STAFF EDITORIAL: We are all snowflakes

We are snowflakes. We are hypersensitive, we are fragile, we are coddled and we are way too easily offended.

But we care a lot about justice too. We care about equality and we care about the condition of our fellow man.

That’s why our snowflake status is a problem. “Snowflake” began as a light-hearted slight at millennials and us—their entitled descendants—but has since become a sort of rallying cry against a culture increasingly reliant on safe spaces and pampering.

It is hard to pinpoint the precise source of this newfound frailty, but its fallout is on full display nationally. College students are condemning oppositional speakers, tripping over triggers and crafting their own politically correct dictionaries.

The whole show comes across like insanity, but it is actually well-meaning. These Gen Z-ers want a fairer, kinder America that nearly everyone supports—they just go about achieving it the wrong way.

The way we achieve justice, the way we achieve equality and the way we elevate those struggling up the socioeconomic ladder is through conversation.

When we shut down speech because it offends us, we lose. We need to talk to those we disagree with. We need to engage in debate. We need to turn our passion for justice into advocacy.

“The snowflake generation” may indeed be a title that sticks, but that’s okay. When millions of snowflakes come together, it is called an avalanche.