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An Open Letter From A "Special Snowflake"

It's not about hurt feelings.

Jan 31, 2017

An Open Letter From A "Special Snowflake"

Recently, a friend posted the following meme about the Boston Tea Party on Facebook after the presidential inauguration:

There was no commentary from her but there were paragraph long comments.

Here is the one that stuck out to me the most:

Don't want anyone replying to your liberal garbage views? Don't post liberal garbage views!! Unless this space is safe, I will leave snowflake.

Historically, the term was used as a political insult in the 1860s to describe white people who did not support the abolition of slavery.

Currently, "Special Snowflake" and "Snowflake" are jabs thrown at social justice warriors, liberals, and millennials on social media.

There are two definitions. The first reference of "special snowflake" appears in the movie "Fight Club", which means to believe you are unique, special.

The most recent definition of "snowflake" is used by aggressive internet trolls and white supremacists:

"A person is too easily insulted or is too sensitive to the opinions; people who are incapable of using their intellect and their words to make their point in an intelligent manner."

I am not offended by this insult. I have seen it time and time again.

But I am here to reclaim it. I am redirecting the narrative.

To be a "snowflake" means having the courage to be vulnerable. It means to be empathetic to those around you and to be compassionate towards people in communities different than your own. It means speaking up when there are jokes or threats about taking away the rights of our neighbors and fellow Americans. It means we listen when everyone else is shouting. We hear stories of injustice, hate, oppression, violence, silenceand fear. We understand our privileges, and step aside when necessary so more voices can be heard.

We are not afraid of diverse ideas and opinions. We are afraid of people losing rights to their bodies, religion, lands, safety, and in some cases, their lives.

The First Amendment protects you from being silenced by the government. However, your freedom of speech does not give you freedom from consequences.

So you can keep bullying and harassing us on comment threads...

But you cannot silence the storm.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.

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An Open Letter From A "Special Snowflake"

It's not about hurt feelings.

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The Best Lines from the Fab Four

And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make

The sun is up, the sky is blue, it's beautiful and so are you

Love is old, love is new, love is all, love is you

There's nowhere you can be that isn't where you're meant to be

Life is very short, and there's no time for fussing and fighting, my friend

He say, "I know you, you know me", One thing I can tell you is you got to be free

Oh please, say to me, You'll let me be your man. And please say to me, You'll let me hold your hand

It was twenty years ago today, Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play. They've been going in and out of style, but they're guaranteed to raise a smile

Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see

Can you hear me? When it rains and shine, it's just a state of mind

Little darling, it's been long cold lonely winter. Little darling, it feels like years since it' s been here. Here comes the sun, Here comes the sun, and I say it's alright

We danced through the night and we held each other tight, and before too long I fell in love with her. Now, I'll never dance with another when I saw her standing there

I love you, I love you, I love you, that's all I want to say

You say you want a revolution. Well you know, we all want to change the world

All the lonely people, where do they all come from. All the lonely people, where do they all belong

Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends

Hey Jude, don't make it bad. Take a sad song and make it better

Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away. Now it looks as though they're here to stay. Oh, I believe in yesterday

And when the brokenhearted people, living in the world agree, there will be an answer, let it be.

And anytime you feel the pain, Hey Jude, refrain. Don't carry the world upon your shoulders

I'll give you all I got to give if you say you'll love me too. I may not have a lot to give but what I got I'll give to you. I don't care too much for money. Money can't buy me love

All you need is love, love is all you need

Whisper words of wisdom, let it be

Blackbird singing in the dead of night, Take these broken wings and learn to fly. All your life, You were only waiting for this moment to arise

Though I know I'll never lose affection, for people and things that went before. I know I'll often stop and think about them. In my life, I love you more

Obviously the best superpower.

There have been many lessons learned.

1. The importance of traditions.

2. How to be thankful for family and friends.

3. How to give back.

4. What the word "community" really means.

5. That it isn't about the destination, but the journey.

6. The consequences of making bad choices.

7. To trust people, until you have a reason not to.

8. To be welcoming and accepting of everyone.

9. How to be my own, individual person.

10. How to work for what I want.

11. How to be great at giving directions.

12. How to be humble.

13. To be well-rounded.

14. How to be great at conflict resolution.

15. The beauty of getting outside and exploring.

16. To be prepared for anything.

17. That you don't always have to do it alone.

18. How to be creative.

19. To brush off gossip.

I have never been so thankful to know you.

Dealing with the inevitable realities of college life.

Don't freak out

Email the professor

Attend the first class

Keep attending class

Have a backup plan

Remember that everything works out at the end

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