Throughout the past election season and continuing into the new presidential administration, I’ve heard the term “Liberal Snowflake” thrown not only at me, but at almost anyone vocalizing their progressive views. Political cartoons have been made about our need for safe spaces and coddling, our protests have been used as viral video fodder for middle class mothers and our activism has been patronized, reduced to the crying and wailing of children.
We’ve been labeled as Snowflakes to emulate our fragility, to emphasize our “need to be special” and to point out our weakness. I’m here to tell you that you’re almost right.
It is so easy to misjudge empathy as weakness. It is so much easier to brush off our fight to make the world a kinder place than to admit we’ve created a world that is only kind to a certain demographic. It is easier to call us crybabies and children than to admit the power that empathy and compassion hold.
It is easier to tell us we have a need to be special than to admit that the rules that we’ve all existed under for how we are supposed to look, act and live no longer apply. We’re patronized for the outlandish idea to give those around us the space and opportunity to express themselves in new ways.
At the end of the day, we’re called Snowflakes because we fight with love. We fight not always for ourselves, but for those around us. We fight with love for people of color, for women, for refugees, for those who identify as LGBTQ+ and yes, even for Republicans.
This piece comes from a position of privilege. I am a white woman from a middle class family. I might never need Planned Parenthood. The travel ban will never hinder my life.
There are thousands of people who are fighting for their lives against this administration, but I can’t speak from their position. I will remain mostly unaffected by Donald Trump’s administration. But that doesn’t mean those who will be affected are not worth fighting for. And trust me, I will fight every single day.
So yes, you can call me a Snowflake every day. You can call us children and crybabies and sore losers if that’s what makes you feel more in control. But, if you’ve ever seen snow fall, you know how well snowflakes stick together. A blizzard is coming and there is not a single weakness among it.