You might recall the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign? You saw some very loud protests against the status quo from some of the population. You saw people feeling loud and proud about their feelings toward others. One might wonder whether the “snowflakes” were the people who didn’t speak out and didn’t vote.
Young (and not so young) Conservatives were angry and Donald Trump became their spokesperson. They were angry about the disappearance of good-paying jobs that don’t require higher education. They were angry about civil rights they believe have “gone too far.” They were angry about social programs that cost them money through taxes they pay. They were angry with “the government.” We saw many become quite vocal about their right to speak out against Hispanics, Blacks, Muslims, Jews, and women. We saw an increase in hate crimes (that continues). “Snowflakes” is not an appropriate metaphor here, even though they were/are, overwhelmingly, white people. Maybe “tornadoes” would work as a metaphor?
Young (and not so young) Progressives were angry and Bernie Sanders became their spokesperson. They were angry about the status quo in politics where the coziness between most politicians and “special interests” are legion. They were angry about inequality of opportunity and inequality of treatment under the law that they witnessed through disproportionate and harsher incarceration for Blacks and Hispanics who committed the sames crimes as Whites. They were angry about the increasing wage gap between the richest Americans and the middle to lower socioeconomic classes. They were angry that the U.S. is the only developed country with a government that does not make sure that every person has access to health care, regardless of their ability to pay. Young Progressives included people from many demographics: wealthy/poor, black/white/Hispanic/etc., male/female, straight/LGBTQ. They tended to be more highly educated than Trump supporters and to live in major urban areas. If you saw any of the rallies for Bernie Sanders, you know that “snowflakes” is entirely the wrong metaphor. To keep the metaphor thing analogous, let’s consider something like “thunderstorms” as their metaphor.
It’s pitiful that derogatory terms get used (by anyone). I guess we all have a 5-year-old inside us, just waiting to call someone a name. Some seem to lack the will to quiet that little child and focus on what matters.
