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The cratering Chinese birthrate is a pretty strong argument that what China's doing isn't working out well for young people. The only reason China limited scree

The cratering Chinese birthrate is a pretty strong argument that what China's doing isn't working out well for young people. The only reason China limited screen time was so that kids would spend more time studying, because the government wants kids to focus on slaving their lives away in miserable jobs with 80-hour workweeks to keep the GDP growing.

momo_hn2025 2y ago
The 80-hour workweek isn’t some grand anomaly; it’s simply the natural outcome of the fierce competition in China’s market. If you want a good job, you have to give it your all—because if you don’t, there will always be someone smarter, faster, and more determined waiting to take your place. It’s not personal; it’s just how the system works. Yes, the government has made efforts to regulate this, but the root issue remains: if an economy can’t provide enough well-paid jobs, no amount of intervention will fundamentally change the situation. The pressure will persist—it’s a structural reality, not a moral failing. As for the term "slave," it’s a dramatic and, frankly, amusing choice of words. It perfectly captures a certain U.S. perspective on China, one that’s often shaped by narrow assumptions and ideological filters. The lens of "communism" becomes a convenient, if overly simplistic, way to frame a complex society. It’s not wrong to critique, but sometimes the framing says more about the critic than the subject itself.
- red-iron-pine 2y ago
  > The 80-hour workweek isn’t some grand anomaly; it’s simply the natural outcome of the fierce competition in China’s market. If you want a good job, you have to give it your all—because if you don’t, there will always be someone smarter, faster, and more determined waiting to take your place. It’s not personal; it’s just how the system works. this is a very long way of saying "too many people"
dathinab 2y ago
> cratering Chinese birthrate is a pretty strong argument that what China's doing isn't working out well for young people. yes but that is partially unrelated and has a lot to do with - one child politics lead to abrupt fall of new young unemployed people - so the reaming people have to work more - and as they need to pay rent for the old people even more more more

momo_hn2025 2y ago

The 80-hour workweek isn’t some grand anomaly; it’s simply the natural outcome of the fierce competition in China’s market. If you want a good job, you have to give it your all—because if you don’t, there will always be someone smarter, faster, and more determined waiting to take your place. It’s not personal; it’s just how the system works. Yes, the government has made efforts to regulate this, but the root issue remains: if an economy can’t provide enough well-paid jobs, no amount of intervention will fundamentally change the situation. The pressure will persist—it’s a structural reality, not a moral failing. As for the term "slave," it’s a dramatic and, frankly, amusing choice of words. It perfectly captures a certain U.S. perspective on China, one that’s often shaped by narrow assumptions and ideological filters. The lens of "communism" becomes a convenient, if overly simplistic, way to frame a complex society. It’s not wrong to critique, but sometimes the framing says more about the critic than the subject itself.

red-iron-pine 2y ago
> The 80-hour workweek isn’t some grand anomaly; it’s simply the natural outcome of the fierce competition in China’s market. If you want a good job, you have to give it your all—because if you don’t, there will always be someone smarter, faster, and more determined waiting to take your place. It’s not personal; it’s just how the system works. this is a very long way of saying "too many people"

dathinab 2y ago

> cratering Chinese birthrate is a pretty strong argument that what China's doing isn't working out well for young people. yes but that is partially unrelated and has a lot to do with - one child politics lead to abrupt fall of new young unemployed people - so the reaming people have to work more - and as they need to pay rent for the old people even more more more