The "I'm A Special Snowflake" Generation -- Another Social Engineering Scam

Hey everybody.

Every now and then I like to rant about social issues. I have a few in particular that are pet peeves of mind, one of them being Social Engineering. It's a tool that used to program adults and youth to act and think in a certain way.

To condition them to lines of thought that would otherwise be thought of as morally wrong and damaging. One such occurrence that I see today is the Special Snowflake Generation.

Before I get into that though, I wanted to express how this is just the evolution of the "Bubble Kids".

Remember, those kids that had to stay inside? Whose parents disinfected everything and made every decision for their child till the age of 18? The ones who knew nothing of losing, hard work or have any skills required to operate in the real world.

Well since that didn't seem to catch very much, we know have the Snowflakes.

Kids who are told, by their entire support system that they are special. That they should be proud of themselves for having accomplished nothing. Which in turn, creates a sense of entitlement in young people.

Young people then demand things and make noise, start protests and eventually turn to violence, all for a cause they neither know of, nor understand.

The society where everybody gets a trophy and nobody is looser. The one where little Jimmy in 5th grade is treated like gold cause he can complete 5th grade math.

Now I'm not against encouraging children to success, don't get me wrong. Accomplishments should be celebrated.

Losses however, must be taught. A child needs not only to learn how to deal with loss, but how to set themselves up for success. You can't ever achieve that on your own, if you were always guided by the hand from above.

It's maddening to listen to the freshly minted 20 year olds, who for some reason expected the world to be at their beck and call when they graduated high school. Only to find out that until they've actually done something of note, the world doesn't give a damn.

The higher education communities only see you as money unless you have something on paper that will them as an institution. Employers don't see you as a asset, but as a necessity, to be cheated and undermined at every turn in order to turn a profit.

Beyond these issues with 'street smarts' and living as an adult in the 21st century, these young adult's emotions are nowhere near developed enough to handle the stress of failure or rejection.

In personal relationships, I hear of kids who go off the college, get their first girl friend, break up halfway through the year and throw their education away. Or worse, kill themselves because they simply have not been taught, nor given the opportunity to develop their emotional shell versus failure, loss and disappointment.

This brings be back to my original point. This is all by design. Those who pull our strings, they don't want our youth educated and prepared for the real world.

They would rather, that people come into adulthood, feeling the crushing pain of debt, social decay and financial instability on even the most basic of levels. Like feeding yourselves.

This way, it only takes a few years for those young people to 'accept' the system for what it is, and become defendant of it, even subservient to it in the end. A awakened youth is not something any Oligarch or dictator wants to deal with.

The young have resolve. The kind that adults seldom show these days, even in situations or within topics that matter to them most.

Social Engineering is becoming an industry all of it's own. It started with Advertising and now it's full blown social propaganda, and we are the guinea pigs.

The only thing that will save us, is making sure that our kids know what's coming and prepare them to succeed.

By letting them fail when it doesn't matter, as opposed to when it does.

~Tenth

I concur with everything you said 110%, Tenth.

It seems almost every teen and early 20's person these days feels entitled to everything and cannot deal with even the slightest set back.

I remember being raised in a time when only winners were rewarded with trophies. You learned to deal with defeat, to cope and to pick yourself back up and try again. That's simply not the case anymore.

Great posting, thanks again!

reply to post by Dreine


It's almost maddening. As a father I can't imagine even treating my children like that.

To be honest, considering we know the outcomes of kids who are raised this way, it's almost child abuse.

~Tenth

reply to post by tothetenthpower




I've had to battle being a part of this generation. My parents were good at keeping my feet on the ground and nose to the grind stone. However, the special snowflake narrative could also be found with teachers, relatives, and on television. This created a certain amount of dissonance in me that told me my parents didn't believe in me (since they were the ones giving me the reality checks).

I was told by the people who loved me the most that life was hard, and it was unlikely that I was "the very best" at anything, and that's okay. You can be a fully actualized human without being the center of the universe - renowned for how fantastic you are. Then I had these other people who told me that I just had to wait to come forth from my cocoon, wait to become a person of worth (not work).

reply to post by tothetenthpower

All I see is older generations being Social Engineered into resenting younger generations.

Divide and conquer seems to work even on those who have been around the block a few times.

