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Topic Summary

Posted by: 90sRetroFan
« on: June 21, 2023, 04:08:18 pm »

"The nature of Yahweh’s creation sets us up to chase after desires, and once we’ve attained what we desire, that thing eventually becomes mundane and no longer excites our brains on a chemical level, leaving us to chase after the next thing that we think we lack."

The real problem is not those who are unaware of this, but those who are aware of this and who prefer this to being content, because they consider contentment boring. They would rather endlessly expand the range of possible desires so that they never run out of yet-unchased desires to chase after:

https://trueleft.createaforum.com/true-left-vs-false-left/progressive-yahwism/
Posted by: antihellenistic
« on: June 20, 2023, 08:33:52 pm »

https://www.psypost.org/2023/06/young-adults-who-embrace-lying-flatism-also-tend-to-see-romantic-relationships-as-unnecessary-for-happiness-165852

Young adults who embrace “lying flatism” also tend to see romantic relationships as unnecessary for happiness

Quote
New research published in BMC Psychology sheds light on the “lying flat” lifestyle movement and its relationship to attitudes towards being single. The findings indicate that young adults who have a positive view of the lifestyle, which emphasizes relaxation and avoiding excessive work or societal pressure, also believe that they can find happiness through various sources other than romantic relationships. The results suggest that there might be a growing trend among young people to choose the single lifestyle in the future.

Lying flatism is a trending philosophy that has emerged in China and is practiced by young adults who choose to live a minimalist lifestyle and reject the pressures of society. Lying flatists refuse to participate in consumerist lifestyles, such as pursuing high-paying jobs, purchasing material possessions, getting married, or having children. They believe that personal efforts are no longer effective in improving their lives due to structural and societal factors.

Researchers became interested in studying lying flatism and its relationship with attitudes toward singlehood because singlehood has become a favorable lifestyle choice worldwide, particularly among young adults.

“Moreover, a concept known as ‘lying flatism’ originating from mainland China, has begun to gain traction among young people in Malaysia.

“Compared to their male counterparts, female young adults exhibited fewer stereotypes towards single people, had a lower fear of being single, held stronger beliefs in achieving happiness without a romantic relationship, and displayed a more positive attitude towards singlehood,” he explained. “These findings indicate that young women are more inclined to embrace being single.”


This article represents me. So, I'm not alone. Thank you for confirming my thoughts
Posted by: SirGalahad
« on: June 20, 2023, 05:56:09 pm »

This is the correct way to view romantic relationships. The people who responded this way at least take relationships a thousand times more seriously than those who go on an endless goose chase for a romantic partner and eventually settle because they’re under the assumption that everyone needs a romantic partner at a certain age. Nothing we desire will make us truly content forever. The nature of Yahweh’s creation sets us up to chase after desires, and once we’ve attained what we desire, that thing eventually becomes mundane and no longer excites our brains on a chemical level, leaving us to chase after the next thing that we think we lack. People who think that getting into a relationship will finally make them happy and content with their lives, are setting themselves up for disappointment. And if they want to learn how to REALLY get the contentment or happiness they’re searching for, they should start here instead:

https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/KN/Dhp/

I suspect that a good chunk of the people in this survey are themselves Buddhist or at least sympathetic to Buddhism

Posted by: guest98
« on: June 20, 2023, 03:50:02 pm »

https://www.psypost.org/2023/06/young-adults-who-embrace-lying-flatism-also-tend-to-see-romantic-relationships-as-unnecessary-for-happiness-165852

Young adults who embrace “lying flatism” also tend to see romantic relationships as unnecessary for happiness

Quote
New research published in BMC Psychology sheds light on the “lying flat” lifestyle movement and its relationship to attitudes towards being single. The findings indicate that young adults who have a positive view of the lifestyle, which emphasizes relaxation and avoiding excessive work or societal pressure, also believe that they can find happiness through various sources other than romantic relationships. The results suggest that there might be a growing trend among young people to choose the single lifestyle in the future.

Lying flatism is a trending philosophy that has emerged in China and is practiced by young adults who choose to live a minimalist lifestyle and reject the pressures of society. Lying flatists refuse to participate in consumerist lifestyles, such as pursuing high-paying jobs, purchasing material possessions, getting married, or having children. They believe that personal efforts are no longer effective in improving their lives due to structural and societal factors.

Researchers became interested in studying lying flatism and its relationship with attitudes toward singlehood because singlehood has become a favorable lifestyle choice worldwide, particularly among young adults.

