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Post-90s youth: Don't label me selfish
By Qiu Kaiyu |
September 6, 2010, Monday
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IN each era, people are eager to identify and label the youngest up-and-coming generation and lament how they might be different from their predecessors. All over the world, this is very common, but in my view people shouldn't rush to generalize.
On August 23, the Harvard College Association for US-China Relations Summit for Young Leaders in China ended. Thirty students from Harvard and more than 300 top Chinese high school students, including me, finished our challenging and rewarding summer camp in Shanghai.
There's one detail worth noting - most of the students were born in the 1990s. And from my experience and observation, I take objection to the negative stereotype of the "post-1990s generation" as largely self-centered.
When we visited the Romania Pavilion in the Expo Park, we all applauded the performance and shouted "thank you" in unison at the end. The curator praised us as the most enthusiastic and understanding audience.
When someone fell behind in outdoor activities, others would automatically wait for him or her without complaint. When someone was presented awards in the closing ceremony, other students loudly shouted his or her name and applauded passionately.
"Self-centered" behavior, the tag always applied to the "post-1990s generation," was rare in the summer camp participants.
The younger generation is also a hot topic in the USA. The name is "Generation Y" or "Net Generation," following "Generation X." As in China, that generation is generally characterized by an increased use of and familiarity with media and digital technologies. These young people are called "self-centered," "naive," "spoiled," "rebellious," etc.
However, the American "Generation Y" itself does not think that way. Most of the seminar teachers, or Harvard students, think there is little difference between the American "Generation Y" and the Chinese "post-1990s generation."
Both are intelligent, innovative, greatly interested in many things, and "amazing." But perhaps the Chinese "post-1990s generation" are somewhat shy and quiet at first.
In addition, I have to admit that there are some problems among us Chinese "post-1990s generation." For example, a boy crisis does exist. The students in the summer camp were selected from more than 4,000 applicants and the ratio of boys to girls was 1:2. Girls now have an overwhelming advantage and boys thus collapse into a crisis.
Furthermore, the vision of some outstanding high school students seemed somewhat narrow since their choices in the seminar curriculum tended to be rather practical and utilitarian. "Business development" was the most popular curriculum while "American cinema" was one of the least popular. Here does lie a difference between the American "Generation Y" and the Chinese "post-1990s generation."
During the summit, participants were encouraged to independently analyze, discuss and challenge ideas. In addition to seminars, the Distinguished Speaker Series exposed students to knowledge and experiences outside the classroom by providing access to the insights of leaders in business, politics, academia and the arts. Finally, Action for Tomorrow Venture offered us the opportunity to act as innovators and leaders.
Take one day's curriculum as an example. At 7:30am breakfast, 8:30am seminar, 10:30am speaker, 12pm lunch, 1pm discussion about the World Expo, 2pm seminar, 3:30pm extracurricular activities, 5:30pm dinner, 7pm writing workshop, 8pm house games, 10pm meeting with teachers before bed.
It was obvious that 10:30pm was about the earliest anyone could get to bed. Even so, students were enthusiastic to do homework late until midnight or 2am.
"Hazy eyes, constant yawning and dizzy head could not contain my excitement about tomorrow's activities," one participant wrote in a notebook.
The great East-West cultural differences, instead of making for misunderstanding, aroused great interest in communicating between the new generations of the two countries.
Stereotype
Self-centered? Spoiled? Rebellious? Now do you still remember the stereotype?
Let's look back. People can still remember that the "post-1980s generation" was once known as the "new humans." Therefore, the "post-1990s generation" became the "new new humans" since they might be different from their predecessors.
The tag somehow showed society's disapproval of the young generation.
However, as far as I am concerned, each generation has its unique rebellion, if it is rebellion.
For the "post-1990s generation," so-called "rebellion" means imagination, open-mindedness, courage and innovation.
Times are different and the different environment and atmosphere no doubt shape the new features of the young generation. I believe it will shape the new era while it also has been shaped by the new era, no matter in China, in USA, or in other countries.
The Young Leaders Conference thus provides a good perspective for us to observe the true nature of the "post-1990s generation" and of the new era.
Kipling said, "East is east, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet!" But now, a century later, the two have met. More important, this meeting is not a choice between East and West. It's a real cross-cultural encounter, selecting each one's best and making it our own.
And this encounter just took place in the amazing "post-1990s generation," in us.
(The author is an 11th grader from Shanghai Nanyang Model High School.)
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