Who here has been physically beaten by their school principle?

Ours had, what looked like, a cricket bat with 1 inch holes in it to keep it from acting like a wing.

Back then, when the recess clown said not to grab the soccer ball that just got kicked across the street, by golly, you don't...

not more than once, anyway!

Not only is it a pretty broad generalisation, it's also completely incorrect. Kid's today are the same as kids yesterday, the only difference being your subjective viewpoint. I get so tired of hearing the "perfect generation" say that kids have it so easy these days, when in fact the world today is so far removed from what they experienced as children and early adults. I mean the only people responsible for the current state of affairs are the perfect generation, and look how well things have turned out. The sense of entitlement was there long before the new generation arrived.

I used to get talked to often by my sisters and friends because I used to set their children up for failure. With the express purpose of teaching them a lesson. Most of the time it was also quite funny.

I would set then up to do something I knew they could not do. (Age dependent of course) and supervise them so they wouldn’t get hurt, with the exception of their feelings. Then we would sit down and critique what went wrong and discuss how it could actually be accomplished. Lessons learned I always told them.

The kids were their own lab rats. I usually went from the mean Uncle to the one that the kids ran too when I pulled up.

Coach, mentor and train.

It seems to many parents & teachers are to busy to do that nowadays

Ohhhhh, tenth man I couldn't stop laughing all the way down. And for those who are stating this is a subjective OP.... I take it, it hit home and you most likely are part of the evolution of the "Bubble Kids".

On the flip side of this coin...

I know A LOT of old people who need to retire and give the next generation a chance, a chance they did not give their kids and so now their GRANDKIDS are having to deal with all the problems they had plus many more. Yet they will still not let go of the leash of power.

They got all the cake and certainly ate it too! And left nothing but crumbs...They complain about their children yet it was their culture that created them! There is not much knowledge passed down these days of the quick fix and the Google genius, and wisdom is lost in a Sea of 10hour looped Youtubes...

Mentoring is sadly missing from our culture, it would bind the youth with wisdom of those who have been there, but also allow them to bring in fresh and new ideas.

We are Hyper Capitalist society with a consumer driven culture so what more consumerist then it always being about ME while disregarding all the mistakes of the past...

reply to post by abeverage


Well stated, and dually noted I totally agree, but then again on that same flip side. It's the older generation that produced these "little monster" for lack of better terms and we wonder why they won't mentor or let go of the reins?

reply to post by Samuelis

Not only is it a pretty broad generalisation, it's also completely incorrect. Kid's today are the same as kids yesterday, the only difference being your subjective viewpoint.

No they most certainly are not. The generation before this one did not grow up with the internet.

They did not grow up with 24/7 media news coverage, nor 24/7 living.

This generation is vastly different from any that's come before it. Society is not the same as it was 30 years ago.

I get so tired of hearing the "perfect generation" say that kids have it so easy these days, when in fact the world today is so far removed from what they experienced as children and early adults.

I by no means ever postulated I was from the 'perfect' generation. Our generation ruined everything for these kids. We are the reason that life is the way it is for them now.

I was trying to point that out, that we need to change and stop treating our children this way.

~Tenth

The way I see it, it's a multi-age group thing.I can give teens a pass, because we've all been self-entered egotistical little pricks (and you know it) We're supposed to grow out of that stage, but it's like the 90's did away with that step. My peer group (late 20's), the early 30's, and the younger crowd (younger 20-somethings) are about some of the most self-centered, spoiled rotten people I know. And yet, they can't handle a damn thing life throws at them. I call the 20-somethings through early 30's folks The Teacup Decades. My friends come from a wide variety of ethnic, religious, and class backgrounds, but they all share their spoiled gimme-now nature & inability to deal with stresses. The fact that we've all had kids and all have kids in the same age ranges highlights the differences in mentalities currently being passed on. Sure, everyone's unique as there is only one Nyiah or Heff or 10th & so forth, I don't dispute that. But no one's really all that center-of-the-universe special among 7 billion humans. The fluffed up egos of my friends, and subsequently, their young kid's fluffed up egos, just mask that almost as if it were blinders to reality. What is wrong with this generation of mine & the sibling ones, that no one can be happy unless they're on a self-imposed pedestal? That's a really crappy way to live life, to set your expectations and self-worth so high that it will mortally wound you if you fall. I know part of that is the fault of the parents that groomed that mindset, but still, chill and reflect.

reply to post by Samuelis


Kids are not the same as kids were years ago. I blame technology. The majority of time when I see kids out, they just seem to be sulking. The younger ones still run about on the playground at recess, but I don't see dodgeball or other rough house games being played anymore.

