Fight Club's patriarchal, proto-fascist Project Mayhem is actually an excellent comparison to the alt-right. In fact, it wouldn't be surprising if many of the extreme right were inspired by the fictional organisation that wants to wipe its ass with the Mona Lisa and watch the world burn. So, by that logic, it would make sense that the often uncreative alt-right would steal their favourite slur from Chuck Palahniuk's popular book for perpetually drunk undergrad frat bros.
The author himself claims that he invented the term "snowflake," which members of the alt-right—plus Mike Huckabee and Kellyanne Conway—have proudly used to describe protesters, liberals, and really anyone that doesn't agree with their message of hatred and intolerance. In some cases, the alt-right will anonymously use it in emails to address writers who acknowledge that 3 Doors Down sucks. Observe:
But where does it come from, and what does it mean? Palahniuk says its usage as a vaguely aggressive slur comes from his book.
"It does come from Fight Club," Palahniuk told the Evening Standard. "There is a line, 'You are not special. You are not a beautiful and unique snowflake.'"
But it seems like Palahniuk doesn't disagree with the term's usage, saying that it's more accurate today than it was when the book was published in 1999. "There is a kind of new Victorianism," he said. "Every generation gets offended by different things, but my friends who teach in high school tell me that their students are very easily offended."
If by "offended," he means "standing up for the basic human rights that this country was founded on," then yes, I suppose he's right. But then again, his book—later turned into a big-budget movie starring Brad Pitt that empowered impotent men through petty anarchism—portrays similarly sad and pathetic men who have lost all of their power and feel they must destroy society to regain their standing... Kinda like the members of the alt-right themselves.
