China: from “I rest stretched out” to “I let myself rot”. The disillusionment of young people that destroys society
As also reported by the media spread in the West , there is a profound crisis of ideals and a radical disillusionment in China “ I am in Bailan . Leave me alone , ”read a note posted on the bedroom door of Yan Jie, 28.
Yan, who shares an apartment with a colleague on the outskirts of Shanghai, teased himself, saying he was lazy, using the new phrase " bailan ", which literally means "let it rot" and which is becoming increasingly popular among Chinese youth.
“ When I'm given a task at work, I try to avoid it. If I have to do it, I do it but inadequately , ”said Yan, who works for a midsize IT company.
" When my parents ask me when I will get married, I reply that I will leave it to chance to decide ."
Bailan refers to an attitude of renunciation towards a deteriorating situation. The term derives from the feeling of many Chinese youths that they are powerless to fight the forces that make social expectations unattainable.
So, rather than spending energy trying to solve an impossible situation, many decide to "let it go", essentially giving up the struggle for high or any kind of results in Chinese society.
The term is an evolution of the term "lay down", which has entered the global lexicon and means "do enough to get by". It has become so mainstream that it is now a commonly used phrase by the Chinese government at all levels, from local cadres to the highest authorities.
Professor Yu Hai, from the Sociology Department of Shanghai Fudan University, explained that, having already embraced the lay down mentality of doing the bare minimum to survive, Chinese youth have now taken this mentality to new heights. , "Letting things rot", letting everything go to waste without making any direct commitment to anything. .
"Lying down" is a neutral expression, a harmless choice not to commit more than is essential to one's survival. But the expression 'let it rot', which shows how people give up completely and are willing to accept an even worse situation, suggests a negative connotation, something that appears to be morally reprehensible, ”he said.
Yan, an IT worker, said the factors contributing to his penchant for " letting things rot " are inaccessible housing prices and high dating expectations. Rather than strive to meet these standards that he will never meet, he has decided to ignore them completely.
The origins of bailan derive from basketball, one of the most popular sports in China. The term described situations in which players even stopped engaging in the game and were beaten permanently, but now its meaning has extended to the social realm.
On Xiaohongshu, the Chinese Instagram-like service, a search for the term bailan returned about 2.3 million results. On Bilibili, a YouTube-like company, videos with “let it rot” in the title are among the most popular of the service.
Although the "let it rot" mentality is not necessarily universal among Chinese youth, experts say it is widespread enough to indicate a real sense of pessimism and disillusionment among the younger Chinese generations. They pointed out that this is a noteworthy phenomenon that could have a negative impact on an already slowing economy.
For example, China's youth unemployment rate was 19.9% in July, which, when combined with inaccessible housing, makes the thought of starting an active and profitable professional life seem unattainable. For people in their 20s and 30s, the expectation of caring for aging parents and at the same time raising young children is now a huge burden amid rising living costs across all industries.
What is the root cause of this malaise? Professor Shi Lei, who specializes in economics at Fudan University, said that the increased competition on the labor market and in social life is the result of economic progress in recent decades and of economic openness, including international ones.
“Several decades ago, when we started the reform and opening policy, many jobs and opportunities were available, as the threshold for talent was low. People felt it was easy to make money. But this period is over, ”he said, referring to China's economic opening in 1978.
"A better resume is now needed to meet the high demand for economic growth, which makes it harder for some to find jobs, and has created a surge in the number of postgraduate students."
He noted that the pessimistic attitude of young people could threaten the already slowing economy. The phenomenon will still be contained, but it is an indication of a company that is no longer able to manage the excess of competition, but it is precisely ambition and competition that have made China grow. How will the Dragon dominate the world if his own young people have already given up?
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The article China: from "I rest stretched out" to "I let myself rot". The disillusionment of young people that destroys society comes from ScenariEconomici.it .
This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/cina-dal-resto-steso-al-mi-lascio-marcire-la-disillusione-dei-giovani-che-distrugge-la-societa/ on Tue, 04 Oct 2022 10:40:06 +0000.