As a whole, kids today are fatter, that is a proven fact, and they suffer higher rates of diabetes as well. They also can be more violent. We see that in the news now all the time. It used to be a rare thing.

As for the older generations, I’m not too impressed either. I know people who worked their butts off and invested wisely so that they could retire comfortably and when it came time for them to receive Social Security; they are there with their hands out, even though they don’t need it.

That is going to bite the younger generations for sure.

I think that the entitlement thing pretty much goes full circle these days.

I'm thinking these "entitled" young people are from the middle class... spoiled their whole life and insulated from the real world.

Because I can tell you, growing up poor, and being a poor adult, I have not come into contact with a single young person who matches ANY of the criteria the OP has listed. Maybe it's because I've never worked in the world of suit and tie wearers that seems to attract the lazy and entitled.

Now I'm not in my early twenties, but I'm probably lumped in with them in the crusty eyes of the older generations. I've worked hard my whole life so far and it got me nowhere. I'm trying something different now, but maybe the reason there are so many people who act as the OP describes, is because THAT works?

Busting your ass and taking your licks for years on end gets you nowhere, it gets you taken advantage of and used up BY the older generations.

If you don't feel entitled to a good job and a nice life, why would you strive for something you don't deserve?

Originally posted by daskakik
reply to post by tothetenthpower

 

All I see is older generations being Social Engineered into resenting younger generations.

Divide and conquer seems to work even on those who have been around the block a few times.

Why would I resent someone who cannot pull their face out of their iPhone? Kidding! just kidding! I'm now seeing lil' 'ol blue haired people doing that these days as well.

The generational divide has been and will always be around. It's not really divide and conquer, but rather manipulative perception.

I'm sure you've heard the saying, "Back in my day..."

daskakik
reply to post by tothetenthpower

 

All I see is older generations being Social Engineered into resenting younger generations.

Divide and conquer seems to work even on those who have been around the block a few times.

I don't dislike this generation. Quite teh contrary.

The ones I know who came up well are fantastic. They are involved, intelligent, passionate about their ideals and goals. Everything a well rounded young adult should be.

However, there's a lot of them lacking.

~Tenth

reply to post by James1982


See, the OP and James are both right.

It's true, this has been social engineered. Some of it was nefarious directly, and some of it was simply by "necessity" of the businesses which sought to make more money without thinking about the long term effects of their less than ethical business decisions.

But business and government are tied in. And government wants power, and saw the power, and uses it.

Government not just being the elected body, but also anyone that has any authority over another.

I'm with James.

Except that James, the world is very full of the people which the OP describes. Maybe you're not seeing as clearly as you think. Pay a little more attention to those that are around you. Get into their mindset and their attitude a little, and I'm sure you will find even most of the poor these days have the same exact attitude.

I grew up rarely getting anything I "wanted". And getting a lot less than society claims is "necessary".

I didn't live in the projects, but I lived on their street, right next to them. And they beat the crap outta me.

Well, so did everyone in my school. In high school I wasn't toyed with a whole lot because I had hardened by then.

But I had no real friends, ever. And this is just the truth, that's all. I'm not resentful for it; in fact, I'm so extremely thankful for it. I got to see the ugliness of people firsthand. I got to be on the receiving end of all the garbage that human beings have; the very same human beings that others would say are "angels".

And even those that called themselves my friends, the very few that dared to say that, would not back me up when I was in trouble.

I became quite the dreamer, indeed!