“Moreover, a concept known as ‘lying flatism’ originating from mainland China, has begun to gain traction among young people in Malaysia.

“Compared to their male counterparts, female young adults exhibited fewer stereotypes towards single people, had a lower fear of being single, held stronger beliefs in achieving happiness without a romantic relationship, and displayed a more positive attitude towards singlehood,” he explained. “These findings indicate that young women are more inclined to embrace being single.”

Posted by: christianbethel
« on: May 09, 2023, 06:25:13 pm »

They probably have no use for Western things like the Internet - good for them!
Posted by: SimpleLiving
« on: February 26, 2023, 03:45:16 pm »

Why the Simple Life Is Not Just Beautiful, It’s Necessary
Quote
Breaking down a very old idea that remains true to this day.
Quote
The good life is the simple life. Among philosophical ideas about how we should live, this one is a hardy perennial; from Socrates to Thoreau, from the Buddha to Wendell Berry, thinkers have been peddling it for more than two millennia. And it still has plenty of adherents. Magazines such as Real Simple call out to us from the supermarket checkout; Oprah Winfrey regularly interviews fans of simple living such as Jack Kornfield, a teacher of Buddhist mindfulness; the Slow Movement, which advocates a return to pre-industrial basics, attracts followers across continents.

Through much of human history, frugal simplicity was not a choice but a necessity – and since necessary, it was also deemed a moral virtue. But with the advent of industrial capitalism and a consumer society, a system arose that was committed to relentless growth, and with it grew a population (aka ‘the market’) that was enabled and encouraged to buy lots of stuff that, by traditional standards, was surplus to requirements. As a result, there’s a disconnect between the traditional values we have inherited and the consumerist imperatives instilled in us by contemporary culture.

In pre-modern times, the discrepancy between what the philosophers advised and how people lived was not so great. Wealth provided security, but even for the rich wealth was flimsy protection against misfortunes such as war, famine, disease, injustice and the disfavour of tyrants. The Stoic philosopher Seneca, one of the richest men in Rome, still ended up being sentenced to death by Nero. As for the vast majority – slaves, serfs, peasants and labourers – there was virtually no prospect of accumulating even modest wealth.

Before the advent of machine-based agriculture, representative democracy, civil rights, antibiotics and aspirin, just making it through a long life without too much suffering counted as doing pretty well. Today, though, at least in prosperous societies, people want and expect (and can usually have) a good deal more. Living simply now strikes many people as simply boring.

Yet there seems to be growing interest, especially among millennials, in rediscovering the benefits of simple living. Some of this might reflect a kind of nostalgia for the pre-industrial or pre-consumerist world, and also sympathy for the moral argument that says that living in a simple manner makes you a better person, by building desirable traits such as frugality, resilience and independence – or a happier person, by promoting peace of mind and good health, and keeping you close to nature.

These are plausible arguments. Yet in spite of the official respect their teachings command, the sages have proved remarkably unpersuasive. Millions of us continue to rush around getting and spending, buying lottery tickets, working long hours, racking up debt, and striving 24/7 to climb the greasy pole. Why is this?

One obvious answer is good old-fashioned hypocrisy. We applaud the frugal philosophy while ignoring its precepts in our day-to-day lives. We praise the simple lifestyle of, say, Pope Francis, seeing it as a sign of his moral integrity, while also hoping for and cheering on economic growth driven, in large part, by a demand for bigger houses, fancier cars and other luxury goods.

But the problem isn’t just that our practice conflicts with our professed beliefs. Our thinking about simplicity and luxury, frugality and extravagance, is fundamentally inconsistent. We condemn extravagance that is wasteful or tasteless and yet we tout monuments of past extravagance, such as the Forbidden City in Beijing or the palace at Versailles, as highly admirable. The truth is that much of what we call ‘culture’ is fuelled by forms of extravagance.

Somewhat paradoxically, then, the case for living simply was most persuasive when most people had little choice but to live that way. The traditional arguments for simple living in effect rationalise a necessity. But the same arguments have less purchase when the life of frugal simplicity is a choice, one way of living among many. Then the philosophy of frugality becomes a hard sell.

That might be about to change, under the influence of two factors: economics and environmentalism. When recession strikes, as it has done recently (revealing inherent instabilities in an economic system committed to unending growth) millions of people suddenly find themselves in circumstances where frugality once again becomes a necessity, and the value of its associated virtues is rediscovered.

