Triggering trauma

I read with some sorrow the Nov. 6 article about the impact of Halloweeen decorations on many people in Windsor. Both points of view and experiences are true: that “the decorations were ghouls and that no racist intent was meant” and that they were “sickening and upsetting” and evoked both the image and the terror of lynchings.

Several neighbours pass by these regularly and are deeply upset. I suggest that a kind and human response would be to take them down.

As a psychiatrist, I have heard from several youth and their families over the years that Halloween is a very difficult holiday: the hanging effigies and ghouls trigger painful memories of the suicides of their loved ones, especially those who died through hanging.

Would you take down your decorations if a neighbour knocked on your door and shared this grief and anxiety with you? I would encourage people who wish to argue about intent to consider: would it matter if you were not responsible for the death? The trauma of murders and violence motivated by racism, homophobia and transphobia is just as real, and experienced by several groups in our society both collectively, generationally and personally.

A harmless intent and not meaning to offend are not satisfactory reasons to not consider the point of view of others, and to not make a change when an act causes harm. We must accept this need and care for one another. Who else can do it?

Dr. Sue Zinck, Halifax