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Generation Snowflake, or Snowflake Generation, is a term used to characterise young adults of the mid-2010s as being more prone to taking offence and less resilient than previous generations, or too emotionally vulnerable to cope with views that challenge their own. It is usually considered derogatory.[1][2] Some sources attribute the characteristics ascribed to Generation Snowflake to methods of parenting and education, particularly those that focus unduly on boosting self-esteem.
Background
"Snowflake" has been used to make reference to parents reportedly raising their children as "special" and "precious" snowflakes.[3][4] It has been suggested that this usage of "snowflake" originates from Chuck Palahniuk's 1996 novel Fight Club, which became a hit film in 1999. Both the novel and the film include the line "You are not special. You are not a beautiful and unique snowflake."[5][6]
The term "Generation Snowflake", or its variant "Snowflake Generation" may have originated in the United States.[4] It became more prominent in the United Kingdom from early 2016,[5] when Claire Fox, founder of the think tank the Institute of Ideas, wrote about a confrontation between Yale University students and faculty Head of College, Nicholas Christakis.[7][8] The confrontation arose after Christakis' wife, Erika Christakis, a lecturer at the university, had suggested students should "relax a bit rather than labeling fancy dress Halloween costumes as culturally insensitive," according to Fox.[7] Fox described the video showing the students' reaction as a "screaming, almost hysterical mob of students".[7] Fox said the backlash to the viral video led to the disparaging moniker "generation snowflake" for the students.[7]
The term "snowflake generation" was one of Collins Dictionary's 2016 words; it defines the term as "the young adults of the 2010s, viewed as being less resilient and more prone to taking offence than previous generations".[9] Similarly, in 2016 the Financial Times included "snowflake" in their annual Year in a Word list, defining it as "A derogatory term for someone deemed too emotionally vulnerable to cope with views that challenge their own, particularly in universities and other forums once known for robust debate" and noting that the insult had been aimed at an entire generation.[2]
References
- ^ "snowflake generation". Collins English Dictionary. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
- ^ a b Green, Miranda (21 December 2016). "Year in a Word: Snowflake". Financial Times. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
- ^ North, Anna (25 July 2014). "Are Trophies Really So Bad?". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
- ^ a b Rumbelow, Helen (8 November 2016). "Welcome to the sensitive Snowflake Generation: They're mocked as too delicate, but are they just misunderstood?". The Times. London. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|subscription=ignored (|url-access=suggested) (help) - ^ a b Nicholson, Rebecca (28 November 2016). "'Poor little snowflake': the defining insult of 2016". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
- ^ Yagoda, Ben (4 December 2016). "Who You Calling 'Snowflake'?". Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved 25 December 2016.
- ^ a b c d Fox, Claire (2016). 'I Find That Offensive!'. London: Biteback Publishing. ISBN 978-1-849-54981-3.
- ^ Fox, Claire (4 June 2016). "Generation Snowflake: how we train our kids to be censorious cry-babies". The Spectator. London. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
- ^ "Top 10 Collins Words of the Year 2016". Collins English Dictionary. 3 November 2016. Retrieved 18 November 2016.