草莓世代 The Strawberry Generation
In Taiwan when people talk about the younger generation, they think of cashed out credit cards, corrupt nightlife, indifference towards politics, and disrespect for traditional morals. When turning on the television, you can find endless shows, news, and even movies on how corrupt the young people are, compared to the generations before. Lamenting how “the world has fallen from the good old days,” the adults branded us with the name “the strawberry generation,” saying that we are materially glamorous on the outside but delicately spoiled on the inside. Yet, contrary to the stereotype, we are actually a lot tougher than adults give us credit for.
The generations before us have courageously fought their own battles. Our grandparents experienced the chaotic Second World War, fighting against the communists, the Japanese, and enduring the hardships that came with war. Our parents struggled and succeeded in building a democracy as well as one of the Asian economic miracles. As for us, people naturally assume that we lead an affluent and carefree life, and that we are ungratefully lighthearted about everything. The truth is, we are insidiously oppressed by this exact assumption as we face the challenges of this highly competitive world while striving to find a new meaning of life.
Our generation faces a new reality filled with intense expectations and demands. On the international level, globalization has brought keen competition right to our doorsteps. And as most adults are still scrambling to meet the challenge, we, members of the younger generation are already feeling our own way on the internet, making international contacts and learning through on-line games and chats. Still, we are criticized for wasting our time on nothing. Adults simply cannot appreciate anything beyond their own horizon. On the local level, it may seem that we are constantly pursuing fashion brands or bodily pleasures, but in fact we are toiling to explore the world as well as ourselves. Many of us backpack through the countryside to learn about our own land and our own culture. But in the eyes of the past generations, we are merely idling away our precious life.
I guess we will always be strawberries for the adults, fabulous on the outside but fragile on the inside. For us, it does not bother me that much to be called strawberries—for sooner or later people will learn to appreciate our true fragrance and sweetness.
In Taiwan when people talk about the younger generation, they think of cashed out credit cards, corrupt nightlife, indifference towards politics, and disrespect for traditional morals. When turning on the television, you can find endless shows, news, and even movies on how corrupt the young people are, compared to the generations before. Lamenting how “the world has fallen from the good old days,” the adults branded us with the name “the strawberry generation,” saying that we are materially glamorous on the outside but delicately spoiled on the inside. Yet, contrary to the stereotype, we are actually a lot tougher than adults give us credit for.
The generations before us have courageously fought their own battles. Our grandparents experienced the chaotic Second World War, fighting against the communists, the Japanese, and enduring the hardships that came with war. Our parents struggled and succeeded in building a democracy as well as one of the Asian economic miracles. As for us, people naturally assume that we lead an affluent and carefree life, and that we are ungratefully lighthearted about everything. The truth is, we are insidiously oppressed by this exact assumption as we face the challenges of this highly competitive world while striving to find a new meaning of life.
Our generation faces a new reality filled with intense expectations and demands. On the international level, globalization has brought keen competition right to our doorsteps. And as most adults are still scrambling to meet the challenge, we, members of the younger generation are already feeling our own way on the internet, making international contacts and learning through on-line games and chats. Still, we are criticized for wasting our time on nothing. Adults simply cannot appreciate anything beyond their own horizon. On the local level, it may seem that we are constantly pursuing fashion brands or bodily pleasures, but in fact we are toiling to explore the world as well as ourselves. Many of us backpack through the countryside to learn about our own land and our own culture. But in the eyes of the past generations, we are merely idling away our precious life.
I guess we will always be strawberries for the adults, fabulous on the outside but fragile on the inside. For us, it does not bother me that much to be called strawberries—for sooner or later people will learn to appreciate our true fragrance and sweetness.