Boy, how far we have come.
According to a new survey, a significant amount of young people feel that being called a “snowflake” is damaging to their mental health. The study, which was conducted by the insurance firm Aviva, found that an astonishing 72 percent of young people between the ages of 16 and 24 feel the term “snowflake” is unfairly used to describe their generation. Additionally, 74 percent of respondents stated that being called a “snowflake” could be damaging to their mental health.
As you may or may not know, the word “snowflake” is often used to describe millennials who are over-sensitive and easily offended. For instance, when students at Southern Illinois University earlier this year complained to campus police that they were “scared” of a free speech inflatable ball being used as a prop by a group of conservative activists, those students would be considered “snowflakes.” They are the most sensitive Americans among us, and while they are allowed to be sensitive, the rest of us are allowed to call them snowflakes because, well, that’s what they are. (Related: Here is why precious college snowflakes will eliminate themselves from the human gene pool.)
According to Dr. Doug Wright, young people are more susceptible to mental health issues than older generations, and therefore the usage of the term “snowflake” may have more significant effects on them. “Our findings suggest that young adults are more likely to be experiencing mental health problems, so using a phrase which criticizes this age group could add to this issue,” he said. “Any term used disparagingly to a segment of the population is inherently negative.”
But while Dr. Wright seems to be implying that the burden is on the people using the term “snowflakes” to stop using it, one could just as easily argue that millennials need to rewire their brains and make an effort to change how they look at life. Instead of letting every little thing offend them, perhaps they should look in a mirror, say to themselves “sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me,” and then move on. (Related: The one message that all millennials need to hear: you are not special by default.)
It’s also worth our time to consider how so many millennials became so sensitive in the first place, especially considering how brave and courageous past generations have been. What exactly is responsible for this dramatic shift? Why do young people become so offended at things that, decades ago, they wouldn’t have even thought twice about?
Much of it has to do with the environment that America’s left-wing colleges and universities have created for millennials. Take the existence of safe spaces, for example, which now exist on the vast majority of campuses across the country and are designed to give young people a place to go when they feel hurt or offended. By providing millennials with safe spaces, school administrators are essentially shielding them from reality and encouraging them to run away from their problems rather than confronting them head-on.
The same can be said for the distribution of “participation trophies,” which teaches young people that they are winners no matter what. This sort of coddling has a severe effect on millennials’ sensitivity, and their lack of ability to handle confrontation ultimately causes them to become offended extremely easily.
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