P.G. Sundling asked P.G. Sundling:

Why is there a warning on the chapter gallows?

P.G. Sundling The chapter "Gallows" from the novel The Internet President: None of the Above includes shocking history and shares an unconventional perspective on the immigration debate. There's a lot of satire in the book and I wanted to warn readers before laying down some uncomfortable truths that have a bit more gravity.

The following warning begins the chapter:

Warning: This chapter covers controversial topics: immigration and race relations. It recounts historical events and terminology that may be upsetting to some readers.

This is what's known as a trigger warning. It's probably unnecessary in the world of today and reduces some of the shock value of the chapter. However, I also see the world shifting toward affirmative consent, acknowledgment of microaggressions, and trigger warnings. The Me Too movement is the most recent example of this long-standing societal trend toward requiring greater respect to all members of society and deeper consideration of how our actions affect others.

What is acceptable behavior changes with societal perspectives. As a result, some books do not age well. I might be too far ahead of my time on this, but I expect trigger warnings will spread over time in books that include uncomfortable content. For example, legal disclaimers weren't always as common as they are today.

For those who want to inquire more about the content of "Gallows", read the books Driven Out and The Chinatown War from my "the-internet-president" bookshelf on Goodreads.

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