Friday, March 28, 2008

China's Generation Divide. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/1220370.stm

We have been discussing the differences in China’s recent generation in my UNCG MALS class, Modern China.
Today’s youth are exposed to the Internet, television, popular magazines, video games, American movies, western culture and a host of other underground activities that their parents could not have imagined in their own youth. There is an incredible difference in the two generations. The infamous Cultural Revolution practically eliminated childhood for many of today’s parents, which increases the misunderstanding and even bewilderment at their own children’s behavior. There is definitely a great divide in the values that Chinese culture has historically maintained and today’s values which are influenced and compromised by the aforementioned exposures.
In a 2001 BBC article by Duncan Hewitt, he reports that Chinese kids today are more violent and have increased attacks on their own parents. This is a new phenomenon that contradicts the peaceful resolutions of China’s main religion, Buddhism. I have attached the article so that you may read the full account. Unfortunately, some of our undesirable western cultures now include violent teenagers and young people who have little self control, resulting in attacks on teachers, parents and other figures of authority. Hopefully, these negative images will not become commonplace in China.

Click title for link to BBC.

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