Really?
Options
Replies
-
VintageFeline wrote: »bufnitzoiu wrote: »Welcome to the internet, have a nice stay!
Have some candy:
I think you'll find those bad boys are probably cake pops.
I think you'll also find they're likely to turn your poop green!
0 -
I'm really not sure that "snowflake" is a racial term at all. Every time I've heard it, it's in reference to people who think they're special (like your special snowflake definition). Following the reference, people described as snowflakes also "melt" or get offended really easily.0
-
0
-
I'm really not sure that "snowflake" is a racial term at all. Every time I've heard it, it's in reference to people who think they're special (like your special snowflake definition). Following the reference, people described as snowflakes also "melt" or get offended really easily.
Same response I gave before...
I serve on a few diversity & inclusion committees and I've also lived in several predominantly black and Hispanic neighborhoods in MI, OH, and NYC in the 22 years since I graduated high school. It is absolutely a racial slur toward whites, and as pointed out by another poster, specifically when used without the qualifier of "special" before it.0 -
Are we going to have to start calling people "special *kittens*" from now on?4
-
-
crooked_left_hook wrote: »Seriously, is this the 5th grade?
Yes? Welcome to the internet!
Many cultures have words and gestures that have different meaning to them than to others, and that's one of MFPs. I don't actually use it myself, but I see it often enough that I know what meaning it has here.1 -
crooked_left_hook wrote: »Seriously, is this the 5th grade?
Yes? Welcome to the internet!
Many cultures have words and gestures that have different meaning to them than to others, and that's one of MFPs. I don't actually use it myself, but I see it often enough that I know what meaning it has here.
*bangs head against wall to remind herself why trying to have civilized discourse on the internet is a complete waste of *kitten* time*
0 -
-
Okay so like I said I don't want to go into detail but from what I learned from the Google it seemed to start out as a derogatory term for someone against the abolition of slavery, and then had something to do with young aryans. I've lived and worked in some pretty diverse places and never heard it, but then I never heard the other ones firsthand so there's that. I lead a sheltered life!1
-
There has been a lot lately about the historical meaning of the term and whether or not it has alt right origins (although politically the liberal/left-leaning side of the aisle have definitely claimed it too, from what I see). Here's one pretty good and not partisan summary: https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/the-less-lovely-side-of-snowflake
The article above says: "In Missouri in the early 1860s, a 'snowflake' was a person who was opposed to the abolition of slavery—the implication of the name being that such people valued white people over black people. This use seems not to have endured."
Also, "[t]he available evidence suggests that this particular use of snowflake never moved much beyond the borders of Missouri or the era."
More directly related to the other poster's assertions, " In the 1970s snowflake was a disparaging term for a white man or for a black man who was seen as acting white. It was also used as a slang term for cocaine."
The current slang meanings, which are all over the place, have nothing to do with that, though (and I am inclined to believe that at least most places it died out in the '70s, although I know there have been some think pieces trying to claim there's an inherently racist meaning, which I think is false -- that's not how language works).
Instead, the two main ones are (as I'm sure we all know):
(1) "It's developed a new and decidedly less pleasant use as a disparaging term for a person who is seen as overly sensitive and fragile"; and
(2) "the meaning at first was a bit softer, referring mostly to millennials who were allegedly too convinced of their own status as special and unique people to be able (or bothered) to handle the normal trials and travails of regular adult life.
That use very likely has its genesis in Chuck Palahniuk's 1996 cult-favorite book Fight Club, in which a member of the anti-consumerist Project Mayhem tells the other members: "You are not a beautiful and unique snowflake. You are the same decaying organic matter as everyone, and we are all part of the same compost pile."
In the 1999 movie adaptation the lines go like this: “Listen up, maggots. You are not special. You are not the beautiful or unique snowflake. You are the same decaying organic matter as everything else. We are the all-singing, all-dancing crap of the world. We are all part of the same compost heap."
I suspect the Palahniuk usage gave rise to the one that is currently used on MFP, probably by way of other forums. Obviously, not always so negatively phrased, but as in "the laws of physical apply to you too."
I don't actually use it, I don't think (I don't recall having done so), but this idea that it's some shocking offensive term is IMO false and makes me want to use it in protest of that calumny.7 -
Exactly what I was thinking! Very well-put.0
-
lemurcat12 wrote: »There has been a lot lately about the historical meaning of the term and whether or not it has alt right origins (although politically the liberal/left-leaning side of the aisle have definitely claimed it too, from what I see). Here's one pretty good and not partisan summary: https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/the-less-lovely-side-of-snowflake
The article above says: "In Missouri in the early 1860s, a 'snowflake' was a person who was opposed to the abolition of slavery—the implication of the name being that such people valued white people over black people. This use seems not to have endured."
Also, "[t]he available evidence suggests that this particular use of snowflake never moved much beyond the borders of Missouri or the era."
More directly related to the other poster's assertions, " In the 1970s snowflake was a disparaging term for a white man or for a black man who was seen as acting white. It was also used as a slang term for cocaine."
The current slang meanings, which are all over the place, have nothing to do with that, though (and I am inclined to believe that at least most places it died out in the '70s, although I know there have been some think pieces trying to claim there's an inherently racist meaning, which I think is false -- that's not how language works).
Instead, the two main ones are (as I'm sure we all know):
(1) "It's developed a new and decidedly less pleasant use as a disparaging term for a person who is seen as overly sensitive and fragile"; and
(2) "the meaning at first was a bit softer, referring mostly to millennials who were allegedly too convinced of their own status as special and unique people to be able (or bothered) to handle the normal trials and travails of regular adult life.
That use very likely has its genesis in Chuck Palahniuk's 1996 cult-favorite book Fight Club, in which a member of the anti-consumerist Project Mayhem tells the other members: "You are not a beautiful and unique snowflake. You are the same decaying organic matter as everyone, and we are all part of the same compost pile."
In the 1999 movie adaptation the lines go like this: “Listen up, maggots. You are not special. You are not the beautiful or unique snowflake. You are the same decaying organic matter as everything else. We are the all-singing, all-dancing crap of the world. We are all part of the same compost heap."
I suspect the Palahniuk usage gave rise to the one that is currently used on MFP, probably by way of other forums. Obviously, not always so negatively phrased, but as in "the laws of physical apply to you too."
I don't actually use it, I don't think (I don't recall having done so), but this idea that it's some shocking offensive term is IMO false and makes me want to use it in protest of that calumny.
Thanks for the genesis of the term! Also, interesting to see that it has some origin in my state... wonder if that was propagated by the fact that Missouri was a border state? Also, unrelated, but I often liken the whole "soda vs pop" debate to the fact that MO was a border state, we have a history of not being able to make up our mind...2 -
Great suggestion. The "ignore" function is built into the website. It doesn't require any mental discipline - once you click "ignore," the posts from that person will just disappear and you won't ever see them. If you feel like particular people are targeting you or they get on your nerves, judicious use of the "ignore" function can make your life easier.If someone bothers you then you do not have to engage them. You can walk away from a thread. You can click on someone's name and choose to ignore that person.
ETA: There's plenty of advice on this site, so ignoring some people shouldn't be a hardship. You can still have good conversations with those you get along with. Also fwiw, the fact that someone is unkind doesn't mean they have anything helpful or meaningful to say.
1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iE0Td3L68lU
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 391.4K Introduce Yourself
- 43.5K Getting Started
- 259.7K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.6K Food and Nutrition
- 47.3K Recipes
- 232.3K Fitness and Exercise
- 388 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.7K Motivation and Support
- 7.8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.2K MyFitnessPal Information
- 22 News and Announcements
- 916 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.3K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions