Conservative Speaker at Oberlin Triggers Debate About feminist ‘Trigger Warnings’

As a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, Christina Hoff Sommers doesn’t appear terribly menacing, but her speech Monday night at Oberlin College had the campus on high alert.

The Ohio liberal arts college was abuzz with “trigger warnings,” intended to caution attendees that Ms. Sommers‘ lecture — or even her presence on campus — could be traumatizing. Just in case, students created a “safe space” for people to gather during and after her talk.

Most conservative speakers who show up at colleges risk getting shouted down or disinvited, but those like Ms. Sommers who run afoul of campus feminists can also expect to be accused of being a “trigger,” someone whose views make students “feel unsafe.”

What makes Ms. Sommers so threatening to students is that she challenges the “rape culture” narrative on campuses, including the oft-repeated statistic that 1 in 5 college women has been sexually assaulted.

Ms. Sommers, who was invited by Oberlin College Republicans and Libertarians, says the figure is more like 1 in 40 — which she says is still too high — and warns that the panic is leading to false accusations.

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[Editor's "Trigger Warning": This article may cause breathing difficulty in individuals susceptible to hysterical laughter. Just thought we'd warn you.. :-)