上热搜的“trigger warning”是什么意思？

我们先来了解trigger warning的含义。

某种程度上，trigger warning ['trɪɡər 'wɔrnɪŋ]就是英文版的“高能预警”，来看剑桥释义：

a statement at the beginning of a piece of writing, before the start of a film, etc., warning people that they may find the content very upsetting, especially if they have experienced something similar.

放在文章、影片等前面的声明，警告人们接下来的内容可能会引起不适，特别是在当他们曾有过相似经历的情况下。

The teacher gave a trigger warning before showing us the rape scene in the movie.

在播放电影的强奸画面前，老师作出预警。

Trigger warning, this conversation is about some very dark and bitter part of our family history.

高能预警，下面的对话会涉及我们家族非常黑暗、辛酸的历史。

另外，作为名词，trigger也有心理学上的含义：

something that causes someone to feel upset and frightened because they are made to remember something bad that has happened in the past.

让某些人感到不安和害怕的东西，因为这勾起了他们对过去某些糟糕经历的回忆。

A trigger is something that sets off a flashback, transporting the person back to the traumatic event.

心理触发指那些引发闪回，让人回想到创伤事发现场的东西。

Trigger兼具突然性和诱发性，仿佛心里的一个开关，它的出现会一下子把人带回到造成心理阴影的那个场景中。

Trigger的种类有很多，可以是一种场景、画面，也可以是某种气味、触感、声音、疼痛、情绪或者一个人。

Some common triggers are: certain times of day, a particular odor, a particular sound, a particular texture, a sensation on the skin, physical pain, a person.

事实上，trigger warning的诞生就和虐待有关。据BBC报道，一个女权主义者网站最初使用了该词，用于记录女性遭受的暴力（violence against women）。

如今，Trigger warning已经运用在各个领域，如媒体报道和大学授课。

在心理健康领域，如涉及性虐待和精神疾病（mental illness）时，trigger warning使用率更高。它防止患者出现情绪不适，舒缓创伤后应激障碍（PTSD，post-traumatic stress disorder）。

但目前学界对于trigger warning是否有助于缓解不适情绪存疑，一种说法认为trigger warning是在鼓励逃避（encouraging a culture of avoidance），告诉人们不够强大去面对痛苦。

A bit like a spoiler alert, the phrase "trigger warning" is now often seen online but it has a more serious motive than stopping you from accidentally ruining the enjoyment of a TV show you've not seen yet.