Posted on 03/25/2017 7:20:03 AM PDT by ThE_RiPpEr.
“#NoSnowflakes,” warns an employee recruitment campaign, but the West Salem-based construction company meant no political offense by the message it put on a Third Street billboard, according to its business recruitment manager.
The term was first used in pop culture to disparage spoiled, lazy millennials at the turn of the century and in more recent years has been applied generally to political liberals.
“We don’t care what politics a person has as long as they show up and work hard all day long,” Greg Brickl said when asked about a politically loaded term that has raised some eyebrows.
Brickl said Brickl Bros. values all of its employees, along with the racial, religious, political and other diverse backgrounds and experiences they bring to the job.
“Snowflake” got its start as a significant term in pop culture in the 1999 cult film “Fight Club,” in which author Chuck Palahniuk’s Tyler Durden character tells his crew of anarchist thugs, “You are not special. You are not a beautiful and unique snowflake.”
As part of a campaign to recruit people to the construction trade, Brickl Bros. uses about 10 different hashtags, including the #NoSnowflakes used on a billboard at Third and Jackson streets. Other hashtags include #LifeSkills, #BoldlyForward and #TrueGrit. Brickl said they reflect the kind of job candidate his company is looking for.
The construction industry means hard work, he said, and employees have to be physically and mentally tough. The campaign targets people who are attracted to this kind of work.
“Construction isn’t a career for anybody,” Brickl said. “It is a career for a small percentage of the population who can work as hard as is required. For those unwilling, another career might be good for you.”
Twitter and Facebook searches for #NoSnowflake produce thousands of political posts criticizing liberals and college students.
Thomas O’Guinn, a marketing professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and expert on branding and advertising, said he didn’t think using the term made sense, but he could understand its application. He said the move could result in a smaller applicant pool or even a loss of liberal customers if the campaign rubs enough people the wrong way.
The connotations of the term are easily found using an internet search, O’Guinn pointed out.
“I can see the market logic,” he said. “But they could have done the same thing without sticking their thumbs in the eyes of some people.”
“when asked about a politically loaded term that has raised some eyebrows”
If you need to ask why or find the term offensive, YOU’RE a snowflake!
Conservatives believe in individual responsibility, and the uniqueness and value of each human life.
Snowflakes believes the world revolves around them, and that they are MORE SPECIAL than everyone else.
4 hours sorting packages
Manager gets half a dozen recruits ...takes them around the work floor to show them the job.
2 don't come back
2 more quit after a few days
2 recruits suck it up and stay.
Yes they could have. I see it as a bonus enhancement!
It takes a snowflake to recognize themselves!
An interesting twist (well to me at any rate) - I’m increasingly finding lefties trying to “universalize” the term snowflake. Snowflake has a distinct connotation of melting under pressure but these lefties toss it out in the same way they do “wingnut” or “rethuglican”.
I don’t see signs that it is catching on (how can it when it doesn’t make sense?!) but it is a sign that they recognize the mocking value of the term and want desperately to appropriate it.
I agree.
As I understand the problems today though, the drug test and just plain coming to work everyday are major problems
Sorry, Mr. Marketing Prof., potential customers, even liberal ones, might perceive this to be a serious, can-do business that builds quality projects, on time, and on budget. Anybody spending money wants those qualities (except government buyers where other qualities are required).
And the snowflakes are reacting in such a way that completely validates the company’s philosophy.
It is not uncommon in construction and manufacturing for a new hire to leave at lunch, never to be seen again.
And, Double Down. :)
“Snowflake” isn’t a protected status: I fully support discriminating against them.
They need to add #nosafezone
#XX and XY restooms only
NO SNOWFLAKES! 
LOL
Reminds me of the first guy I worked for as a carpenter in the ‘70s. He had a rule that he wouldn’t hire anyone who had gone to college. Broke his own rule once and boy did we all regret it.
I have 6 co-workers in my office who have been absent in the past 7 business days. Each gone a day then back to work. I do not know how many miss work in our other location on the east coast office but it all got noticed.
The director sent out an email about using sick days and explained not to abuse them or as they said “you know what”.
There are 9 people in the office including the manager with a total of 28 overall including the night shift.
Those absence are about 30 years old and stare at their cell phones all day or play video games or watch shows between doing their work.
A quote from a Snowflake professor no less.
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