The Rise of the Snowflakes

There is a pattern in social media political discourse: abrasive comments using “snowflake and “safe space” as pejorative terms in an attempt to weaken opponents.

I may have been subconsciously pondering this when I bought some Christmas gifts: One friend received a sparkly snowflake pin, another, a festive necklace with little snowflakes in it. Someone received fake snow in her Christmas stocking. Then I bought snowflake gift tags and snowflake-shaped marshmallows at the after-Christmas sales.

We should embrace the snowflakes.

Individually, each snowflake is delicate and unique. But massed together, they create a storm. A big enough storm will stop traffic and cause us to move more slowly and deliberately. Immobility is the enemy of survival.

You prepare for a blizzard. All those impending snowflakes cause you to stock up on necessities, keep the shovel handy and the car gassed up. You check on your loved ones.

And what’s bad about a safe space?  Whether your safe place is your home, your exercise studio, a job you love or a book you’re engrossed in, that’s what sustains us. Having that mental breathing room gives us the strength and perspective to plod ahead and achieve our goals. People are also powerful safe spaces; they allow you to vent or laugh without judgement. They are in it with you. You’re safe with trusted friends and family.

I do believe that demonizing “safe spaces” is an attempt to weaken us, to take away our snowflake superpowers. We create the chances to be resilient. We cannot allow anyone to take those opportunities away.

I will wear my little snowflake pin every chance I get. Each of us is a snowflake and we can all be safe spaces.