I was taught by my parents to bust my ass. BUST. I was 3 and 4 years old pulling up weeds with my grandma. I was 5 years old doing the dishes, doing the laundry, cleaning my room, making my own bed (how many of you know how hard it is for a 5 year old to change his own sheets on a mattress of which the corners aren't even that easy for an adult to bend for the corners of sheets... If you're under 40, most of you never felt that, much less did it everyday) - mowing the lawn, cleaning the shed (that means taking everything out, scrubbing it all, spotless, with your hands, not a stick, polishing, reorganizing... 40-somethings put these projects off these days as "someday I'll do that, maybe next Sunday"), cleaning the windows in the house, dusting (with a wet washcloth and a bucket, not a little feathery thingy); that's all only at the age of 5. By the time I was 10, I was painting, roofing, building, working on my parents cars with my dad and grandpa; I was remodeling the house with my mom. I didn't have friends. I wasn't allowed to go. I was working, constantly.

And then my mom would say, "Go get me some cookies please. And don't take any, I will find out if you do."

This was normal to me. So I surely thought the other kids had it even worse, the ones that were beating me up and picking on me; because I always learned that kids like that had it worse at home, so therefore, I would not just be afraid of them, but feel sorry for them.

Hmm.

No sense in getting into everything I learned. That would take 29 years to type.

I can tell you simply though, it takes less than 29 years to learn the wisdom of a naturally dying man. Which isn't much, really. Us people, we aren't so very wise. We like to think we are.

Wisdom is relative, so I speak in all things relatively.

God says that any who see themselves as wise, they are fools.

Well, I'm a big fool then.

And then I realize, if I'm such a big fool, how foolish can everyone else actually be?

So then there is no point in being wise, sometimes. So much pain... until you become callused. And then for you to care about something, it's really gotta be sharp to dig in.

Well, unless you're wise enough to rip off the calluses and keep yourself raw.

Whereas I once strayed from trouble, now I dive into it. Not that I seek to cause trouble, but that I wonder what can overcome me.

The experiences I have been through already have given me the ability to take on anyone mentally, spiritually, emotionally, and physically; and the last not the least, by any means.

And this is just the truth. That's all. I have no more actual potential than anyone else. But the world created in me a monster against itself. By necessity, partially because of that social engineering towards everyone, everyone was engineered to create me.

And how can I have pretend humility? I cannot be a hypocrite and therefore lie.

But God has made sure to keep me humble.

The world will not easily give me a dime, but I am always full.

The world will not easily give me shelter, but I am rained upon only by my choice, and my family with me.

But my weakness? Beautiful women. Aye carumba.

As a parent of four young children, I think this is such an important thread to read and a hugely valuable point to make!
I've seen the results of the 'special snowflake' approach first hand in a member of my extended in-laws family - in fact it could very well be her you are describing. In her mid-twenties, she possesses equal measures of arrogance and entitlement mixed with surprisingly little life experience and quite frankly, it's shocking!

She has been raised being told she is beautiful, perfect and never had to lift a finger domestically. She has sailed through university, obtained her degree but having got it, believed she was above working. Fortunately, a member of the family slightly more grounded forced her to find a job. No easy task as anything that involved working your way up from the bottom was not tolerated and she stormed out of several jobs for being asked to do filing, telling them in no uncertain terms that she should not have to do such things as she has a degree. Believe me, it's not pretty to witness! At all!

So I know exactly what you are referring to and know it does exist and I agree with you about where this originates from, ie the everybody wins culture!

Bringing me to my own kids, it's not easy and there's of course no rule book! My middle daughter is 7yrs and an extreme perfectionist by nature. This results in tears if she cannot do a task perfectly after the first few tries - we've had a few total meltdowns because of this! And as a parent, I believe that situations like this are the basis for building character - do I tell her never mind, she doesn't need to do it and it doesn't matter because she is great at a, b or c, or do I encourage her to try and try until she realizes that with a bit of work, effort and practice she can do it. In my opinion, the latter option works, but having said that there will be occasions where she can't be good at everything so I guess a balance is healthy.

I think it's so important to instill self-confidence in our kids, ( and I think that's where the 'snowflake' upbringing has gone too far - maybe over confidence) however in my opinion self confidence should always ALWAYS be mixed with an equal measure of humility.

Hopefully there are enough insightful parents out there to ensure that a good chunk of up and coming generations are realistic and grounded.

Originally posted by tothetenthpower
The ones I know who came up well are fantastic. They are involved, intelligent, passionate about their ideals and goals. Everything a well rounded young adult should be.

Then why bust out such a broad brush?