I am a Snowflake

Privilege is when you have an unfair advantage, either knowingly or unknowingly, which you have never earned or had to fight for.  There are those in society today who have lived privileged lives for too long, oblivious to those they oppress either through ignorance or through conscious choice.  Progressive ideology has fought privilege, and those who are seen as liberal are often perceived to be weak, the term I see most often is "snowflakes" in the media.  I have a few words to say on this.

First and foremost those who have been minorities, been oppressed, been marginalised, and generally been vilified by society are not weak.  They know how to fight because they do it every day.  They have survived injustice and fought against it.  They have long-established communities and they have widespread support not just from their own communities but from those who are allies to them.

Secondly, while most liberals vehemently oppose conflict, and war, and violence, you should not take that as an indication that they will not fight.  People protest peacefully because they are strong in numbers and they know how dangerous that strength can become when the bridles are broken and their fury is unleashed - it leads to seminal moments such as the Arab Spring, it leads to revolutions.

There are those who have lived lives of privilege who think they are part of a revolution with their populist ideals.  They are not.  What they are doing is fighting in a war they are close to losing because for a long time they never realised the war was happening to begin with because they never took anyone or anything serious until they reached the moment when their privilege began to crumble.  The racists and zealots, the xenophobes and the bigots, the basket of deplorables have realised their power is weak.  They hold on to the fantasy that they can "return" us to a time that never really existed to begin with.  They have visions of the past that do not represent reality at all.  Revolutions take steps forward not back.

Thirdly, and finally, is the term snowflake.  This was a word they used do debase us, to try and weaken us.  Let me remind you of one simple fact.  When a snowflake is exposed to heat it melts and becomes water, one of the most powerful substances on this planet.  All life depends on it, our bodies are mostly composed of it, and when it comes together it is an unstoppable force.  So I take that word, and I reject the negativity they try to attach to it, and I attach this message.  We are snowflakes and in the heat we will melt into water and together we will become the flood and we will drowned you and your hatred.  We have been fighting all our lives against inequality, against discrimination, against prejudice.  We have had to fight for basic human rights.  You've rolled the dice for the first time in a game that our communities have been playing since before you were born. 

We look forward, we look for a better world; we have survived worse than you, so take your best shot.  Bring the heat and see what happens when millions of snowflakes melt, and the flood is unleashed upon you.