There is a lot of name calling going around. Snowflake, entitled, thin-skinned, hypersensitive, and I am sure you can think of a half a dozen more. The point is, we are calling people out for not liking what we say. For thinking that everything someone says that doesn’t fall inline with our thinking is offensive and should be banned.
Is it really snowflake thinking to not want people to disrespect us or is it that we finally learned a little self-respect? Definition of self–respect. 1 : a proper respect for oneself as a human being. 2 : regard for one’s own standing or position. Snowflake is a 2010s derogatory slang term for a person, implying that they have an inflated sense of uniqueness, an unwarranted sense of entitlement, or are over-emotional, easily offended, and unable to deal with opposing opinions.
Let’s take a look at one opposing opinion I have. War of Christianity. Fox News and their anchors trot out the “War on Christmas” every year and talk about how this group and that one are taking away the rights of Christians in this nation I am hard pressed to see it. While there are atheist groups that have partitioned the courts to remove nativity scenes from local courthouses during the holiday season or protested the removal of “Under God” from the Pledge of Allegiance; neither of these examples keeps someone from supporting or still believing in their faith. What it does is reminds them that their view isn’t the only one and therefore can’t or shouldn’t be imposed on others. Are the atheist snowflakes or have they found respect for their own standing and position in the nation? Are the Christians the snowflakes or do they have the same regard for their standing? The answer depends on where you stand. If you are a Christian you think that the atheist are overly emotional and unable to deal with God and their path to heaven. While the atheist are going to feel that the Christians are overly emotional and unable to deal with the fact that they don’t share the same viewpoint on belief as the Christians.
Here is another one to think about; The #MeToo Movement. There are those that say that “boys will be boys” that there is no harm in catcalling a woman because it wasn’t like they touched her or that now a man can’t even flirt with a woman. While there are those that say that people shouldn’t force themselves on others or make rude/crude comments to or about the opposite gender. Do the “boys will be boys” folks have an unwarranted sense of entitlement that they can say what they want when they want or are the #MeToo folks overly sensitive to having persons in their personal space saying rude things to them? My opinion on the #MeToo Movement is that women and men who have been sexually harassed or harmed have found respect for themselves and decided that being a doormat was working for them anymore. While those that say “boys will be boys” are unaware of what the movement was really about and were overly emotional about a viewpoint they didn’t see as a problem with.
Let’s go with one more example of a topic that folks are freaking out about; President of the United States of America, Donald J. Trump. There are those that say that Trump is the worse president in history while there are others that say he is the best. Again, it all depends on where you are standing. Those that like Trump call those that don’t like him snowflakes or entitled punks, because they disagree with his viewpoints on a number of topics. However, those that dislike Trump are calling those that like him bigots, which is similar to a snowflake…A bigot is a prejudiced person who is intolerant of any opinions differing from their own.
Let’s take a look at a few of the issues around the President that have produced name calling. Trump has said that illegal immigrates are rapist and murders, bring in drugs and committing violent crimes. But the opposition has found and brought forth evidence that the majority of illegals are not crossing the border as much as overstaying their visas, that the majority of mass murders and violent crimes in the country have been committed by citizens. The followers of Trump scream “Snowflake get out those this country”. Naming calling because they don’t agree with the oppositions viewpoint.
Trump has said that he is drawn to beautiful women and that he starts kissing them without asking first. The opposition has voiced their opinion that consent should be given before someone forces themselves of another. Trump bandwagon screams “he can grab my pussy anytime”. Again, naming calling because they don’t agree with the oppositions viewpoint.
Name calling is a schoolyard bully tactic because their brains are not fully matured and they have not yet learned abstract or concrete thinking (i.e. consequences of their actions, empathy). As our nation ages (remember we are only 245 years old and in nation terms we are toddlers), I believe that people are finding their self-respect, that they are learning and believing that they are equal to others and that their views and opinions should also be heard.
So the next time you think about calling someone a snowflake ask yourself… am I being intolerant of others opinions that differ from my own? Am I respecting the opinions and thoughts of others in the same way that I want them to do for mine?
You are already home 