deniseaday

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Distant mountains and clouds from the same beautiful blue palette this past Saturday.

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squirrels skittering across the roof

thinking about breakfast

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"Some people need content warnings, and it’s not up to you or me to decide whether their need is valid or not. That’s why, from now on, I’ll be adding including content warnings to my books, and to my author website. Ignore them or not, as you choose." 🤘

Content Warning: contains scenes of graphic kindness; wokery; tolerance; profanity.

A few days ago, I posted a little Twitter poll, asking readers (and authors) what they thought of trigger warnings. I followed this up with a short thread, outlining my own thoughts on this, and how they have changed over the years.

The Daily Mail immediately seized the idea, and without contacting me, or asking for further clarification, published an article quoting my words, under a headline that was both inflammatory and untrue: Trigger warnings should be put on EVERY book to make readers feel 'safe', Chocolat author Joanne Harris says.

Predictably, this caused a frenzy of reaction from Daily Mail readers and Twitter trolls, including accusations of censorship and “pandering to moronic snowflakes”. Several people (who I suspect, have never even picked up one of my books) swore never to read them. One charmer wrote: “Fucking pathetic. What a dick the author must be.”

I don’t blame the writer of the article; most clickbait headlines are added by someone else - in this case, by someone who couldn’t even be bothered to read the article, let alone my original thread. It has since been quietly changed, presumably in response to my comments, although once again, without any communication with me. But as a result of these comments (and some more polite ones from people asking about the poll), I think it’s time I made it clear, both where I stand on trigger warnings, and why the public perception of them, fuelled by culture wars debates, is both skewed and inaccurate.

First, the result of my poll: about 35% of the people who answered were in favour of some kind of content warning. About 30% were against, and the rest were undecided, curious about the result. To me this suggests that most people are generally positive or undecided on the subject. From the comments, it seemed to me that many of the people who were against trigger warnings were afraid they might lead to censorship, or spoilers, or editing of the classics, or stopping people from reading the classics, or authors losing the right to free speech.

But here's the thing. Trigger warnings are nothing to do with those things. Here’s why people have been misled, and why it matters to put things straight.

First, this expression; “triggered.” Like “woke” and “snowflake” it has been weaponized to mean something like “upsetting the libs.” Reader, that's not what it means. The concept of triggering only applies to someone with PTSD or some kind of serious psychological trauma. That makes it irrelevant to politics. Anyone can have trauma. Anyone is potentially vulnerable to mental illness. And that’s why trigger warnings exist; to warn people who might suffer a relapse, or some other kind of serious harm, if exposed without warning to certain images, scenes or narrative strands. Some of the obvious ones might be sexual violence; graphic images; mental illness; eating disorders; suicide. I’m sure there are lots more. But we’ve had content warnings (if you prefer) on films for decades without any resistance, and TV shows routinely flag up scenes with flashing images, etc. that might trigger (that word again) an epileptic seizure in anyone susceptible.  

And yes, it makes sense. I mean, why would you want someone to have a seizure if you could just warn them against it? Who but a sadist would argue that people with epilepsy should be forced to have seizures, or that having regular seizures will make them more resilient somehow, or that people afraid to have seizures should just stop watching films and TV altogether, or that warnings against flashing lights would somehow spoil other people’s enjoyment of the show? And yet those are all things that people have said to me recently about content warnings.

To me content warnings in books are like content warnings on packaged food. Most people don’t read them, unless they have a special interest or need to know. Why do they need to know? There might be any number of reasons. Maybe they’re vegan, and want to avoid eating animal products. Maybe they have a religious dietary restriction. Maybe they have a mild allergy to peanuts or to shellfish. Or maybe it’s a more a serious allergy that could even result in their death. Either way, details are useful. Content warnings in books are the same, except that instead of triggering a physical attack, certain things trigger a mental one.

I'm not talking here about things that might simply cause offence. I sometimes use profanity in my books; I sometimes write about topics that people may find challenging. That's not going to change. I won't add content warnings for swearing, or nudity, or paganism, or LGBT issues. None of those things cause trauma, though I'm willing to believe they may in some cases cause offence.

But mental trauma is just as real as any physical injury. It’s not just “in your head”. It requires adjustments in the same way that any other condition may require adjustments - whether that's a wheelchair ramp, or subtitles on TV, or studs on the pavement to help the blind.

And yet, the culture wars narrative – led by a right-wing media - is leaning increasingly towards a “survival of the fittest” mentality; repeatedly encouraging able-bodied people to question disability, white people to question racism, rich people to question poverty, and urging those who have never experienced mental trauma to dismiss the needs of those who struggle with it daily. Empathy and kindness are presented as political gestures, earning “woke points” (whatever they are), rather than the elements of basic human decency. And of course, people who talk about “decency” in the context of nudity, LGBT issues and profanity often see no problem in labelling themselves “anti-woke”, or sneering at the “Be Kind brigade”, or making dismissive judgments about the lives of people they will never know. Somewhere along the line, somehow, basic human kindness has been reframed as a tool of the left, and those who hold right-wing opinions are encouraged to reject it.

Well, fuck that. People are better than this. Some people need content warnings, and it’s not up to you or me to decide whether their need is valid or not. That’s why, from now on, I’ll be adding including content warnings to my books, and to my author website. Ignore them or not, as you choose.

But to those who are offended by the concept of inclusion, here’s a trigger warning just for you: Contains tolerance; scenes of moderate kindness; depictions of graphic wokery. Read my books at your peril. Or don’t. Isn’t freedom marvellous?

