Snowflakes and such.

So the current trend is to refer to our youth and our more sensitively tuned citizens "snowflakes".

I do understand why.  There is a sense that they are all individual voices (read:  not united, therefore not a force to be concerned about), who are offended at the changing of the shade of the sun and will run and hide and cry at the drop of a hat.

Is it a feminism thing?  Is that it?  I mean - I thought I had it understood, but let me poke this idea with a stick and see where I imagine the thread going.

People are most often called snowflakes, well recently anyway, when dealing with "lady" topics.  Not that it plays even a remote role in my own thoughts, but I am from "The South" and I did, in fact, grow up in "the Church".  So I can understand the divisions and distinctions that have been illustrated regarding the choice of abortion in particular.  Their reactions, in particular, are fairly vitriolic to any opposition.  It's a polarizing topic, for sure.

Me?  Hrm.  I don't see where my opinion matters.  Here's why:  I'm male.   I'm single.   I have a son, therefore my paternal ego/instincts are fulfilled - He's straight, he's my heir.  I've fulfilled my purpose in life.  I don't see myself ever pairing with someone for the purpose of procreation again, so I have no distinct need or desire to ensure my future children are given a chance.  Also, if I ever have a relationship with someone that reaches that point, and we do end up with a pregnancy, I really don't have an opinion.  I mean, would I like another kid?  Absolutely.  Kids are badass.  Do I need one?  Not really.

So - in closing on this point - my opinion is that it should be her choice, with his input.  What am I saying?  Sure, I'll clarify.  I'm pro-choice.  In situations of incest or rape or the mother's safety - I'm all for it.  In cases of an unwanted pregnancy - I have no issue with it, although I'd like to simply say that I'd love to hear about potential fathers getting a say - which I know is kind of stupid to even bring up, but many of my female associates/colleges/past lovers/ex-wives have had an abortion without ever mentioning it to the father.  I'm not offended, so much as disturbed by this.  It doesn't  trigger me, it just makes me sad.

So yeah, when you call a woman a snowflake because she wants the right to decide if she's prepared to procreate at that time in her life, it's pretentious.  It's just a dick move.  Nothing cool about it.  You're simply trying to impose your will on someone else's reality.  Too many unknown variables are flying through the ether for you to have any right to do such a thing.  Plus, you - nor anyone else for that matter - is qualified to do so.

In short, you couldn't be me, you wouldn't know where to start.  And the reverse is also true.  Act like you're aware of that and perhaps you'll be less of a dick.

Let's see, who else get's labeled as snowflakes unfairly?  Well, the next thing to come to mind is the gay community.  Let me set the record straight - err, allow me to establish a ground floor for my opinion:  I don't care if you're gay or straight.  It does not affect how I'm going to sleep later, nor will it interfere with the taste of any of my meals.  It has no impact on my income, nor will it ever affect me beyond the fact that when I see you with a member of the opposite sex, I won't wonder if you two are seeing each other.  In that, gay people are different to me.  And that's about it.

Now.  I do have negative opinions of members of the gay community.  And yes, they are petty, stupid opinions, but they are mine.  Not a fan of drag shows.  I don't approve of the self-implied license to be pompous and flamboyant.  Can I appreciate the art, design, and skill associated with shows?  Of course, I can.  I'm not saying these people aren't talented.  I'm saying I don't care to participate in them - not even as an audience member.  Why?  What's at the root of it?  I'll tell you what.  Peacocking, in any form, is nothing more than a base mating ritual.  I've transcended the point in my life, my personal journey, where I find that kind of thing interesting.  I'm not condemning it, I'm simply aware of my lack of desire to participate.

I'm also not a big fan of PDA.  But I gotta tell you, I don't get offended by two people, regardless of sex or race, showing basic affection to one another in what I think of as basic forms of endearment.  You know, holding hands, arm around a shoulder, sitting closely together on a park bench or in public in general, even kissing.  Now, I'm being conservative in my thoughts regarding kissing in public - A simple, loving embrace of the lips is lovely, and I get it.   I truly do.  I see no point in me having to see your tongue while you say goodbye to your lover.  That's gratuitous, and you know it
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So to put me back on point, I don't think it's fair to label someone as a snowflake because they're gay.  I mean, sure, they're special and unique in that there are less gay people than there are straight people per capita.  They're unique in that they've had to struggle for the right to be able to openly declare their basic love to one another in public.  A right that has been the basis for the arts and humanities since people first put pigment to surface.

Ok, so I'm going by a mental list here.  Women, homosexuals...that leaves the kids.  This is where I expect to not make new friends.  Why?  Well, as a parent of a millennial, I have this perspective:  we fucked up.  What?  How?  Simply, we gave our kids trophies for showing up and then gave them the internet as a nanny.

We fucked up.

Of course, our kids are going to rebel against their grandparent's rules.  It's been this way since before America was even a colony.  The youth understand the progress that's been made during the lifetimes of their parents.  It's inherent in their lives.  They also have ideas on how to streamline and enhance the technologies of their lives and ache to do so.  The tension is usually created when the parents, who also suffer in this cycle are at the primes of their lives and are finally able to incorporate the changes they have longed for since the age of their youth.  It's a cyclic situation, for sure, but we - Generation X - we fucked up.

Our parents gave us the internet when we were young enough to get on board and really understand and create our own world there.  We were so engrossed with our virtual lives, that we drug our children into them as well.  That's fine, on the surface, to encourage your children to explore with you, but many of us left our kids alone in this brave new world for far too long.  We gave them safe spaces to play.  We kept them sterile and unvaccinated.  We retarded their social growth and forced them to create a reality for themselves that transcends what we thought we wanted for us and them.
And now they're pissed because they're catching on to what really happened.  They're run amock and developed their own rules, their own social norms.  Tattoos and piercings are common, they are considered the norm.  Hair color is now a dynamic display instead of a staple.  What did you expect?  We, their parents, designed OUR heroes with these qualities.  Why wouldn't our children follow the aspirations that they've known since birth?

So now we have our children, multi-hued and spikily adorned, taking to the streets en masse as they figure out that they were dealt an unfair hand.  They want safe spaces because we didn't allow them to play after school in the empty lot down the street.  They were never truly challenged.  We, as parents, have decided that WE will protect our children from the bullies, instead of giving them the tools to stand up for themselves and form their own opinions.  So yeah, to us, they seem like snowflakes.  But hear me:  these kids are pissed and they are fighting back.  Right now they're using the tools that WE gave them to express their discontent.  But very soon, if we don't listen to them and educate them accordingly, we're going to see them evolve into a much more dangerous force to what we hold dear.
They'll think for themselves.  And they will act accordingly.

So, no.  I don't think we should call them snowflakes in an effort to offend them.  Because frankly, snowflakes accumulate.  And when that happens, things can get quite unpleasant.