No, TV Reviews Shouldn't Have Trigger Warnings

I get a lot of emails from readers in the course of an average week and most of them tend to be fairly mundane. Is X show coming back? When does the new season of X begin? They are more service questions than a topic that is worthy of a unique (and public) response. But several days ago I received this email and after a bit of reflection, it occurs to me that this is an answer worth sharing with everyone. The response goes to the heart of television criticism and what I hope to accomplish here at AllYourScreens.com.

I recently read your recommendation to watch the Netflix movie "The Tower" and I agree that it was very exciting. But your review didn't mention that a young boy is killed in the middle of the movie. I lost my son last year in a car accident and seeing the death of that boy on the movie triggered memories of that loss all over again. Don't you think it would have been helpful to include a trigger warning about the scene in your review? I think these type of warnings would be helpful in all reviews and I wish you could lead the way in adding them to your reviews.

I've deleted the reader's name by request, but otherwise, this is the complete email as I received it. And here is my complete response to her:

First of all, I am sorry for your loss. I have a nine-year-old son and I can't comprehend the depths of sorrow you must feel every day. I am uncharacteristically without words.

I spent most of today thinking about your email and the best way to respond to it. Your note was polite and thoughtful. I wanted to respond in the same way and it took me quite awhile to sort through my feelings about "trigger" warnings.

My first reaction was that whether or not I felt they were needed, taking the time to accurately label each review or recommendation with the appropriate trigger warnings is just impossible. I scarcely have time to write the pieces, much less allocate the additional resources to accurately include the appropriate warnings. So time is certainly one big obsticle in any discussion about adding trigger warnings.

But there's a bigger issue and it centers on the idea of including trigger warnings as part of any piece of art, whether it's a feature film or a television review. Is it the responsibility of the creative community to include content warnings about everything from scenes of sexual violence to cancer storylines or the unexpected death of a child?

I believe it's not something that we should do and that is the policy of this website. Art should make you feel uncomfortable sometimes, it should challenge your beliefs and make you consider unpleasant and unfamiliar points of view. There are some very well-meaning people that believe (in an extreme example) that members of the KKK were inherently evil and that to show them living a "normal" life somehow negates their evil. I happen to believe that it's easy to fall into the trap that believing someone who is evil-whether they are a racist or a sexual predator-is a person who exhibits that evil 24/7. Evil is more complex and unassuming and art needs to show that, even if it makes audiences uncomfortable. We all live compartmentalized lives and that's what makes the human race so fascinating.

That's also  why I don't believe in warning readers that they may encounter certain uncomfortable subjects as they view a specific TV show or movie. Aside from the challenges of providing warnings that are accurate and cover all the possible trigger points, many programs are built around a surprising plot twist that is supposed to come as a surprise to the audience. Warning viewers ahead of time negates the intent of the artists involved and I don't believe that is the purpose of what I do.

I don't doubt that sometimes these scenes can be jarring to viewers and that seeing them can bring up vivid and troubling memories. I don't doubt that seeing that boy dying on-screen reminded you of your son. But I'm not sure that including a trigger warning on every television review is going to make your day any easier or less painful. The world is too complex and chaotic for any reviewer to take on the overwhelming task of trying to protect readers from their traumas and memories, no matter how valid they are.

As I said, I can't imagine your pain. But I do have some sense of what you are going through. When I was in college, my girlfriend was murdered in our apartment and I came home to find her bloodied body sprawled across the couch after she had been sexually assaulted and strangled. Nearly 30 years later, the memory of that day is as clear as a conversation I had this morning. I have some small understanding of trauma and loss and wanting to protect your heart from further pain. Her death is one of the reasons that I've never seen movies like the "Friday the 13th" franchise. Somehow, I don't find the prospect of watching college girls get slashed and killed to be all that entertaining of an experience.

But I believed then (and I believe today) that we need to be challenged by life and by the daily experiences we encounter along the way. I can't imagine a life like the one recounted in this recent NY Times piece, which shows how some people live their lives afraid and fragile. This isn't to say that people shouldn't be respectful of your pain. But at the end of the day, it is your pain and you are the person best suited to figuring out what is or isn't appropriate viewing for you.

I am sorry if this isn't the response you were hoping to receive. But know that it is one that is meant as respectfully as possible.

Do you agree with my policy? Let me know in the comments section below.