“The real world involves upset, suffering, hardship, struggles and facing our fears.  The attempt to protect students from all semblance of reality at least has one effect.  It makes them forget about the real things that should upset them. “

Monty Python was a hilarious surreal take on many aspects of life.  It was so ludicrous that most of us could laugh.  But nowadays I find that some aspects of modern life which are apparently taken seriously, are more Pythoesque than Python.  Take this headline….

Bible students are warned…you may find the crucifixion too upsetting!

This was in The Daily Mail  so I guess there are those who will immediately have their Mail armour on and just immediately dismiss it out of hand.  But I’m afraid the Mail article is only the tip of the iceberg.  This is what is happening in Britain’s Universities today.

Theology students at Glasgow University studying the course  -‘Creation to Apocalypse: Introduction to the Bible (Level 1)’ are being given ‘trigger warnings’ that the scenes of the crucifixion may be upsetting.    The University explains why:

‘We have an absolute duty of care to all of our students and where it is felt course material may cause potential upset or concern warnings may be given.’

Who would have thunk it?   Christianity mentions the Cross?! And the Cross is not nice?! God help the poor wee snowflakes if they ever get on to Jesus’s teaching about Hell!  And they should certainly be kept away from the book of Revelation.

But what about other subjects?  Could they not cause upset?   The article goes on to helpfully inform us that veterinary students are given trigger warnings about working with dead animals, those studying ‘contemporary society’ ware warned they will be discussing illness and violence, and those studying forensic science are given a ‘verbal warning… at the beginning of some lectures where sensitive images, involving blood patterns, crime scenes and bodies etc are in the presentation’.   Who would have thought it?  Vets might see dead animals, historians might hear about violence, and forensic scientists might come across images of dead bodies and blood (I hope the University warns them about watching Lewis and CSI!)?  Stirling University issues a trigger warning for those doing gender studies because students might encounter material ‘which is triggering (ie. which can trigger a negative reaction’).    I’m sure that is correct – there is much that is taught in gender studies which causes a negative reaction in me – not least that public money is wasted on teaching this non-sense.

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