Generation Snowflake
/A piece on Generation Snowflake
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‘Generation Snowflake’ is the term adopted for the new generation of young people, specifically those who are prone to take offence in discussion. It is argued that such young people lack the emotional resilience of previous generations in their tendency to get upset at having people disagree with them. Arguably, it is their heightened empathy for marginalized groups and awareness of the various types of oppression that exist in the world that form what is termed their ‘oversensitivity’. In a day and age where everyone has a say in the political process and every opinion matters any intelligent young person will realize that the more voices there are in favor of oppressive regimes, the less likely any real change will happen for the marginalized groups they champion and are often a part of themselves. And while many parts of society choose to judge these passionate young folk for oversensitivity, they simultaneously choose to forget that many of the freedoms we all enjoy have come from previous generations who fought for change in the same way.
The rise in mental health issues amongst millennials is another part of what has earned them the title of ‘The Snowflake Generation’. Yet years in the past, finding a steady job by which you could pay your bills and feed your family was a given. In the past you could do this with only a high school diploma/leaving cert (depending where exactly you are). These days can be difficult to achieve even with a degree. Academic fees have also skyrocketed, creating a paradox whereby young people need to find a job without qualifications to pay off the cost of the same qualifications or begin their working lives already in massive debt. The expression ‘selling your soul’ has never been so apt. With all this adversity that this new generation must traverse to find some semblance of a good living, it is little wonder that so many suffer from depression and/or anxiety. Indeed the constant commodification of the workforce with only mind numbing entertainment or equally mindless consumerism as an escape equates to what can only be termed a widespread spiritual death of the masses. The human spirit will of course suffer in an age of egocentrism and materialism and, regretfully, most of the time the answer is medication to numb the spiritual agony out and allow individuals to just push on. The ‘mental illness’ label is often used as nothing more than a way to push aside an unpleasant truth, that the human spirit is crushed by collective servitude to the gods of money and material accumulation.
A gender or sexual identity for all the colours of the rainbow is another hallmark of the generation termed ‘Special Snowflakes’. In an age where traditional gay and lesbian couples still face social stigma and bisexuality is largely considered a myth, the multitude of new sexual orientations and genders of the the Tumblr generation are still met with considerable scorn from most quarters. The desire in the youth of today to celebrate such colourful diversity and make a space for it in colleges and workplaces is met with resistance and even openly mocked. In an age where the sacrifice of the authentic self is the norm, and one often taken for granted, any attempt to express such is seen as frivolous by those who still suppress their own authenticity in favour of material gain or social acceptance.
The call for extra support for young people struggling with mental health issues and disorders such as Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Anxiety Disorder or Bipolar Disorder also earns young people the title of ‘Special Snowflake’. It is argued that when such diagnoses were not even recognized in the past the young people who speak out about them and look for extra help dealing with them are displaying a lack of resilience, when really reaching out is a sign of great personal strength. There is certainly no sense in wasting the talents and potential of young people simply because they face some extra hurdles. It is a worthwhile investment to support youth who have such difficulties, as they will then be enabled to go on and make valuable contributions to society as a whole. Studies have linked mental health issues to high intelligence and individuals who are high functioning on the Autistic Spectrum have proven to have special aptitude for whatever field they apply themselves, yet accusations of the same young people looking for support to put their talents to use only results in them being accused of emotional weakness. Intelligent young people will be the ones all too aware of the hurdles they face. This can certainly bring on a high degree of anxiety and/or distress at potential failure, but if given extra support they will utilize these supports to the best of their abilities and go on to perform admirably well in whatever area they choose to pursue.
To conclude, I would argue that given all the adversity that the youth of today face, they are not at all less emotionally resilient than previous generations but in fact in many ways are more so. To withstand the immense social and financial pressures that they do, and to still reach out for support even though it brings on social judgment and still stay passionate about their causes is a type of inner strength and alacrity that can only be admired.
By C.M.C Martin
From: Ireland
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