Snowflakery...

[PunkBillCarson]

Snowflakes are on the liberal side AND the conservative side. Neither side can really talk about anyone being a snowflake since they both have their fair share of them. What's funny to me is how Conservatives are the ones who coin that term the most, but God fucking forbid a guy peacefully protests on a football field by kneeling. He's not burning a flag, he's not looting stores, but fuck him for getting down on one knee. "NO MAWR EN-EFF-ELL!"

 

[Flappydoodle]

It was apt at first, but it's one of those phrases that's just about lost it's meaning; not unlike 'nazi' or 'racist'.
Now it seems to be used as an insult toward anyone that tends to lean more towards politically correct territory, but that isn't really accurate 9.5 times out of 10. Someone who should be called a 'special snowflake' is the type of person that thinks that they're oh-so-unique and special, like the saying that every individual flake of snow is structurally unique. For a huge majority of those accused of being such a person, this is just totally incorrect. Most of them aren't anything special and don't believe themselves to be; they just hold some of the same politics as those that do.

God, you know, I am one toxic asshole, but even I detest how obsessed our culture is currently with insulting each other. For fuck's sake, at least do it right.

The first time I heard the term, it was referring to exactly what you describe - people who (usually mistakenly) think they're special.

That said, the alternative use is quite funny because I do observe that people are much more easily offended nowadays. I think the Internet has exacerbated that.

 

[KnightBrolaire]

that video was utter dogshit, just like most stuff that fox or cnn talks about anymore.
The way I heard snowflake used over the last few years was basically a way to insult millenial liberals, because they grew up in a timeframe where everyone is a winner, everyone is special, and they tend to come off as entitled, and naive/overly optimistic (like all the kids that voted for bernie because they don't understand that FREE COLLEGE would never actually be "free" in an economic sense).
The military does have therapy dogs for vets and combat arms soldiers, because it does help them de-stress and helps with anxiety. Same with the combat stress rooms, which are basically just rooms full of stuff like video games, tvs, etc where they send soldiers that have to take a break from patrols. The army in particular is very aware of the effects of stress on soldiers, which is why they've recently been trying so hard to minimize it. It's a similar thing in schools, throw kids into an unfamiliar situation, put them under pressure (whether self inflicted or otherwise), and see what happens. I knew some kids from high school that were honors students all through school and they lost their shit once they got into college. The same thing basically happened to me, and I ended up dropping out of college for a few years.
I don't get why Fox is trying to act like stoicism is somehow a better idea than people acknowledging and dealing with their stress in healthy ways.

 

[Ralyks]

I blame participation trophies.

 

[Strobe]

There is a common (although not universal tendency) towards ascribing one's own though patterns to other people. It is generally referred to as projection.

I think that perhaps that the folks who need their own news media sphere, their own safe social spaces/communities/universities/clubs, and even their own facts doth protest too much. Maybe the same people who are riding on a centuries long cultural and economic dominance are in fact persecuted, or maybe they are ironically the snowflakiest of special little snowflakes.

The whole terminology is people getting bad feelings at the negative social consequences of being an @$$hole, and then through the coping mechanism of projection (and without a hint of irony), lashing out at all who they think caused the bad feelings as snowflakes.

 

[Demiurge]

I blame participation trophies.

This is my favorite. I remember playing youth soccer and that every player on the non-champion team got the perfunctory 8" tall shit at the season-end dinner while the winners got the huge fuckers that probably had to be seatbelted-in for the ride home.

There were no illusions as to what was going on. Kids are better at understanding things better than they get credit for. The lesson wasn't, "Yay- everybody gets something!", it was "If you want the good shit, you have to win, asshole." It was almost more motivation.

 

[vilk]

Also, when have you ever seen someone display a participation trophy? I know that I got plenty in the parks department soccer (though ours were just ribbons. Only actual winners got trophies), but even kids would never be excited to show that off. It could only possibly matter to a child so young that they don't even fully understand the concept of competition. So like, what, four year olds?

 

[Ordacleaphobia]

Also, when have you ever seen someone display a participation trophy? I know that I got plenty in the parks department soccer (though ours were just ribbons. Only actual winners got trophies), but even kids would never be excited to show that off. It could only possibly matter to a child so young that they don't even fully understand the concept of competition. So like, what, four year olds?

Nah, I did swim team when I was like 6. I remember any 'participation' ribbons that got handed out just got chucked in a box somewhere.

 

[MaxOfMetal]

Also, when have you ever seen someone display a participation trophy?

 

[spudmunkey]

 

[Ralyks]

 

[PunkBillCarson]

Holy shit... @MaxOfMetal just stole the fucking thread....

 

[dr_game0ver]

HAHA! That 'll be funny if i knew who these peoples where... #French

 

[TedEH]

Also, when have you ever seen someone display a participation trophy?