In societies such as the United States, we are currently witnessing a tendency for capitalism to stretch the distance between the ‘have lots’ and the ‘have nots.’ These growing inequalities invite a fresh critique of extravagance and waste. When so many people live below the poverty line, there is something unseemly about in-your-face displays of opulence and luxury. Moreover, the lopsided distribution of wealth also represents a lost opportunity. According to Epicurus and the other sages of simplicity, one can live perfectly well, provided certain basic needs are satisfied – a view endorsed in modern times by the psychologist Abraham Maslow’s ‘hierarchy of needs.’ If correct, it’s an argument for using surplus wealth to ensure that everyone has basics such as food, housing, healthcare, education, utilities and public transport – at low cost, rather than allowing it to be funnelled into a few private pockets.

However wise the sages, it would not have occurred to Socrates or Epicurus to argue for the simple life in terms of environmentalism. Two centuries of industrialisation, population growth and frenzied economic activity has bequeathed us smog; polluted lakes, rivers and oceans; toxic waste; soil erosion; deforestation; extinction of plant and animal species, and global warming. The philosophy of frugal simplicity expresses values and advocates a lifestyle that might be our best hope for reversing these trends and preserving our planet’s fragile ecosystems.

Many people are still unconvinced by this. But if our current methods of making, getting, spending and discarding prove unsustainable, then there could come a time – and it might come quite soon – when we are forced towards simplicity. In which case, a venerable tradition will turn out to contain the philosophy of the future.
https://getpocket.com/explore/item/why-the-simple-life-is-not-just-beautiful-it-s-necessary?utm_source=pocket-newtab

The last sentence in bold contents have all been brought to you by Western Civilization. No other civilizations in the history of this planet are as responsible for those negative and violent manifestations of "growth" as is western civilization. Much of it could not have been accomplished without western colonialism either...
Posted by: 90sRetroFan
« on: October 02, 2022, 06:55:59 pm »

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/young-chinese-love-frugal-living-113000576.html

Quote
On Douban, a Chinese website that provides information related to current events, music, and more, young Chinese are flocking to groups that offer money-saving tips. One group, named “Crazy Money Savers,” which has over 600,000 subscribers, encourages members to shun takeout and bubble tea, and advises them to delete popular e-commerce apps like Alibaba and Pinduoduo.

In 2015, Chinese President Xi Jinping launched a new economic strategy emphasizing domestic consumption and production to shift the Chinese economy into its next stage of development. But in recent years, many young Chinese—like those who joined Douban’s “Crazy Money Savers”—have begun saving, scrimping, and turning to social media influencers for advice on how to live frugally, a lifestyle directly in conflict with the government’s ambitions.
...
Now, Beijing’s economic planners, who are resting their hopes on growing consumption to fuel China’s economy, are trying to reverse the newly frugal lifestyles of many young Chinese

This is the resurgent blood memory of pre-modern China vs Eurocentrist Xi's "New China". We of course support the former.

Quote
In 2020, a clear trend began emerging across Chinese social media: the proliferation of so-called “low desire” and “low consumption” money-saving groups. Douban users created groups like “Stingy Men’s Federation” and “Stingy Women’s Federation.”

 :)

Quote
The recent events shattered Vera’s confidence in the authorities and led her to question China’s economic future for the first time. “I always thought I’d want to stay in China and buy a home. Now I’m really not sure,” she said.
...
China’s youth unemployment rate soared to nearly 20% in July. The country’s general slowdown and government crackdown on tech has led to pay cuts and mass layoffs.

Emigrate ASAP! Pre-modern China will only be fully restored when the population falls to pre-modern numbers:

https://trueleft.createaforum.com/issues/population-and-demographics/msg6837/#msg6837

Continuing:

Quote
As young Chinese look to save money, the government is pushing them to spend more.
...
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said in a Wednesday speech that the government will do “whatever we can to expand effective investment and promote consumption” to deal with the weak demand.

The correct response to reduced demand is reducing labour (whether in the short-term by cutting working hours or in the long-term by reducing population), not promoting consumption.
Posted by: guest78
« on: September 10, 2022, 09:55:02 pm »

This German village managed to go off grid and become energy self-sufficient | DW News
Quote
Residents of Feldheim, a village south of Berlin, have managed to produce their own energy from wind, sun and agricultural waste. They are now paying around a third of what everyone else in Germany pays for power. Their solution has become a role model for communities around the world. Here’s how they achieved the Feldheim Energy Miracle – and what others can learn from their success.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tE0-ki-CBfs
Posted by: guest55
« on: May 29, 2022, 01:37:58 pm »

Burnout: The truth about overwork and what we can do about it | DW Documentary
Quote
Why do we work, and why are we working more than ever? Overwork is damaging our lives and the planet. This film takes a look at the past and also asks how we can change the future of work.

