a valuable experience.")