On Warnings And Why You Might Consider Using Them:

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 17:10:37 GMT

The current debate about warnings really disturbs me. I haven't experienced sexual abuse and/or rape. And I have a problem with triggering content. No idea why, but certain topics can cause panic attacks and nervous breakdowns. It's been that way since I was six. I had my first nervous breakdown then, after watching a documentary on how the world is going to end when the sun will expand in five billion years. To this day, I have problems with this topic (and please don't ask about it in the comments either, trying to explain will mean I have to think about it in too much detail, which is not good), and with certain other aspects of astrophysics. I don't expect a warning for that, but that's a very specific trigger.

( Cut for length and TMI )

I would like to avoid these topics, and so do other people, for various reasons, not all of them triggers, but still valid. I know it's hard for people who don't feel like their life is a Spießrutenlauf to understand this, but we are doing everything we can to protect ourselves, and we're not infallible. We need help for this. So please, warn for the most common subjects, and if you don't, state that visibly (not everyone looks into a profile before reading a story).

In fact, if something is warned for, I might even read it if I feel well enough, because that way, I can ready myself for the subject. Which helps more than you can imagine.

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On Warnings And Why You Might Consider Using Them: