Here I am, I’m finally doing it. I’m finally looking up the word ‘Snowflake’. Sure, I sort of understand when people like Tomi Lauren refer to people as snowflake, she means sensitive or something demeaning and discouraging, but I really wanted to get to the bottom of the word and try to understand her perspective on things.

snowflake

noun

1. A flake of snow, especially feathery ice crystal, typically displaying delicate six-fold symmetry.

2. A white-flowered Eurasian plant related to and resembling the snowdrop.

Okay…so snow. Just as I already knew. So, I went further. Wikipedia (a long-trusted source, as I’m sure you all know), refers to the term as ‘neologistic’. It goes on to say that this term is used to refer to young adults as being more prone to taking offense and less resilient than previous generations. Also, it states that those who fall under this term are too emotionally vulnerable to cope with views that challenge their own.

A deeper search revealed that the term was also used in the early 1860’s and it’s meaning was very much swapped from what it is now. The term referred to a person who was against the abolition of slavery – meaning those who valued white over black. However, looking at it today, it’s reversed. Those who drive around country roads with a Confederate flag in the back of their pick-up are more likely to be calling someone a snowflake rather than being one. I think it’s safe to say people like Tomi just grabbed the first word they could think of to create a new insult, because the world needs a little more hate in it, don’t you think?

Oh, and let’s not forget the first usage of the term since the 60’s in Fight Club. It’s highly ironic that steadfast conservatives brought this term back into use, not realizing that it was popularized initially by an openly gay author who wrote about shocking and debauched sexual experiences. Well, the humor doesn’t get past me. At least I found something to laugh about during my search.

It’s easy to identify the strategy of people like Tomi Lauren and Ben Garrison as an ad hominin attack. No back, no structure, just simple and plain attacks in lieu of actually creating a well-though out and intelligent rebuttal. “You’re too emotional, so therefore your argument is invalid”. Exactly, it doesn’t make any sense when put into context.

Let’s take a brief intermission and look at the score board. Protesting Donald Trump’s election? Snowflake. Moving to take down a statue of a racist on your college campus? Snowflake.

The word was brought more into the spotlight as articles began being written and it even appeared in Claire Fox’s book, I Find That Offensive. Her words seem to give off the impression that us ‘snowflakes’ or ‘whingers’ – as she later refers to it – are attention seekers demonstrating the closing down of free speech. She was visiting a school in Hertfordshire where her presence was not anticipated by the students, to which she said, “They were giving a literal demonstration of my very speech”. Fox clearly states the we must hear views that contrast ours in order to learn how to tackle them.

I’m sorry. I need to take a break, go for a sprint, smash my laptop on this coffee table.

Snowflakes are deemed “too emotional” and “easily offended”. Let’s look at the scoreboard again folks. So, snowflakes were the ones who looked at the protests and the people standing up for what they believed in and using their right for free speech and called them snowflakes? Snowflakes started a rally, holding torches and yelling racists slurs because they were ‘offended’ by the motion to remove a statue of General Lee? Oh no, my bad. Both of those were the racist, neo-Nazis too “emotionally vulnerable” to handle the fact that a statue representing years and years of slavery might be taken down. The snowflakes were the University students, standing in their path, no torches in their hands. The snowflakes were the one white woman and the one black women holding hands before the white supremacists, displaying the future they wanted. A future that doesn’t include hate and violence. The snowflakes were the peaceful counter-protestors who were attacked by a car in Charlottesville. But hey, that’s just us snowflakes being too sensitive again, right? Too thin-skinned. Since when did we become immune to murder? Since when did such violence and pure hatred become something we should just ‘get used to’ and ‘stop being so weak and emotional’ over.

I actually have an answer. When you have someone holding the highest title in the country who emboldens this type of behavior and displays the same kind of power hungry supremacy. Someone who makes it ok for people to bring their hate to the public and harm others. We are in a dangerous time. We are in the past. We thought we’d moved so far ahead of times of slavery and oppression and yet here we find ourselves, back the dark ages.

After this horrible display of hate and inhumanity in Charlottesville, the President of the United States tweeted, “Condolences to the family of the young woman killed toady, and best regards to all of those injured, in Charlottesville, Virginia. So Sad!” Yes, Mr. president, it is very sad. But aren't you the same man who said to 'rough people up' during arrests. I believe your exact words were, "Please, don't be too nice." He, of course, claimed to be joking, but when it comes to this country and our future as humanity, i don't want somebody joking about it. I want them to do something about it - not encourage it.

I don’t know about you, but this is not the man I want leading us. This is not the world I want to live in. One which puts ‘us’ against ‘them’. One who lives in the past, defending violent and offensive behavior with ‘protecting our history’. One where being offended and enraged over murder makes us ‘too sensitive’ and ‘too emotionally vulnerable’.

That man, the man who empowers and cheers on those white supremacists, is not my leader. My leader died so that I could live and love and so that’s what I’m going to do. I’ll follow my God’s lead and spread love and joy and hope, because right now there isn’t much of that. If you have this hatred in your heart, this desire to break others down for their skin color or sexual preference than you have another thing coming. I’m not sure where this came from or why you feel justified to spread hate, but when all you’re used to is privilege, equality feels like discrimination. And let me key you into the end of this fight. My God has already won this war and spoiler alert, you lose. Hatred will never win, no matter how much you claw and scratch. No matter how much you try and put your worth above others. And no matter how much you feel that you deserve more than anybody else in this world. I do not stand with you, not with that blackness in your heart.

I’ll end this spiel with a quote from a great man:

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” – Martin Luther King Jr.