‘The Muppet Show’ Trigger Warning Attacks a Nonproblem

Offensive content warning: This column contains references to a time known as “the past,” when attitudes about various matters were different. Counselors are available to discuss the existence of the past with the psychologically delicate.

Remember in the early Obama years when phrases like “trigger warning” and “safe space” first began popping up, in entirely unironic contexts, usually relating to the fear and trembling of Oberlin students? Those of us who called these concepts idiotic and infantile were told, “Hey, relax. It’s just a silly campus eccentricity. It’ll never catch on.” Then the students began to graduate. For a handy depiction of what happened to the culture next, check out that Dustin Hoffman movie about the Ebola outbreak.

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Kyle Smith

Kyle Smith is the film critic for the Wall Street Journal.

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Offensive content warning: This column contains references to a time known as “the past,” when attitudes about various matters were different. Counselors are available to discuss the existence of the past with the psychologically delicate.

Remember in the early Obama years when phrases like “trigger warning” and “safe space” first began popping up, in entirely unironic contexts, usually relating to the fear and trembling of Oberlin students? Those of us who called these concepts idiotic and infantile were told, “Hey, relax. It’s just a silly campus eccentricity. It’ll never catch on.” Then the students began to graduate. For a handy depiction of what happened to the culture next, check out that Dustin Hoffman movie about the Ebola outbreak.