In Defense of Millennial Snowflakes by Joshua Heath The general view of my generation, the millennials, from older conservatives is that we are weak, overly emotional, lazy, and entitled. This consensus is often expressed through use of a particular one-word insult: snowflake, as in “You spoiled, weak little snowflakes, when my granddaddy was your age he was storming Normandy, not playing Pokémon go and listening to Joy Division!”. It’s a powerful image. Snowflakes are paper-thin, weak, and blown this way and that by the elements. When older folks use it, they are saying we are human embodiments of those fragile forms. But let me say here today, enough is enough, I am sick of this slander against my generation, we deserve better than what these critics say. Certainly it is true millennials have had a tougher time growing up than previous generations--our high-rates of depression and anxiety show this. This is perfectly understandable however, for we also face tremendous burdens that our parents and grandparents did not. Consider today’s economic numbers. Even though we are the most educated cohort in American history, my generation is entering a job-market where half of positions pay less than $18 an hour. That is the definition of a low-wage economy and makes millennials disproportionately likely to occupy jobs that don’t provide enough income. In addition, many young people start their careers with massive student loan debt, which eats away at whatever wages they