Given that the implication was that we're talking about kids - most kids I know will take some amount of pride in just about any reward you give them that they can put on display. If it can be put on a shelf, they'll want it there, whether it means they came in 1st, or were just recognized for participating. That small amount of recognition is impactful to a child, IMO, for better or worse.

 

[thraxil]

HAHA! That 'll be funny if i knew who these peoples where... #French

Confederate war statues.

 

[Drew]

that video was utter dogshit, just like most stuff that fox or cnn talks about anymore.
The way I heard snowflake used over the last few years was basically a way to insult millenial liberals, because they grew up in a timeframe where everyone is a winner, everyone is special, and they tend to come off as entitled, and naive/overly optimistic (like all the kids that voted for bernie because they don't understand that FREE COLLEGE would never actually be "free" in an economic sense).
The military does have therapy dogs for vets and combat arms soldiers, because it does help them de-stress and helps with anxiety. Same with the combat stress rooms, which are basically just rooms full of stuff like video games, tvs, etc where they send soldiers that have to take a break from patrols. The army in particular is very aware of the effects of stress on soldiers, which is why they've recently been trying so hard to minimize it. It's a similar thing in schools, throw kids into an unfamiliar situation, put them under pressure (whether self inflicted or otherwise), and see what happens. I knew some kids from high school that were honors students all through school and they lost their shit once they got into college. The same thing basically happened to me, and I ended up dropping out of college for a few years.
I don't get why Fox is trying to act like stoicism is somehow a better idea than people acknowledging and dealing with their stress in healthy ways.

Excellent, excellent post.

 

[G_3_3_k_]

that video was utter dogshit, just like most stuff that fox or cnn talks about anymore.
The way I heard snowflake used over the last few years was basically a way to insult millenial liberals, because they grew up in a timeframe where everyone is a winner, everyone is special, and they tend to come off as entitled, and naive/overly optimistic (like all the kids that voted for bernie because they don't understand that FREE COLLEGE would never actually be "free" in an economic sense).
The military does have therapy dogs for vets and combat arms soldiers, because it does help them de-stress and helps with anxiety. Same with the combat stress rooms, which are basically just rooms full of stuff like video games, tvs, etc where they send soldiers that have to take a break from patrols. The army in particular is very aware of the effects of stress on soldiers, which is why they've recently been trying so hard to minimize it. It's a similar thing in schools, throw kids into an unfamiliar situation, put them under pressure (whether self inflicted or otherwise), and see what happens. I knew some kids from high school that were honors students all through school and they lost their shit once they got into college. The same thing basically happened to me, and I ended up dropping out of college for a few years.
I don't get why Fox is trying to act like stoicism is somehow a better idea than people acknowledging and dealing with their stress in healthy ways.

Gotta perpetuate cultural toxicity or deal with actually seeing what is wrong with the perspective. Easier to lead people by telling them their shitty behavior is completely fine and those other people are assholes. This happens on both sides. But the most glaringly obvious and in my opinion toxic examples happen on the Right.

I have not seen a more apropos and genuinely funny response in a LONG time. Thank you.

Given that the implication was that we're talking about kids - most kids I know will take some amount of pride in just about any reward you give them that they can put on display. If it can be put on a shelf, they'll want it there, whether it means they came in 1st, or were just recognized for participating. That small amount of recognition is impactful to a child, IMO, for better or worse.

You're right. Being a parent and knowing a little bit about how child develops and how the reward center in the brain works, people and especially children will respond and learn better from positive reinforcement of behavior than they will respond to feeling defeated. In other words, failure is a useful tool. But the lesson will often get overlooked if you can't put a positive spin on the situation highlighting what a person/child did right.

 

[MetalHex]

"NO MAWR EN-EFF-ELL!"

Well you just proved your own point. By mocking/stereotyping a conservative by using a "redneck spelling", that i know what your intention is by the spelling......that if you were to say it outloud, your mock voice would have a southern accent.

So you claimed that both sides are snowflakes, but chose only to make an example out of the conservative side.. Headscratcher emoji

I've no dog in this fight so to speak, I'm just making an observation

 

[Xaios]

Well you just proved your own point. By mocking/stereotyping a conservative by using a "redneck spelling", that i know what your intention is by the spelling......that if you were to say it outloud, your mock voice would have a southern accent.

So you claimed that both sides are snowflakes, but chose only to make an example out of the conservative side.. Headscratcher emoji

I've no dog in this fight so to speak, I'm just making an observation

I think you missed the plot, because his point wasn't solely that people are guilty on both sides, but also that people on the right tend to be more guilty of the snowflake-esque behavior that they so frequently deride than the people they're constantly lobbing accusations at, which is emblematic of the fact that many people on the right are perfectly fine with being massive hypocrites (e.g. puritanical evangelicals supporting a president who is an unrepentant and morally bankrupt letch) whenever it suits their agenda.

Man, I know I'm late to the party on this one, but fucking hell.

 

[MetalHex]

Maybe idk. I will wait until he answers though.