Why do we feel pressure to be busy, and where did this pressure come from? Some answers lie with the influences of the church, monarchies, 15th-16th Century colonialism and the effect of industrialization on modern-day consumerism and work ethics. Faced with the widespread problem of burnout, many modern companies respond with "mindfulness" in the workplace. Unions and the fight for labor justice are being replaced by therapies and office yoga. And yet, people who are unemployed are worse off than those with jobs — why?

Predictions that digitalization would make people’s work easier and that machines and artificial intelligence would replace us as workers don’t seem to add up. After all, the priority of automation is not to give people more freedom, but to make production more efficient and therefore increase profits.

So how can we free ourselves from the vicious cycle of overwork and consumerism, and learn to relax again?

#documentary #dwdocumentary #burnout
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q98aCklzCBE

See also: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_Revolution
                https://trueleft.createaforum.com/true-left-vs-right/western-civilization-is-a-health-hazard/

BONUS:
Beats Antique - Rising Tide (feat. LYNX) [Blind Threshold]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7FI1ITX6Po

Lyrics:
Quote
You're an island of a girl
Adrift in the world
With the Rising Tide
You know that the coming storm
Is gonna be a crazy ride
With you altars made of trash
The aftermath
Of disposable dreams
You know that you were born
For more than what machines provide

I will write you a song
That sounds like
A faded photograph
Of your favorite night
Just a little something
To remember me by
You can sing along
If you like it enough
Play it on your phonograph
It sounds kinda rough
Just a little something
To remember me by
You're an ocean of a girl
Surrounded a world
With the blackening tide
You know that the coming storm
Is gonna be a crazy ride
With your altars made of bones
The aftermath
Of disposable wings
You know were born
For more than what machines provide
Machines provide

I will write you a song
That sounds like
A faded photograph
Of your favorite night
Just a little something
To remember me by
You can sing along
If you like it enough
Play it on your phonograph
It sounds kinda rough
Just a little something
To remember me by
You can sing along
If you like it enough
Just a little something
To remember me by
Posted by: guest55
« on: May 28, 2022, 12:17:25 pm »

The rise of ‘bai lan’: why China’s frustrated youth are ready to ‘let it rot’
Quote
Phrase bai lan gains popularity as severe competition and social expectations leave many young people despondent
Quote
Early this month China’s president Xi Jinping encouraged the country’s youth to establish “great ideals” and incorporate their personal goals into the “bigger picture” of the Chinese nation and people. “‘China’s hope lies in youth,” he said in a major speech.

But on China’s internet, some young people say their WESTERN “ideals” simply cannot be achieved and many of them have given up on trying. Frustrated by the mounting uncertainties and lack of economic opportunities, they are resorting to a new buzzword – bai lan (摆烂, or let it rot in English) – to capture their attitude towards life.

The phrase, bai lan, which has its origin in NBA games, means a voluntary retreat from pursuing certain goals because one realises they are simply too difficult to achieve. In American basketball, it often refers to a player’s deliberate loss of a game in order to get a better draft pick.

On Weibo, the bai lan-related topics have generated hundreds of millions of reads and discussions since March. Netizens also created different variations of the bai lan attitude. “Properties in Shanghai too expensive? Fine, I’ll just rent all my life, as I can’t afford it if I only earn a monthly salary anyway,” one grumbled.

In recent days, this phrase – and more previously ‘tang ping’ (lying flat, 躺平), which means rejecting gruelling WESTERN competition for a low desire life – gained popularity as severe competition and high social expectations prompted many young Chinese to give up on hard work.

But bai lan has a more worrying layer in the way it is being used by young people in China: to actively embrace a deteriorating situation, rather than trying to turn it around. It is close to other Chinese phrases, for example ‘to smash a **** pot’ (破罐破摔) and ‘dead pigs are not afraid of boiling water’ (死猪不怕开水烫).

Or, if something's about to fall just push it and get it over with?  :)

Quote
State media have taken note of this trend. “Why modern young Chinese like to ‘bai lan’?” one recent article in official media outlet asked. “In fact, this is as a result of negative auto suggestion, repeatedly telling oneself I cannot make it (in the Western worldview?)… And this kind of mentality often leads people to adopt the ‘bai lan’ attitude.”

Western civilization was never really designed to meet the needs and desires of non-Westerners?

