Christina Hoff Summers, trigger warnings, and the trauma of free speech

Article here. Excerpt:

'According to a Saturday post at Legal Insurrection, Christina Hoff Summers, the critic of feminism and author of such books as “Who Stole Feminism” and “The War against Boys” ventured to Georgetown University to give the students the benefit of her wisdom. Apparently what she had to say was such heady stuff that some of the students took it upon themselves to post “trigger warnings,” the purpose being to warn students that what they might hear may cause trauma.

According to New Republic, “trigger warnings” are the latest craze in academia and applies not only to outside speakers, but lectures by tenured faculty. What constitutes things that might prove triggering?

“Oberlin College has published an official document on triggers, advising faculty members to be ‘aware of racism, classism, sexism, heterosexism, cissexism, ableism, and other issues of privilege and oppression,’ to remove triggering material when it doesn't ‘directly’ contribute to learning goals and ‘strongly consider’ developing a policy to make ‘triggering material’ optional.”

Things have certainly changed since I was at school. Back when I was studying journalism and history, with a minor in carousing and deviltry, the student-run speaker’s bureau brought a member of the Nazi Party on campus to impart his views on politics, social issues, and race. Oddly enough, there was no need for fainting couches or even much security. Back in the day, we knew how to deal with wannabe brown shirts, which was to sit back, enjoy the show, and jeer at them. The climax of the event occurred when a blond haired, blue eyed specimen of Aryan manhood from what was then West Germany stood up during the question and answer session to lay into the goose stepper as a silly, anachronistic buffoon who would never be tolerated in the Fatherland. Lots of fun was had by all.'