NOTE: As this essay goes to press, I still have received no explanation from Facebook why I cannot see my two most recent essays, "Landing a Blogger" and "The Suppression Syndrome." Of course I have other copies of these writings, but this situation defeats the main purpose of publishing on FB, which is interacting with readers. Not seeing comments or having the ability to respond to them has removed all the joy from this experience.😡
The top story today comes from the Post and concerns the tangling, or "lying down" movement among young middle-class Chinese tired of the lack of upward mobility in their society.
Usually when this sort of generational behavior shows up in one place it will be repeated elsewhere around the world, at least in developed societies.
First it has to start somewhere, and in this case it's China, where hard work and consumerism has been the mantra from authorities for decades.
The negative reaction is apparently particularly prevalent in the vibrant tech industry, where the expectation is that employees will work a "996" schedule, i.e., from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. six days a week.
Analysts are drawing parallels to rebellions among previous generations of U.S. youth, from the Beats to the Hippies to the Slackers. And indeed, there may be corollaries to what is happening here this time around.
I base that conclusion on a small sample size -- my own 20-somethings and their friends.
A persistent theme I've picked up from my conversations in recent years that they have little hope of replicating, let alone bettering the lifestyles of their parents.
"I'll never be able to afford a house," is one constant refrain I hear from 20-year-olds around here. Another is, "What good is a degree?"
In this country, the massive amount of college loan debt is aa albatross around an entire generation's neck. Early promises that the Biden administration would offer at least some debt relief have not been kept -- an omission that has not gone unnoticed by young progressives.
And they are the precisely the voting block that Democrats need to be actively engaged if they want to retain their narrow Congressional majorities in the 2022 midterm elections.
I've been surprised that Biden's team has not fulfilled this relatively low-cost campaign promise. I believe it will prove to be a fatal error. Without substantial debt relief -- at least $10,000 per student -- the youth turnout will be very low in the upcoming election cycle, ruining Democratic chances.
The youngest members of Gen X and oldest members of Gen Z have already seen their expectations severely curtailed by the pandemic. They are the ones who had no graduation ceremonies, prom dates, parties or real senior year experiences in high school and college.
Their degrees and accomplishments currently feel empty to them. And no political leader save Bernie Sanders seems to care about them -- from their perspective.
The economic downturn caused by the pandemic has hit them extremely hard -- entry level jobs dried up and employers have been slow to recognize the need now to devise new incentives for a group not necessarily as motivated to work their way up from the bottom as previous generations.
Anxiety, depression and addiction are running at high levels among young Americans. Alcohol and drug use is at frightening levels, as are suicides. Many of our brightest youths are focused on the existential threat of climate change as the ultimate limit confronting their future prospects.
More than a few have said they do not want to bring children into this world.
Climate activist Greta Thunberg has been trying to raise a warning flag abut the alienation of her peers for years, but it is not clear that anyone in power has been listening.
This deafness is indefensible, here and around the world. Accordingly, a huge political price that will be paid.
***
The headlines:
* Young Chinese take a stand against pressures of modern life — by lying down. They are rebelling against society through a simple act of resistance: lying down. Examples of the tangping, or “lying flat,” way of life include not getting married, not having children, not buying a house or a car and refusing to work extra hours or to hold a job at all. (WP)
* Biden Left Student Debt Relief Out of His Budget (Next Adviser/Time)
* Has Biden Abandoned Student-Loan Forgiveness? (New York)
* The White House promised a memo on Biden's authority to cancel student debt. Where is it? (NBC News)
* Biden Won’t Support Progressive Student-Loan Forgiveness Plan, He Says (Forbes)
* Emails show the increasingly urgent efforts by President Trump and his allies during his last days in office to find some way to undermine, or even nullify, the election results. (NYT)
* Trump, allies try to rewrite and distort history of pandemic while villainizing Fauci -- The focus on where the virus came from, and efforts to place blame on infectious disease expert Anthony S. Fauci, appear to be an attempt to distract from the chief failure of the Trump administration — its uneven and chaotic response once the virus began spreading within the U.S. (WP)
* Another Covid side effect: Many kids head to summer school (AP)
* ‘Do We Need to Be in Hong Kong?’ Global Companies Are Eying the Exits (WSJ)
* Trump advances dangerous disinformation campaign as more states move to restrict the vote (CNN)
* Workers Are Gaining Leverage Over Employers Right Before Our Eyes -- “Employers are becoming much more cognizant that yes, it’s about money, but also about quality of life.” (NYT)
* As Reopening Continues, Pride Celebrations Return Cautiously (NPR)
* Sinkholes, Collapsing Canal Walls, Rickety Bridges: Amsterdam Is Crumbling -- For the next two decades, the scenic city and tourist magnet is going to look more like one gigantic construction site. (NYT)
* Before violent Oregon Capitol breach, GOP lawmaker coached people on slipping in, video shows (WP)
* Alzheimer’s Drug Poses a Dilemma for the F.D.A. -- If the agency approves it, aducanumab would be the first new Alzheimer’s treatment since 2003. Patients are desperate for new options, but some scientists say there isn’t enough evidence it works. (NYT)
* Biden vows his support for the ‘critical role’ the arts play in America (WP)
* Why the battle for gay marriage was won so easily (WP)
* Finance Leaders Reach Global Tax Deal Aimed at Ending Profit Shifting (NYT)
* With their logo in Pride colors, Giants bring the celebration onto the field for the first time (WP)
* TV Critic Struggling To Explain Appeal Of Watching Television To Average American (The Onion)Hello morning, now when does the fun begin?
Goodbye morning, sorry it had to end
But see I cried just a little too long
Now it's time for me to be strong
[Verse 2]
Hello morning, I sure missed you last night
Goodbye morning, you just won't do me right
I stayed just a little too long
Now it's time for me to move on
[Chorus]
They say I'm hopeless...
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