Jonathan Kieran

Ernest Hemingway’s works are now being labeled with “trigger warnings” in some quarters. Certain people need to grow the fuck up, expand their horizons by broad study of basic historical realities, and—here’s an idea!—READ and discover little concepts like PERSPECTIVE and CONTEXT and EXISTENCE.

Great art always “triggers” in the sense that it produces some sort of emotional or spiritual or intellectual response. That’s what it’s supposed to do. It does not need to be labeled automatically with subjective judgment declarations beforehand in the general sense, at least not for the broader reading public as that public peruses booksellers. (De facto “Trigger-warning” labels are not book reviews. And, no, this kind of nincompoopery is likewise not comparable to Parental Warnings and ratings placed on films and certain music products for the safeguarding of minor children. Jesus wept.)

I grieve for the future of art in this present climate of dictatorial dogmatics masquerading as “compassionate guidance.” Bullshit, bullshit, BULLSHIT.

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