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[-] tobogganablaze@lemmus.org 41 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

The point of the insult isn't that snowflakes are unique but rather that they "melt down" at the slightest touch.

[-] Thorny_Insight@lemm.ee 16 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

Wikipedia and most dictionary definitions talk about uniqueness. Each snowflake is unique. That's what most people mean by it.

Snowflake is a derogatory slang term for a person, implying that they have an inflated sense of uniqueness, an unwarranted sense of entitlement, or are overly emotional, easily offended, and unable to deal with opposing opinions.

You are not special. You are not beautiful or unique snowflake. Quote from the novel "Fight Club"

[-] JamesNZ@lemmy.world 16 points 3 months ago

I think you are cherry picking. It says it means both. My 5c: If you think you are unique and you don't give a fuck about what other people think (example would be a goth or punk imo), then not a snowflake. If you melt down at the slightest touch over others not being like the status quo (example would be a Karen imo). Not a snowflake. If you think you are different, and melt down as soon as someone chalanges that difference (example vegan yelling at someone buying a steak imo) then snowflake.

[-] tobogganablaze@lemmus.org 14 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

Huh.

I guess the "easily offended, and unable to deal with opposing opinions" part still fits. That's how I always understood it. But I've never actually looked it up. It seems I'm not the only one, though.

[-] themeatbridge@lemmy.world 13 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

It's fascinating to read all the top comments from people who didn't know the implication. I would guess that you and others assumed from context that it means "fragile." It's a reasonable assumption, and if enough people use it to mean that, then that will be a new meaning of the word.

Language evolves, so it isn't fair to say that you or they are "wrong," but it belies the problem with using metaphors in communication. If the listener doesn't understand the metaphor, they're more likely to fill in their own guess than they are to ask for clarification or look it up. And that's not a flaw, that's actually a fantastic adaptation that makes language possible in the first place. How many words did you learn from the dictionary, compared to how many you learned from reading or hearing them used?

Take the name "Nimrod." Nimrod was a Biblical character known to be a great hunter. It has frequently been used sarcastically to impugn the hunting skills of the target, most famously by Daffy Duck to describe Elmer Fudd, and then again by Bugs Bunny to describe Yosemite Sam. But most of the people watching the cartoons weren't Biblical scholars, and the word entered the public consciousness as a generic insult which has come to mean a stupid person.

The term for the phenomenon is "semantic drift." See also: peruse, awful, nice, and the currently-relevant "weird."

[-] tobogganablaze@lemmus.org 7 points 3 months ago

I did feel kind of stupid when OP posted the definition. But then I saw a couple of other people that shared my interpretation, so that was nice.

Didn't expect to get such a quality reply! Very interesting. Thanks!

this post was submitted on 04 Aug 2024
165 points (87.3% liked)

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