"Why is everyone getting so offended all the time?”
The false characterization of millennials as captious and offended reactionaries - as snowflakes- described as hyper-aware far-left militants upset by absolutely everythingderives itself from the “phantom enemy” of political correctness- Falsely portrayed as a method of increased censorship instead of spreading inclusiveness - a “vague and ever shifting nemesis ”in the words of Moira Weigel.
Erroneously the millennials have been maligned as being entitled- a product of privileged times- free from the scourge of violent war, oppression, and poverty- their idealism being tokenized as illusory and unattainable. However, critic’s attribution of supposed incessant entitlement and unwarranted uniqueness on part of the contemporary generation, protesting for something inconsequential, is easily disproved when looking at past generation’s opposition of Vietnam war, conscription, civil rights, and scholarly activism like the Bihar student movement and Nav Nirman Andolan among others- strikingly similar to contemporary movements- both in form and ramifications.
Analogous to its predecessors, the supposedly frangible snowflake generation challenges something hardly minor- targeting gender inequality, systemic racism, reproductive rights, workers rights, and economic equality and so on- any argument contrarian simply ignores the availability heuristic due to increased exposure from the Internet while evaluating the Digital natives.
While time and again, modernist sensibilities have been criticized for its supposed suppression of objectionable and provocative humor, comedy and cinematography - nonetheless being offended is something hardly exclusive to the young - when looking at previous crackdowns on Monty Python’s, a comedy troupe’s acts(life of Brian,1979). Comparably, Christian blasphemy groups protest against Stewart lee,an eminent comedian’s show, and the previous cancellation of movie releases further expunges the false narrative of the millennials being the spoiled love child of affluent times and less dogmatic parents.
“Snowflakes” have been prejudicially portrayed as members of the liberal left in scanty clothes, dyed hair, and as Panglossian idealist intellectuals. However, why do we give racism, bigotry, misogyny,hate crimes, jingoism and sociocentrism a pass in the narrative of the easily offended? Such a portrayal posits the view that only the snowflakes are needlessly offended,driven purely by emotions - thus providing supposed rationality behind the motives of the other exclusionists.
Effacingly, the millennials have adopted an increasing liberalistic role as global citizens, denouncing ethnocentrism, due to increased exposure to diverse groups. Simply stated, Today’s young adults are in no way more advantaged than their precursors, entering the workforce into the worst economic downturn of 2008, the recent history of warfare, whilst having lower average wages, working longer hours , having less stable jobs, more debt and paying more in rent and housing- clearly, if we are angry and sensitive- we have reasons for it.
Thus, self evidencing, dismissing political activism of ethical and upstanding global citizens as belonging solely to the easily offended and the overly emotional , by terming them as snowflakes is a conscious effort at delegitimizing the struggle of the millennials for bringing a change by an older generation, often guided by insular and exclusionary tendencies.
It’s pertinent to note that as the modern origin of the term goes “you are not a special snowflake” was originally used in fight club by Tyler Durden to strip individuality from his followers in order to indoctrinate them to his cause of psychotic rage at the world he blamed for misery. In an increasingly diversified environment with cross-cultural interactions, proper implementation of political correctness is cardinal, eschewing the Tyler Durdens of yesteryears.
By Ritabrata Majumder
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