The Rise of the Rat People

[rattfan]

Here's another weird mob I've read about. I've previously mentioned the "lying flat" trend in China, where young people have rejected the fiercely workaholic mainstream ethos, and instead do what they have to and no more. The mainstream ethos advocates working from "9 am to 9 pm" seven days, so you can see why some folk have rebelled.

But seems you can't have a crazy trend without someone else trying to out-crazy it, and so now we have the Rat People. I can say, having my own members of rattus norvegicus to study, that getting up for breakfast and then going back to bed is absolutely a ratty habit. 

www.businessinsider.com/china-rat-people-broke-burnt-out-social-media-unemployment-2025-4

Comments

[ariaflame]

It's looking at the contradictions that is interesting. On the one hand there's the 'work 9 to 9 7 days a week' for those who have a job, but the unemployment rate is high because it's hard to get a job. Perhaps if those people doing effectively two people's jobs were only doing one, then there would be room for more people employed at a sane level.

[rattfan]

I agree totally. And yet working yourself to death in this culture is considered a virtue! Japan and Korea similar, I believe.

The Rats seem more like cuckoos to me - they survive because they have indulgent parents.

[ariaflame]

Indulgent yes, but to a large extent the parents don't have much choice. I mean they could choose not to indulge, but due to the one child policy most of them only have one child. That's their only potential for heritage. If they cut them off they won't have anyone at all.