Instead of even trying to chase jobs that seem out of reach, Gen Z is embracing living like a rat—not showering or leaving the house for days at a time.

Instead of even trying to chase jobs that seem out of reach, Gen Z is embracing living like a rat—not showering or leaving the house for days at a time.

The millennial era of “work hard, play harder” and “girl bossing” has given way to a new trend. In China, at least, Gen Zers are proudly calling themselves “rat people”—they’re spending entire days procrastinating in bed, scrolling on their phones, snoozing and ordering take out.

I think it has something to do with “giving up” on the economy: if you have very low chances of landing a job anyways, why even try?

The article does not directly tell us how many people participate in this movement consciously. It does hint, however:

Today, over 4 million American Gen Zers remain jobless. In China, the government has said that as of February, 1 in 6 young people are unemployed.

  • network_switch@lemmy.mlEnglish
    125·
    7 个月前

    I always find these articles being so popular in western social media weird and subtly braggy. It’s like the Lyndon Johnson quote about about making white feel better than black people so you can rob them of whatever. Such a distraction that makes people feel like we’re better than them/at least we’re not them. Yet pretty much every trend I’ve seen about Chinese ennui was at the time true of Americans and western Europeans just articles being written about the ennui would not be mainstream for a couple more years. Like minimalism during the financial crisis or recently quiet-quitting in the US were celebrated in US social media as great workers movements that are positive social movements and a sign of cultural strength while lying flat in China in US social media is a sign of societal decline. Whatever either is, it’s the same shit. It’s always weird exoticism to me. You don’t get popular articles about youth expectations about young people in Romania or Greece

    • commander@lemmy.worldEnglish
      7·
      7 个月前

      Americans shouldn’t be looking at other countries to feel better about themselves regardless. They should be letting themselves feel bad so that they actually maintain some energy levels to fight for their own rights domestically instead of contributing to the constant stream of jingoism that has been American media since inception. Decades living and its a cycle of next enemy while economic disparity just keeps widening but people are pacifying themselves with the next enemy

    • shikitohno@lemm.eeEnglish
      2·
      7 个月前

      I would imagine it reads rather differently to different people. Rich guys reading Forbes probably think it’s a great dunk on China. Meanwhile, I’m reading it thinking, “Shit, I could get behind this. Just wish I lived somewhere that it didn’t mean I would be homeless in less than a year if I tried it.”

    • Googledotcom@lemm.eeEnglish
      42·
      7 个月前

      Ehh it’s just your projection, people aren’t okay all over the world because of global downturn

      There’s no bragging, just journalism. I am from Poland btw and here and in eu all gen z have similar tendencies. Worse in USA and China probably but it is a global trend

  • Googledotcom@lemm.eeEnglish
    122·
    7 个月前

    The greatest tragedy of 21 century is masses of pacified people who farm karma and validity online in some circlejerks to feel dopamine hits from moral superiority.

    It’s the real brain drain of today.

    When they give up, the Machiavellists who were countered by brave people in the past come in full force.

    I ask you… no I beg you. Use the internet to enhance communication, not just as an escape. We cannot afford to run from the problems any longer

    • gandalf_der_12te@discuss.tchncs.deOPEnglish
      5·
      7 个月前

      To tell another story, workers are like kindle of the great furnace of the industrial-capitalist complex, and to stay at home is to take away the fuel from the machine.

  • answersplease77@lemmy.worldEnglish
    212·
    7 个月前

    how can you afford staying in bed scrolling on phone and ordering takeouts? rent, electric, phone, gas bills? is it because their boomer parents have one child and pay everything for them even when they grow up?

  • BackgrndNoize@lemmy.worldEnglish
    22·
    7 个月前

    I’m doing the same thing in the US after getting laid off, have no energy or motivation to apply for jobs or prep for interview. I’m kinda depressed about this situation but also kinda happy to have the freedom to actually rest and breath again, for a first world country the American work system is draconic, and tying Healthcare access to a job is just inhumane

    • HulkSmashBurgers@reddthat.comEnglish
      10·
      7 个月前

      Sorry to hear you lost your job. Hoping the best for you, internet stranger!