[deniseaday]

Accepting and appreciating ourselves.

Affirmations for Autistic People

Neurodivergent_lou

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It's coming along! Next up: a happy green.

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"May delete this section for this week." This lonely sentence appeared below an unnecessary section header in a newsletter sent to possibly thousands of subscribers yesterday. Proofreading is an important last step in any publishing process, even a weekly newsletter. Follow a checklist and, if possible, have a designated proofreader. Mistakes like this usually happen in a rush and when steps are skipped. #Newsletter #EmailMarketing #ContentCreator #Proofreading #Proofreader #Editing #Editor https://www.instagram.com/p/CnkH2SGJsbr/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Knitting finally clicked! As they say, third time's a charm. Several things made a difference this time. Larger, non-slippery (bamboo) needles and thicker yarn. Deciding to relax and have fun with it. (Vs my previous grim determination that literally strained my neck and shoulder muscles. 😐) Patiently watching a multitude of knitting videos, trying various ways to hold and tension the yarn and form the stitches. The most helpful advice took a "knitting for crocheters" approach. After a lot of experimentation, I've found it's best for me to hold the yarn exactly as for crochet, and not to bob my index finger up and down for the purl stitch. Instead I can rock my hands back and forth for yarn overs and pull throughs, just like you do when crocheting. Feels much more natural and relaxed. Super happy with this red, seed stitch swatch. In a few more rows it'll be a finished block for the Warm Up America project.

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It’s been a funny old year, hasn’t it? Tough in so many ways, and for so many people around the world, that my own small concerns and stresses seem almost insignificant. But here’s the thing. We all feel this way. We all feel a little guilty when we think of those who have it harder than we do: people suffering in Ukraine, or girls being denied education in Iran, or refugees driven out of their homes, or nurses using foodbanks. And for many, the holiday season brings its own particular brand of guilt. Some of us feel guilty because we don’t feel the way we’re expected to; because we find Christmas too stressful, or too noisy, or too lonely, or fake. Some of us feel guilty because we feel we’re not doing enough for others. And some of us feel guilty just because we’re enjoying the holiday.  

I get it. We are living in dark times right now, and at this time of year, it may feel self-indulgent or wrong to give priority to ourselves, or to feel overwhelmed, or to seek out our joy, or to try to forget, or to seek an escape from the real world into a world of fantasy. 

And so, here’s a seasonal message from me.  Whether you love Christmas or hate it; whether you celebrate it at all; whether you count the days till it’s gone, or whether you’re in holiday heaven -

You matter. Your feelings matter. We’re all little lights in the darkness, finding our way to happiness. And light is what we all need right now. Light, to combat the dark times. Light, to bring joy into the world. Light, to remind us that spring will come, and that we all continue to grow, and that joy can sometimes be found in the most unlikely places, and that grief and sorrow pass. Here’s me, wishing you love and light, whoever you are, wherever you stand. Love and light, and peace, and joy. Be kind to yourselves, and to others. 

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Repost from @wetestify • They let We Testify into the White House 🤩 Thank you to which ever White House staffer put our names down on the list because @reneebraceysherman & @theeabortiondiva came to ✨stunt and shine✨ in the glamorous versions of our staff uniform. People of color who have abortions deserve to be in every single space where decisions are being made. This is what’s possible when we testify. It all begins with our stories. #ReproductiveJustice #AbortionRights #HumanRights #WeTestify https://www.instagram.com/p/CmBwA0Juv85/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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The perfect fingerless gloves from a pair of old socks! 🧦

And a mug cozy from the odd leftover of a matching pair. ☕

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Is it ageist to have a yoga class labeled "Yoga for Healthy Aging" or "Yoga for over 50"?

"Yoga for Health" would be a better choice. Everyone is aging.

As for "Yoga for Over 50," it's ageist for the same reason that it would be racist to separate students by race. Many older people have beautiful yoga practices because they've been doing it for so long. It would be more sensible, and more inclusive, for the studio to organize classes according to skill level instead. Age-integrated classes also help dismantle ageism and ableism, because they debunk stereotypes about older people's physical capacities.

[deniseaday]

Reminders on the path.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CldzxzNOTf_/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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We enjoyed a walk in the glorious fall weather yesterday. Along the way, a somber and frightenly relevant reminder of how horribly inhuman we humans can be. Photo 1: American Beech (I think) tree in it's fiery orange and yellow fall glory. Photo 2: Stone memorial at Jean Teague Greenway (east) in Knoxville. Inscription: Remember. This memorial is dedicated to the memory of the six million Jews and all others who perished in World War II during the Holocaust, 1939–1945, millions of whom were deliberately and systematically selected, transported and put in death camps by the Nazis and their allies. It will remind us ose evil wherever it exists. Honored here also are the brave servicemen who liberated those camps and lovingly cared for the survivors. Never forget... May 5,2005 https://www.instagram.com/p/CjybH35v7OU/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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I call it Amaze Cream 😋 Frozen fruit blended with silken tofu. Texture of soft serve. No dairy, added sugar, or guilt. Delicious! https://www.instagram.com/p/ChvBwqpvurk/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Weekly checklist. Repost from @sweatpantsandcoffee • Coffee up! Fight injustice. Stay centered. Find your gratitude. Have a snack. Maybe pants? -- Nanae Hoffman https://www.instagram.com/p/CfobLg3uri5/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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I ❤️ Knoxville. Stop at a light, make a neighborhood sports donation, receive the message that Jesus loves you, with a bonus hotdog 🌭 thrown in. https://www.instagram.com/p/CfhHug5rgU-/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=