Putting trigger warnings on George Orwell's 1984 is the most stupid, 1984ish thing ever
What, after all, could be more of a validation, a rubber-stamping, and an 'I told you so' – delivered through a megaphone – than a thoughtcrime conviction for a futuristic cautionary tale… about thoughtcrimes, published 76 years ago?
In the introductory essay featured in the new 75th anniversary edition, US novelist Dolen Perkins-Valdez describes the book's protagonist, Winston Smith, as 'problematic'. So much so that it may once have led to her abandoning the book, she admits. Warning modern readers that they may find his views on women 'despicable', she writes: 'For example, we learn of him, 'He disliked nearly all women, and especially the young and pretty ones.'' Whoa, wait a minute, Orwell.
There's so much to unpack here. First, that with everything currently going on in the world – you know, the rise of modern totalitarianism, technology spying on us and all that – Winston Smith's view of women should be the main area of focus. Second, that word 'problematic', which almost always precedes something cretinous, but in this context was genuinely baffling.
Name one successful novel, TV show or film that doesn't feature a 'problematic' character, and I will show you something I have no interest in reading or watching. Do you know anybody who enjoys reading about nice, blameless people going about their nice, blameless lives? I don't.
Also, by all means, find Smith's views of women despicable – when you start reading the book, but not before. If and when you are appalled by his behaviour, let that not be off-putting, but a jumping-off point for meaty discussions; an opening up of your mind to human complexities.
Someone who has been eloquent on this subject is the British Museum's brilliant new director, Nicholas Cullinan. Asked recently whether he agreed with the idea of trigger warnings and apologies on museum labels, Cullinan replied: 'Labels should be accurate, not partisan or political or conforming to a contemporary fad.'
For me, the most extraordinary aspect of trigger warnings has always been their pomposity: the implicit conviction that in 2025, our view is not only more enlightened than any view that came before, but the final word on the subject. Unlike Orwell's, I suspect that those words will look embarrassingly outdated in just a couple of years.
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