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There’s a lot of controversy around the need for trigger warnings and the use of the term “triggered.” The princesses talk about secondary traumatic stress disorder, or STSD, and how to use the word triggered in a way that respects people with PTSD. Content Warning: discussion and details of misdemeanor sexual assault (minutes 33:50 – 41:50)  

In This Episode

Callie and Nichole dig into triggers and trigger warnings after seeing a fellow vegan rant about a Huffington Post article where the author said she was triggered by watching people eat meat and so refuses to eat with anyone who won’t eat vegan with her. There is validity in discussing whether we are throwing terms like “triggered” around too lightly, however, there is also validity in being deeply upset by seeing others consume animal products. The princesses talk about how we can be respectful to both sides of this equation in our language. Definitions
Trauma trigger (aka “trigger”): A trauma trigger is an experience that causes someone to recall a previous traumatic memory, although the trigger itself need not be frightening or traumatic and can be indirectly or superficially reminiscent an earlier traumatic incident. STS: Secondary traumatic stress is the emotional duress that results when an individual hears about the firsthand trauma experiences of another. Its symptoms mimic those of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Links and Information

News

• Oprah Urges Her 33 Million Followers to Go Meatless (VegNews)
• Millennials Driving a Rise of Veganism (Seeker)
• New Research Tackles Carrageenan Safety Concerns (Food Navigator USA)

Mentioned in this Episode

• I Don’t Let Friends Eat Meat In My Presence (Huffington Post): the article that inspired the rant that inspired this episode.
• Secondary Traumatic Stress Disorder (Cruelty Free Eating): a helpful article discussing Melanie Joy’s YouTube video about STSD (video linked below)
• Melanie Joy – Sustainable activism: How to Be More Effective and Fulfilled (IARC 2015) (YouTube): Dr. Melanie Joy’s talk about STSD and veganism, and how to deal with STSD as an activist.
• Understanding Traumatic Triggers (National Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma & Mental Health)
• Scientific Studies: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO) (YouTube): talks about scientific studies, how they are misrepresented in mainstream media to become commonly accepted truths when they are not proven, inconclusive, biased or altogether untrue.