What does ‘snowflake’ mean?
Do you keep hearing the word "snowflake" being thrown around to describe today's particularly wet crop of young people?
Well, here's everything you need to know about the term - including where it came from and who it applies to.
What does 'snowflake' mean?
Other than frozen rain, a "snowflake" is a soft, whiny and overly sensitive person who thinks the world revolves around them.
Snowflakes throw tantrums when things don't go their way, and often act like children - despite the fact that they are actually fully-grown adults.
The insult comes from the phrase "special snowflake", meaning somebody who is entitled, self-obsessed and easily offended, or unable to deal with opposing opinions.
Hardcore remoaners could be given as prime examples of snowflakes, alongside today's generation of sensitive uni students.
Who is part of Generation Snowflake?
Generation Snowflake is a put-down used to describe the current generation of sensitive snowflakes.
Collins dictionary describes Generation Snowflake as: "the generation of people who became adults in the 2010s, viewed as being less resilient and more prone to taking offence than previous generations."
Aged in their late teens and early twenties, this generation mostly embraced their snowflake ways while they were at university.
Today, many of these unis are hostile to free speech and rammed full of soft students who can't stand to come across any ideas they don't agree with.
This is made worse by entitled members of Generation Snowflake making it trendy to hang out in "safe spaces" - areas where people can't really disagree with or challenge your ideas.
Meanwhile, other ways Generation Snowflake is leaving its mark on the world is by introducing "trigger warnings" and "no platforming" to suffocate free expression.
What are the origins of the insult?
The insult "snowflake" first became popular after the release of classic 1996 film Fight Club.
One of the flick's prominent lines, "You are not special. You are not a beautiful and unique snowflake," clearly struck a chord and the phrase took off.
Meanwhile, the use of "Generation Snowflake" is often traced back to Claire Fox, a top British pundit who runs the Institute of Ideas think tank.
In her book, I Find That Offensive, Claire slams the "screaming" and "hysterical" reactions of uni students to ideas they don't agree with and brands them "Generation Snowflake" as a result.
Article Source: https://www.thesun.co.uk/fabulous/5115128/origins-meaning-generation-snowflake/
Image Source: https://starrynews.files.wordpress.com/2015/12/toddlers.jpg?w=500
VOCABULARY WORDS:
1. Whiny (adj.) ~ having a complaining tone
2. Entitled (adj.) ~ believing oneself to be inherently deserving of privileges or special treatment
3. Put-down (n.) ~ a remark intended to humiliate or criticize someone
4. Hostile (adj.) ~ unfriendly antagonistic
5. Resilient (adj.) ~ (of a person or animal) able to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions
6. Pundit (n.) ~ an expert in a particular subject or field who is frequently called on to give opinions about it to the public
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION:
1. What is 'generation snowflake'?
2. Do you think that people these days are easily offended about anything? Explain your opinion.
3. Do you think that 'politically-correct' expressions are really necessary? Discuss your answer?
4. How do you avoid offending the people around you?
