Snowflake

A snowflake is a person who is easily offended, too emotionally vulnerable to deal with challenging views, and non-resilient compared to others, as well as someone who is hypersensitive to insult or offense, especially a young person on the Left who embraces political correctness and the sensibilities connected to it. It is meant to be derogatory and comes from the fragility of a snowflake that easily melts when coming in contact with an object.

That’s the stunning announcement from insurance firm Aviva, who found that 72 percent of millennials (those between 16-24) think the term “snowflake” is unfairly applied and 74 percent said it could have a “negative impact” on their mental health. Shockingly, the survey also uncovered that the “snowflake generation” also experiences higher levels of anxiety, stress and mental health issues.

The study is just of young people in the UK, but there’s not reason that British snowflakes would be any different from American snowflakes. The Telegraph reports:

The figures also show that young people are more likely to have experienced stress, anxiety and depression in the last year.

Almost half of adults between 16 and 24 said they had experienced stress or anxiety, compared to just over a third of all UK adults.

Young adults were also more likely to be uncomfortable talking about a mental health problem, with one in three saying this compared to 27 per cent of all adults.

13 per cent also said they were experiencing a problem but had not sought help, compared to seven per cent of all adults.

The phrase – which many believe originated with the 1999 film “Fight Club” refers to college-age young people who are “triggered” by potentially distressing material and demand “safe spaces” so they can be free from unsavory opinions or ideas. The film contains the line: “You are not special. You are not a beautiful and unique snowflake.”

Generation Snowflake was created by over-protecting people when they were children and the emphasis on self-esteem in childhood resulted in adults “tiptoeing around children’s sensitivities” to avoid “damaging their wellbeing.”