Robert L. Moore in his
“Generation Ku: Individualism and China’s Millennial Youth” addresses
an important aspect of contemporary China: the changes in the youth community.
Given the fact the this is the most populous country and the number of youth is
rather big, it would be logical to carefully examine this topic. The article
offers a deep insight into this phenomenon, offering a sufficient amount of
information about the social changes in China.
The author starts with the
exploration of the place of the youth in China. He claims that the Millennials
are equally influential in this country as they are influential in the rest of
the world. As a result, they are capable of shaping the development of the
society by participation in various movements and creating meanings. The
important point to note is that the Chinese society has not been able to
downplay the importance of the Millenials in the country which supports that
the culture of this generation is an important cultural phenomenon that affects
the entire planet. With this in mind, China is not an exception when it comes
to the social changes that are triggered by the younger generations. The
central concept that is discussed in the article is ku: the word that is
loosely translated as “cool”, but with a number of additional
meanings. Moore insists that the use of this word and embrace of the entire
culture that is associated with it has been significantly influenced by action
movies and rock stars from the West. That is why it is somewhat foreign to the
traditional Chinese culture. The article suggests that there are two primary
qualities of ku. The first is individualism which is a characteristic that is
profoundly different from the core values that are promoted within the Chinese
society. It may be the source of the possible conflict between the Millennials
as well as the rest of the population. Nevertheless, the first are not hesitant
to pursue the lifestyle that they chose. The second aspect of ku that is
discussed in the article is self-indulgence. Once again, this is a
characteristic that is not widely accepted in the Chinese society. All this
leads to the understanding that this youth movement is founded on the
principles that are different from what is praised by the society. Therefore,
this might become the source of conflict in the future since the society will
pressure the youth to accept its values. Nevertheless, the author insists that
this conflict is not likely to reach an active phase, because the youth is only
mildly rebellious. In other words, while the Millennials reject some norm, they
clearly state that they are not going to reach the extreme: they just want some
freedom and they are happy with it.
It was extremely interesting for me to read this article because I never suspected the existence of this movement in China. I believed that the contemporary youth fully shared the traditional values of the Chinese culture and there is nothing rebellious in their lifestyle. I think that this article should become a good starting point for every person who is willing to learn more about the contemporary state of affairs in China. This information will enable people to understand that this country shares a lot of similarities with the other countries of the world. As a result, this might reshape the vision of China abroad. In any case, the article is extremely useful as it offers an insightful view on one of the most influential societies on the planet and uncovers the potential conflicts that it might face in the future.
Works cited
Moore, Robert L. “Generation ku: Individualism and China’s millennial youth.” Ethnology (2005): 357-376.
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"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016
"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016
"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016
"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016