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Comment by eej2ya1K | Hacker News Reader

"Indifferent towards rape." Seriously? Not being triggered by a depiction of a rape in a novel doesn't mean you're indifferent towards rape.

And while "springing" "triggering" "content" on a weak person is a bad idea, encouraging them to seek out triggering content on their own and approach it at their own pace is going to create a stronger, better person. It's not just about the trigger either - learning that you can overcome something like that is extremely empowering. Hiding for the rest of your life is slowly going to turn you into a coward.

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> Not being triggered by a depiction of a rape in a novel doesn't mean you're indifferent towards rape.

That wasn't the point being made.

The point is that if depictions of rape are triggering to you, it's not necessarily important to work on not being triggered by rape depictions. Avoidance is generally acceptable there.

Isn't it better for a person to not be triggerable?

Wouldn't you wish, if a friend of yours was chronically vunerable in a way that hindered them that, all else being equal, they would become more resilient- for their own sake?

Sure. That’s what therapy is for. It's still a long, tough road for survivors of trauma.

Triggering people in an unsafe, uncontrolled context can make it harder, not easier.

Yes, this !!!

Being triggerable is a weakness. It gives others power over you. So why would anyone want that?

Also, not being triggerable does not mean being insensitive or cynical or tolerant or whatever. It's just about being able to deal with stuff without freaking out.

> So why would anyone want that?

Even after decades of therapy, rape victims may still be triggered by descriptions/depictions of rape. Abuse victims may not be able to watch a movie with an abused child without breaking down, even after long, intensive therapy.

It's not generally a choice.

OK, thanks.

And upon reflection, I get that I'm triggered by dogs. Having been attacked by a doberman, many years ago. And surviving only because it was on a chain, and I didn't fall down. So it only took a chunk out of one ankle.

So now, whenever I encounter a dog, I immediately think about what I could use as a weapon.

> encouraging them to seek out triggering content on their own and approach it at their own pace is going to create a stronger, better person

Are you a therapist?

Are you their therapist?

Approaching something at your own pace is a lot easier if you can know it advance where you're likely to encounter it.

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