|
CHINA> Focus
![]() |
|
The war between the 80s and the 90s in China
(Shanghai Daily)
Updated: 2008-07-08 13:22 BEIJING -- Children. Children. Stop that bickering. Grow up. You're both flowers of the nation, so call a truce and work together for China. Easier said than done. What's a parent to do? What's the younger generation coming to? Feuding continues online. An Internet war of words is raging between China's younger generations - the 1980s and the 1990s - commonly known as the "Strawberries" (pretty and easily bruised, also the "little emperors") and, for purposes of this article, the "Jellies" (colorful, insubstantial gelatin desserts). The Jellies are commonly called the "non-mainstream" generation. The outlook includes individualistic views like "I can live by myself." This article is about some - by no means all - of the two generations of young people, overwhelmingly urban. It is based on Internet research and interviews with 40 young people - 20 Strawberries and 20 Jellies.
This furor and Internet slug fest is passionate and sometimes nasty, though comic at times. It has even reached the mainstream media, television and newspapers. There are Strawberry salvos, Jelly rejoinders. It's about values and identity, who's patriotic and responsible, who's spoiled and pampered. Both sides online are outspoken and defiant. The feud sheds light on China's young people who grew up in the period of opening up and reform that began in 1978. The 1980s generation - the Strawberries - knew China before rampant consumerism; many in the 1990s - the Jellies - have known only abundance, and many of the outspoken Jellies are arrogant in their affluence. The Strawberries were the original rebels, the "egocentric kids" and Chinese "beats" with wild and crazy ideas, dabbling in new values. Now they see the Jellies as "self-centered and irresponsible, materialistic, spoiled brats." The Jellies, on the other hand, see the Strawberries as "ho-hum has-beens, out-of-date." They see themselves as the future of China, glittering and upbeat. Retired English teacher Paul Wang has taught both the 1980s and 1990s students and worries more about kids today. "I worry more about the 1990s, because kids from the 1980s, although naughty and rebellious, would still listen to teachers, if not fear teachers. They have different opinions and would argue with me, but there was still respect." Kids today are different, says Wang. "They know your salary, they know that you won't criticize them and many of them don't respect us anymore." Leslie Song, a consultant in the Education Commission of Pudong District, agrees. "Teachers cannot criticize kids today as they did with the 1980s generation. The education bureau suggests teachers be nice to the students, especially those who don't do well in school, telling them they are smart and just need a little more time and effort." The online conflict began some four months ago, the response to two self-recorded video clips posted at vastly popular site. It was launched by a Strawberry who denounced the Jellies. Then came the Jelly rejoinder. The war was on. There was a brief respite when the earthquake struck on May 12. Since the earthquake, commentators in newspapers and on TV have shown a greater appreciation of the 1980s generation. The views can be summed up this way: "We used to feel disappointed about the 1980s, but they showed unbelievable courage and energy after the earthquake and proved they are patriotic and responsible enough to support this nation."
And on the 1990s: "This generation is listless. They don't know what they want because they have everything. They don't care about anything else except themselves." The Strawberry salvo was 15 minutes, titled "On the Non-Mainstream" by a "professor." It was a clever satire based on CCTV's evening news program. The masked guest, the "professor" himself, used the TV news format to discuss the "problem" of the "non-mainstream generation." The clip showed typical 1990s clothing and fashion, Webpage design and writing styles. It criticized them as "stupid." It set off a firestorm. There were thousands of visits and a blizzard of comments in just a few days. |
主站蜘蛛池模板: 亚洲国产欧美另类 | 亚洲精品在线视频观看 | 国产影视av| 91插插插插插| 欧美性网站 | 亚洲一区二区三区在线免费观看 | 国产精品久久久久久在线观看 | 国产日皮视频 | 深夜国产福利 | 久国产 | 久久亚洲综合 | 欧美偷拍第一页 | 在线观看免费av片 | 欧美精品一二三 | 一区二区三区日韩视频 | 日本全裸美女 | 午夜免费网站 | 久久久亚洲| 亚洲天堂视频网站 | 四虎影视8848 | 91在线精品一区二区三区 | 糖心vlog在线免费观看 | 免费看av大片 | 亚洲成av人影院 | av在线免费播放网址 | 精品日韩在线观看 | 久操色 | 午夜av毛片 | 国产一区二区免费 | 国产第页 | 日韩中文字幕免费视频 | 日本一区二区视频在线 | 国产一级片免费在线观看 | 亚洲欧美另类综合 | 免费黄网站在线 | 亚洲精品91 | 国产精品第72页 | 天天操天天草 | 碰碰人人| 中文字幕天堂在线 | 毛片在线观看视频 |