Setting The Example

Hello and welcome to the inner recesses of my mind, a place filled with questions, answers and wild assertions. As a new contributor to this blog, I thought I might dive in with both feet and take you on a tour de force of what's pissing me off this week. Together you and I, gentle reader, will explore the phenomenon of “snowflake syndrome” that has recently manifested itself in society since the election of Donald Trump. Although this piece has very little to do with politics per se and even less to do with Trump, all of that is tangentially related and will be made clear as we go along. To be honest, the roots of the problem extend far back into the Obama years and can be traced directly to the entitlement mentality he not only promoted but encouraged for 8 years. Let's just say that the seeds sown during those years have borne evil fruit that currently threatens to spoil the entire crop of young people on the cusp of adulthood. This is not simply a case of “one bad apple”, this is an entire generation of hearts and minds having been spoon fed a steady diet of how special and unique they are finally flowering into spoiled little brats with no real contribution to make to society apart from their ability to synthesize outrage at a moments notice.

Those of you reading this are well aware of the past and most likely, acutely aware of how the present is shaping up so what I thought I'd like to focus on instead in where I see the future heading.

I need only use the phrase, “snowflake syndrome” and instantly, a specific image comes to mind whether it be a physical image, a personality type or a combination of the two but regardless, you know exactly what I mean when I use it.

A few words that spring easily to mind like, spoiled, entitled, outraged, offended and soft are most often associated with this syndrome.

This particular missive was inspired by a video I saw float across my Facebook feed of a young woman berating a couple for displaying affection in public. While so much of what passes for truth on the site is often exactly the opposite, this one seemed genuine and real.

This young woman was deeply outraged that a couple would express affection in a local eatery as she ordered her food. Her disgust and outrage was real. She virtually radiated waves of hatred from her person like steam venting from a New York City sewer grate. Her eyes flashed as she breathed fire at these two for the sin of being in love. Her language was vile and coarse with vulgarities being tossed about like alms for the poor.

I watched this video dumbfounded at the the level of anger being expressed about something so benign as a public display of affection. In mute silence, I watched as the angry woman called the man's girlfriend a whore, a slut and a prostitute for daring to show affection in public. For the sake of expediency, let's call the angry woman TCB(that crazy bitch) and the other young woman IV(innocent victim).

TCB called IV a slut, a whore, and a prostitute because she was demeaning women by “sexualizing” herself in public. Possible shades of SJW in that statement but it didn't stop there. TCB was so violently upset that she threatened numerous times to call the police because their display of affection was a form of “sexual harassment” and “stalking” and she wanted them arrested.

The young man who had posted the video was the beau in question in this couple and he claims that they were embracing each other as they waited and he kissed her on top of her head setting TCB into action.

TCB was so completely overcome with indignation that within moments, most of what she claimed made no sense. She made wild accusations that the two were “fucking in public” and they should “get a room” so the patrons in the establishment would not have to be subjected to their vile actions.

Sidebar, your honor.

Like you, right now I'm asking myself how TCB didn't see her own actions as possibly disturbing to said patrons. I actually screamed that at the video as I watched it, “What about your behavior, you psycho hosebeast? Is that not offensive as well?”

The moment the words shot from my mouth I knew the answer. Well, to be perfectly honest, I had two answers that seemed equally plausible. The first option is that this woman is certifiably insane and currently not taking her meds. Essentially a younger version of the bag lady that you sometimes see screaming at lamp posts or pigeons or small paper cups on the sidewalk in any large city.

The other possible option was that she was a snowflake out to rid the world of offensive people by, well, by being offensive. Her generation believes it is perfectly acceptable to shame and insult anyone they see as “stepping outside the narrow boundaries of acceptable behavior” irrespective of the setting or venue.

That same generation can no longer make the distinction between an epic rant on Facebook and a deeply offensive display in public. They are performing a public service and woe be unto you who get in their way.

While it may be true that “snowflake syndrome” isn't actually a recognized mental disorder there can be little doubt that it is indicative of potentially dangerous mental instability lurking just below the surface.

It can only be a matter of time before that instability manifests itself in some manner of physical violence. Too many studies have linked severe emotional outbursts to physical violence for this problem to continue to be swept under the rug as merely young people being young people. That sort of thing has already happened with the Black Lives Matter movement and the “Hillary should have won” crowd that rioted in DC on inauguration day. Emotional distress leads to violence. Now, whether that emotional distress is justified or not is immaterial, it must be dealt with before the worst can be allowed to happen. It needs to be dealt with swiftly and harshly but the media refuses to believe that this burgeoning level of emotional hysteria is anything more than children behaving badly. Peaceful Tea Party protests are treated as armed rallies of radicals bent on mass murder but riots in DC are merely the venting of the fragile of spirit and should be overlooked and excused.

Like the drumbeat of “lone wolf terrorists”, this phenomenon threatens to blossom into something of far larger consequence unless it is somehow shown to be the cancer it truly is.

Imagine for a moment if TCB had simply waited outside the establishment and then shot the couple out of anger and extreme emotional distress. Or perhaps waited for them to cross the street and used her car to run them down “for the greater good”.

Mock if you will, laugh if you must but that is exactly how terrorist movements get started. All it takes is one member of the faithful to encourage others to act and before you know it, dozens of people are killed because someone forgot to show the proper respect for a transgender individual, or a Hillary voter or some other protected group that feels slighted in some way.

It is my firm belief that the current generation suffering from “snowflake syndrome” are the next potential terrorist group in the country for the simple fact that they are legion, they are angry and they can mobilize enormous numbers of like minded people at a moments notice. To me, there is no question of if, only a question of when and what weapons they will choose to wreak their vengeance on an unsuspecting society. The sheer volume of videos and the like of public shaming, protests, outrage and abuse seems to be growing in number not decreasing. It really is only a matter of time until shaming and verbal abuse no longer satisfy their need for justice and they turn to more concrete and sadly, more violent ends to prove whatever point they are attempting to make that day.

If there is a revolution in this country it will be sparked by this generation and their inability to accept that their demands are not coherent enough nor even possible to actually be met. The revolution will start when they realize they have demands but no solutions, anger without a hope for resolution and a need for justice that is too vague and ill defined to be put into practical application.

We will look back at the video of “that crazy bitch” and say, “Remember when all they did was scream obscenities? Those were the good old days.”