"Not My Problem" Isn't Always Part of the Solution

Just a Girl of Don't Ask Me- I'm Just A Girl, a former model, raises some pretty interesting questions. (All emphasis hers.)

I think the how can we reconcile what we like doing with the risk of harming others? discussion is one that needs to be had within the fetish and bondage photography community.

How can one “responsibly” create and display content that is potentially triggering and/or disturbing to sexual assault survivors (and sometimes other folks, too)? Do people who create this kind of content have an obligation to be extra sensitive to the needs of sexual assault survivors?

There’s not a discussion being had that I know of.

There seems to be a lot of Not my problem! and It’s freedom of expression/speech! comments being thrown about whenever it’s brought up.
Read the excerpt in context here.

One of these days I've got to write about triggering, especially given the shooting at my family's church last week, but for now I'd just like to say that yeah, it seems like there are a lot of areas where people fly the (perfectly valid, often even perfectly legal!) "not my problem" flag. It's technically true that BDSM practitioners have no responsibility for 3rd parties who's childhood abuse issues are triggered. It's technically legal that animal testers have no responsibility for any, say, anti-vivisectionists who's issues are triggered. It's technically not Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly, or some Knoxville gun dealer's responsibility that they gave Jim Adkisson the means and motivation to shotgun a bunch of people watching children perform songs from Annie. And I'm perfectly serious, they're under no obligation to do anything about anyone else's problem. They're *really not!*

Whether they're *smart* to leave it at "I have every right..." is a different question.

But here's the deal, and why I think JaGirl asking is different from, say, me asking it: I wouldn't be anchored by *my* right because in her instance I'm neither a fetish/bondage model or photographer.

I feel comfortable raising this issue because there are related areas where *I* benefit from the umbrella of rights to, say, be my own model *and* photographer... while, of course, there are other areas (ahem Knoxville-area gun dealers) where "Not my problem" probably isn't the most diplomatic course of action even if it is well within their legal rights. (And, obviously, no, I'm not equating fetish photography with gun dealers, instead I'm equating culture subject to repeated calls for restriction or elimination with culture subject to repeated calls for restriction or elimination.)