草莓世代 The Strawberry Generation
“The strawberry generation” refers to the generation born in the 1980s, and they are considered to be too delicate to be squeezed, too proud to be oppressed, and too attractive to develop inner beauty. True or false, I consider this label merely a derivation from the discourse of this era; it is created intentionally by the media to arouse public curiosity and, to some extent, to make profits.
Not long ago, the magazine “Cheers” printed a sensational cover that announced “Here Come the class of 1980s!” Those who have a good memory should remember that the “遠見(GVM)” and “天下(CW)” magazines just reported on the dominant power of the class of 1970s in the previous year. And while we are still pondering which generation is impacting on our lives, the “Business Week” magazine strikes us with its cover story announcing--Here Comes the class of 2000!
The interesting thing is that the only criterion with which to evaluate each generation seems to be work attitudes and consumption styles, and the descriptions of all of these generations are always the same. It seems that every generation expresses great disappointment with the next generation, thinking that the latter do not work hard enough but spend too much and too easily. Well, the truth of the matter is, the class of the 1960s, in their youths, may be just as playful, may spend money freely, or may fool around just like the so-called strawberry generation.
The fever of categorizing each generation with a certain sensational name is like a horoscope, nothing but “fake knowledge” and entertainment. Every generation has its own variety of characteristics—delicate or tough, luxurious or economic, proud or obedient. Considered in that light, to call us the class of 1980s the strawberry generation is to overlook our individuality and our difference.
“The strawberry generation” refers to the generation born in the 1980s, and they are considered to be too delicate to be squeezed, too proud to be oppressed, and too attractive to develop inner beauty. True or false, I consider this label merely a derivation from the discourse of this era; it is created intentionally by the media to arouse public curiosity and, to some extent, to make profits.
Not long ago, the magazine “Cheers” printed a sensational cover that announced “Here Come the class of 1980s!” Those who have a good memory should remember that the “遠見(GVM)” and “天下(CW)” magazines just reported on the dominant power of the class of 1970s in the previous year. And while we are still pondering which generation is impacting on our lives, the “Business Week” magazine strikes us with its cover story announcing--Here Comes the class of 2000!
The interesting thing is that the only criterion with which to evaluate each generation seems to be work attitudes and consumption styles, and the descriptions of all of these generations are always the same. It seems that every generation expresses great disappointment with the next generation, thinking that the latter do not work hard enough but spend too much and too easily. Well, the truth of the matter is, the class of the 1960s, in their youths, may be just as playful, may spend money freely, or may fool around just like the so-called strawberry generation.
The fever of categorizing each generation with a certain sensational name is like a horoscope, nothing but “fake knowledge” and entertainment. Every generation has its own variety of characteristics—delicate or tough, luxurious or economic, proud or obedient. Considered in that light, to call us the class of 1980s the strawberry generation is to overlook our individuality and our difference.