The Generation Of Snowflakes

The generation of snowflakes is the name given to the millennials by the older generation. Millennials are those who reached  adulthood between 2000 and 2020. “Snowflakes” is a word used to describe this generation’s seeming “fugitiveness” or “fickleness”.

According to the media, the snowflake generation differs from everyone else because of its emotional instability, fragility and minimal resistance.

First, the word “snowflake” should refer to the originality of this generation. After all, every snowflake is unique! However, some people can only think that this generation is  too protected in their youth, according to them.

Where does the word “snowflake” come from?

Between 2000 and 2020, an entire generation reaches adulthood. This is where the term “millennial” comes from, inspired by the word “millennium” (1,000 years). These people grew up during the rapid development of new technologies and are basically digital natives.

Chuck Palagniuk, the author of  Fight Club, first  used the term for his book. With this it said the following: “Nobody is special, nobody is a snowflake.”

Chuck Palahniuk also defined the snowflake generation as a new Victorian generation. He said that the people who belong to this generation are easily offended. While according to him every generation feels offended by certain things, this generation feels offended by  everything .

What is so special about millennials, or the snowflake generation?

Many of those who belong to the millennial generation seem to feel excessively unique. Older generations therefore see them as fickle, sensitive and overly politically correct. 

Critics also see them as a generation eager to confront them. This would be because according to some they can not take criticism. That would be especially true if it was a deliberate attack on their mindset.

Yet half of this future workforce also has some advantages and virtues compared to other generations. As we mentioned above, this generation is made up of digital natives. That means that these people know a lot about technology and can learn new things quickly.

Thanks to their impatience, millennials also often find ways to solve problems quickly. This allows them to adapt more quickly to change. This is of course very useful because the work world needs people who can adapt to everything.

The snowflake generation also has unique problems that the rest of the generations have often ignored. Think of how older generations make fun of the fact that they experience anxiety when they face a new challenge. This was previously unprecedented in society or the business world.

The real problem

Are millennials really that unique or do they live in a society that is not ready for them? Until half a century ago, computers, smartphones, tablets and other advanced technologies did not exist.

For millennials, these inventions are part of most of their lives. The other generations struggle to understand this. Nor do they understand how growing up with technology can affect one’s mental development.

For example, it is understandable that someone accustomed to contemporary communication may not see the point of writing a letter. We cannot just let go of natural processes.

However, we can learn to tolerate other ways of seeing the world. While this generation is often accused of intolerance, it  is ultimately the media that magnifies the negative parts of this generation.