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Snowflake urban dictionary1/27/2024 ![]() ![]() "People have always relied on some form of social media, be it just gossip and chatter or sticking up posters to trees to get a message across," she said. ![]() The most defining aspect of the millennial generation, she said, is social media, and how it has shaped the generation's communication by expanding its reach. "The same can be done with 'snowflake' - it's about encouraging discussion and debate about what it means, what it's tapping into, and whether people can reclaim 'snowflake' in a way the way that queer has been reclaimed to make it empowering." "I work a lot with LGBT communities and one of the issues that is raised there is, what is the correct term? Is it queer, is it LGBT, or is it LGBTQ? "It's really difficult," Prof Graham Davies admitted. Just as important, she said, is people learning about which terms are now considered inappropriate and which ones can now be used freely. She said it's time for millennials to reclaim 'snowflake': "Terms like queer, for instance, for a long time was a label that was used in a derogatory way, but the queer movement has now embraced that meaning and changed it as a way to empower that community." "This is a youth group that is coming out and demanding rights and being active on social change - particularly young women such as Malala who are really standing up to the systems that they see as quite corrupt and not benefitting future generations." "For the vast majority of millennials, they have a great amount of courage and a great amount of compassion and passion, and we see that across the globe," she said. When asked if millennials have an inflated view of themselves and if we're living in an age where everything is too politically correct, Prof Graham Davies said, "I don't think so." Wikipedia defines it as a term used to characterise the millennial generation as being "more prone to taking offence" and having "less psychological resilience". The dictionary website explained how the word 'snowflake' has since developed a new use as a "disparaging term for a person who is seen as overly sensitive and fragile". You are the same decaying organic matter as everyone, and we are all part of the same compost pile."īut online dictionary Merriam-Webster says the insult existed long before then, going back to the 1860s when a 'snowflake' was used to describe someone who opposed the abolition of slavery, and favoured white people. Mr Palahniuk wrote in the book: "You are not a beautiful and unique snowflake. Where the term originated is debated, with some saying it goes back to the 1860s, while most people today will recognise it as the alt right's favourite insult to flog at liberals, particularly in light of Brexit and the 2016 US presidential election.Īuthor Chuck Palahniuk told the Evening Standard in 2017 that he first used the term 'snowflake' as an insult in his 1996 book Fight Club, later made into the 1999 film starring Brad Pitt and Edward Norton. Sean Plunket slams 'snowflake' youth consumed by 'self-entitlement'.Term 'womxn' used by London students to promote inclusiveness.Feminism's final frontier: The battle for transgender inclusion. ![]() "It's a really smart strategy of people to take terms like 'snowflake' and say, 'Yes, we can be very privileged and we are unique and we have developed in our own way, but we're going to use that as a way to fight for better social good'." It's time for millennials to reclaim the word 'snowflake' - a term that's come to define a generation often perceived as having an easy and fragile existence, an expert says.ĭr Sharyn Graham Davies, Associate Professor of Social Sciences and Public Policy at Auckland University of Technology, says terms used derogatively can be reclaimed and empowered in a socially progressive way. Is it all PC gone mad? And who, exactly, are the snowflakes? Join the conversation - #AgeofOutrageNZ on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The Age of Outrage is a new series from Newshub exploring the changes taking place in society right now. Social media is full of outrage – from those who don't accept the status quo, and from those who won't accept change. What was acceptable only a few short years ago is now labelled offensive. ![]()
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