The Snowflake Fallacy

Trigger: FROST

I was going to write something clever for this trigger, but in the end I decided to just tell you what goes through my head every time I think of winter and, more specifically, a snowy winter.

It’s been a while since I was last enjoying hip-high snowdrifts or snowball fights or the sight of giant white phalli being erected every fifty meters because people think they are soooooo funny or icy walkways or the ever-present danger of snow falling off a roof or tree without a sound and just nailing you right smack on the head and you didn’t see it coming so you are freaking out, all the while with snow dripping down your back, and you know that weird Chinese chick across the street is laughing at you because, well, it’s hilarious to watch when it’s not you.

Protip: snowball fights are an awesome way to meet people. Everyone looks good decked out in heavy winter gear pelting snowballs at each other and then you will inevitably tackle someone into the snow and, well, everyone who yanks off their beanie or hood and shakes their hair out looks awesome doing it, especially when they are out of breath and having the time of their lives.

But I digress.

We have always been told that snowflakes are unique. That each one is different and no two are alike. It’s taken as such a truth that it is now an overused metaphor for people who think they are in fact so special that the rules and general conventions don’t apply to them. (Just because you all look different doesn’t mean you all don’t still MELT, yeesh; how’s that for overextending a metaphor?)

So here’s something for you to chew on: when a snowflake is deemed unique, does that mean it is distinct from the snowflakes in that same round of snowfall? Or that it is distinct from all snowflakes that fall in that geographical region? Does it mean that each snowflake is unique now and forever, different from each snowflake that came before it and melted away… and those that have yet to fall?

Because if you think about how many snowflakes there are in a single snowfall, well, how do you even go about sorting out which of those claims, if any, are true?