      I agree that tying healthcare to one’s job is totally fucked up. Everyone should get healthcare, period. A less than 40 hour work week, and a ubi would be nice too.

  • applemao@lemmy.worldEnglish
    85·
    7 个月前

    I mean if I lived in China I’d give up too, or worse. Seems very sad to be there

  • Chris@lemmy.worldEnglish
    582·
    7 个月前

    I’m sorry, but Millennials or Genz did not invent quiet quitting. The media made it up to describe just doing your damn job

  • skisnow@lemmy.caEnglish
    132·
    7 个月前

    The millennial era of “work hard, play harder”

    I hate to be that guy that calls everything Orwellian, but this is NOT how Fortune was describing Millenials 15 years ago

    • Baggie@lemmy.zipEnglish
      5·
      7 个月前

      Man I remember when I was allowed to work hard, now robots get all the jobs and I’m stuck. It’s really weird.

    • conicalscientist@lemmy.worldEnglish
      11·
      7 个月前

      15 years ago millennials were cast in the generic framework of lazy younger generation. Now we have hindsight for them to be able to observe what actually happened. Millennials absolutely became a workaholic play hard generation.

    • GalacticGrapefruit@lemmy.worldEnglish
      24·
      7 个月前

      Ah, yes, the rhetoric ‘grind culture’ disguising working three jobs just to eat and sleep in conditions that are semi-humane. But being scolded and scorned for never being able to buy a house because we like avocado toast. Working so hard, but never working enough in the same breath.

      It was never about the fucking toast. ‘Goblin mode’ and ‘adulting’ and ‘gamer shut-in’ and ‘NEET’ was never about being lazy. It was always about painting out the propaganda to guilt us into not meeting the model of expectation instead of our elders accepting blame. Maybe, hear me out, they should open their eyes and see that we’re living in a level of poverty so hilariously deep that not even our kids–Gen Z and Gen Alpha–will be able to dig it out.

      They’re not giving up because they’re lazy. They’re opting out of a system designed to fail.

  • 2ugly2live@lemmy.worldEnglish
    18·
    7 个月前

    Wasn’t there also the “lie flat” trend? It’s not just Gen Z who are calling uncle. If I had the means, I’d join them.

  • givesomefucks@lemmy.worldEnglish
    662·
    7 个月前

    Today, over 4 million American Gen Zers remain jobless. In China, the government has said that as of February, 1 in 6 young people are unemployed.

    I hate mixed comparisons…

    There’s about 69 million (nice) Gen Z in America.

    So America = 5.7%

    China = 16.6%

    • taladar@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      141·
      7 个月前

      Are those 69 million all adults/working age already?

      For full context it might also be useful to see the unemployment rates in other age groups in both countries.

  • JasonDJ@lemmy.zipEnglish
    541·
    7 个月前

    Aren’t rats notable for their hygiene and social skills? Seems like a poor comparison.

    • Jimmycakes@lemmy.worldEnglish
      315·
      7 个月前

      Are they? I thought they piss and shit poison and eat their babies for food. Are you thinking of mice?

    • Dr. Moose@lemmy.worldEnglish
      302·
      7 个月前

      Chinese culture has almost satirical levels of disrespect and misunderstanding of animals so it’s very much on character.

      I used to have 3 rescue rats and they are incredibly clean, active and social animals. I’d used to take them outside and observe how they explore new areas and its was really incredible how coordinated and thought out their exploration plans would be and executed with utter most curiosity. Also very cute how they’d come back to me and ask to be taken home to their cage by basically hugging my foot.

      • SkaveRat@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
        5·
        7 个月前

        Rats are the best. Little pocket puppies

        /r/rats is the reason I’m still on Reddit

        The pet rats community here is far too quiet

        • archonet@lemy.lolEnglish
          7·
          7 个月前

          the only thing that stops me from getting rats is the short lifespans. I love dogs, and ~10 years is already too short. Dealing with that every two would just break me.

  • the_q@lemm.eeEnglish
    20·
    7 个月前

    If only all the rats of the world combined into an unruly rat king… Then things would change.