Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

JIM SPENCE: Peter Pan trigger warning risks real harm to students

Scottish students have received a trigger warning that Peter Pan may be 'emotionally challenging'. Wait till they learn about the real world.

still from the Walt Disney film peter Pan, showing Peter battling Captain Hook.
University bosses have slapped a trigger warning on Peter Pan in case it upsets students. Image: Walt Disney.

I’ve always thought Peter Pan was a ‘wrong un’.

Well it’s patently obvious that any fella who refuses to grow up and insists on flying around on mythical islands messing about with fairies and pirates and the like is for the watching.

Fortunately Aberdeen University has recognised the dangers that this dodgy fairy tale character poses to young impressionable minds.

It has issued a trigger warning to them about the perils of exposing their still developing mentality to even a few lines of JM Barrie’s prose about Peter Pan’s nefarious activities.

Now admittedly the sort of student who’s likely to be “triggered” by reading a fairy tale is unlikely to be of much use once they enter the real world.

the writer Jim Spence next to a quote: "Once in the real world students will find that avoiding participation and discussion isn’t an option. Difficult decisions and hard choices will abound."

If they’re the sort who’s thrown by a few words in a novel, then the prospect of becoming a cop, or a paramedic, or a firefighter – the sort of person who is confronted by dangerous folk wielding knives, bottles, iron bars while high on drink and drugs – is probably not for them.

Still their careers section will surely be able to point them in the direction of a worthwhile vocation in Never Never Land.

Not the only classic slapped with a trigger warning

Fortunately in the New Scottish Enlightenment, we have fearless academics ready to battle against the kind of dark and diabolical thoughts which Barrie and his ilk have penned.

Because the range of dangerous authors and writers to avoid doesn’t stop outside A Window in Thrums.

JM Barrie
Peter Pan author JM Barrie’s much-loved fairytale has been given a trigger warning for its “emotionally challenging” content.
Peter Pan statue in Kirriemuir.
The Peter Pan statue at Barrie’s birthplace in Kirriemuir. Image: Steve MacDougall / DC Thomson.

There appears to be a whole list of brazen books which Aberdeen University has courageously recognised as potentially threatening to young minds.

The Railway Children, and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe are also pinpointed as the dons on the Don seek to shelter their charges from the potential harm involved in reading such frightening tomes.

Even Lewis Grassic Gibbon’s supposed classic, Sunset Song, has shockingly been revealed to contain “content which may be of concern to students”.

And the least said about The Cheviot, the Stag and the Black, Black Oil by John McGrath, the best.

Apparently the thousands who read the book and watched the stage play of this Scottish masterpiece were either comatose or in deep denial as to its hidden hazards.

It might be acceptable for a very brief peek at such menacing works of literature if these young folk were ensconced in a place dedicated to free thought and expression, where rigorous intellectual assessment and discussion was its core aim.

But we surely shouldn’t expect that youngsters cloistered amid the groves of a university should be exposed to dodgy works by world renowned authors.

As a note to students from one tutor said: “If you feel it is in your best interests to avoid participating in discussion of a particular topic, you may do so at your discretion and without judgment.”

That paragraph sounds like an opt out for life.

Peter Pan trigger warning is poor preparation for life

When I was Rector at Dundee University a student complained that I had retweeted something by the MP and noted King’s Counsel Joanna Cherry.

I hadn’t made any comment about the contents of her tweet. I was merely interested to gauge others thoughts on it.

Jim Spence, in rector robes, raising a pint of Guinness at a table with Dundee University students.
Jim was welcomed as Dundee University rector in September 2019.

That a student at a place of learning and inquiry should be so narrow minded as to object to someone seeking to further their knowledge of any issue was deeply depressing.

Once in the real world students will find that avoiding participation and discussion isn’t an option.

Difficult decisions and hard choices will abound.

Failing to equip students for the natural vicissitudes of life is doing them a huge disservice.

And anyone trying to thwart their experiences of dealing with and tackling contentious issues is actually doing them real harm.

Conversation