Opinion | Among the young, hard work is passé but privilege is in
Kelly Yang laments the apparent loss of appetite for hard work among the young, in favour of privilege as a means to succeed
The recent news that 84 per cent of young people felt that doing well in mainland China has more to do with having a powerful dad than working hard or being smart is depressing, but not entirely surprising.
After all, nepotism is nothing new in China. We've all heard stories of people going to absurd lengths to date so-and-so's son or daughter, often going into debt to keep up appearances of wealth in order to reap the benefits of having such ties.
But it seems that China has gone too far. On the playground, six-year-olds openly brag about the influence of their daddies. And a hiring programme entitled "Sons and Daughters" at JPMorgan Chase, which put the friends and family of China's ruling elite on a fast track at the prestigious bank, is now the subject of a US federal bribery investigation.
For far too many young Chinese, the attitude (to compare and see whose dad is more powerful) is not simply a way to escape the sweat and toil of hard work; it's a realistic reaction to their uncertain future. According to Peking University sociology professor Lu Linhui , young people from impoverished families are finding it increasingly difficult to secure high-paying jobs in China.
Here in Hong Kong, many students I talked to found the phenomenon of sad and alarming. However, when I asked them whether parents should help their children secure an internship or a job, they all said yes. Hong Kong kids think their parents ought to pay for their education through college and graduate school. Some say parents should pay for their apartment and food even after graduation.
It seems to me that's just a hop and a skip away from the attitude. This is doubly disappointing since one of the characteristics that sets Hong Kong apart has always been the idea that you can go from rags to riches just by working hard. Today, this idea is a harder sell. Instead of Li Ka-shing, our youth are more likely to cite Richard Li Tzar-kai as a model. Instead of Dickson Poon, they admire Dee Poon.