Quote
Prof Mary Gallagher, director of the Centre for Chinese Studies at the University of Michigan, says ‘bai lan’ is not necessarily a sentiment unique to China. “It is a bit like the ‘slacker’ generation in America in the 1990s. And like ‘tang ping’ last year, it is also a rejection against the ultra-WESTERN-competitiveness of today’s Chinese society.”
Entire article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/may/26/the-rise-of-bai-lan-why-chinas-frustrated-youth-are-ready-to-let-it-rot?utm_source=pocket-newtab
Posted by: Zea_mays
« on: May 14, 2022, 01:29:32 pm »

Elon Musk comes out against the Lying Flat movement:
Quote
“I think there will be some very strong companies coming out of China, there is just a lot of supertalented hardworking people in China who strongly believe in manufacturing,” he added.

“They won’t just be burning the midnight oil, they will be burning the 3am oil, they won’t even leave the factory type of thing, whereas in America people are trying to avoid going to work at all.”
https://finance.yahoo.com/finance/news/elon-musk-tesla-boss-praises-182248534.html

People are starting to understand Musk:
Quote
It's in the bloodline, with his dad and all.


Meanwhile, Sinophobic liberals still don't get it:
Quote
China sounds great - he should move there - now.

Response from people who aren't complete idiots:
Quote
I wish. China regularly punishes its billionaires for doing **** like he does. He wouldn’t be as big a problem in China because the government probably would have forced him into hiding and made him donate half of his wealth by now.

Quote
Can't wait till one of his tweets makes him "disappear" to a reeducation camp

I mean China doesn't care if you're a billionaire or not - they keep disappearing

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jenniferwang/2021/01/07/disappearing-billionaires-jack-ma-and-other-chinese-moguls-who-have-mysteriously-dropped-off-the-radar/
He should move to China and see how far "iM jUsT a tRoLl" tweeting gets him


Combing the Lying Flat counterculture with the Chinese government's autocratic and populist enforcement of the law against corrupt billionaires seems to be exactly what the Western "Antiwork" crowd advocates for? But I guess even the smallest amount of Eurocentrism and democracy addiction is able to blind them to the fact that China is far closer to achieving an ideal society than any Western nation is capable of.

Quote
Right?? That was my first thought. Chinese people are sick of this **** too. Tang ping / laying flat all day
Posted by: Zea_mays
« on: April 06, 2022, 09:12:30 pm »

More hunter-gatherer idolization from the Antiwork crowd. (They reposted these images. I don't know what the Twitter user's political views are):







https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FPgSoskXEAUCvYY?format=jpg&name=small
Quote
Here are the data for two Machiguenga communities in Peru, collected in '72-'73 (left) and '86-'87 (right). The Machiguenga combined small-scale horticulture with foraging. Again, "doing nothing" leads the pack, either as number one or in the top 3.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FPgSvPGWYAQ-88G?format=png&name=small
Quote
"Doing nothing" didn't always win. For the Madurese (Indonesia), it ranked 12th, perhaps reflecting the tiresome lives of more full-time agriculturalists. Still, across 8 diverse communities "doing nothing" came in 4th behind agri work, learning/teaching, & socializing (see plot)

3 of the top 4 activities in this culture are social activities (i.e. an agricultural society is conducive to socialism). However, this culture isn't fully agricultural since hunting ranks as the 5th most common activity...

Full Twitter thread:
https://twitter.com/mnvrsngh/status/1510978995269029888

And a recent paper where he got the data from:
https://www.pnas.org/doi/pdf/10.1073/pnas.1906196116


Quote
Communism with Neolithic characteristics
https://old.reddit.com/r/antiwork/comments/twamvj/the_protestant_work_ethic_is_stupid/i3egwqb/

...Sigh. Maybe one day they'll learn what the Neolithic is.

I do like the idea of "Socialism with Neolithic characteristics" though:
https://trueleft.createaforum.com/ancient-world/ancient-candidates-for-socialism/

As we've already seen, farmers had plenty of time to lie flat during the non-harvest season:
https://trueleft.createaforum.com/issues/simple-living-movements/msg8554/#msg8554
Posted by: Zea_mays
« on: January 25, 2022, 01:27:28 am »

There is now a Wikipedia article for Lying Flat. Not everyone in the party rejects the movement:

Quote
However, there were official voices offering more empathic opinions on the tang ping phenomenon. Beijing's party-affiliated Guangming Daily newspaper added that tang ping should not be discounted without reflection—if China wants to cultivate diligence in the young generation, it should first try to improve their quality of life.[11] Huang Ping, a literature professor who researches youth culture at East China Normal University, told Sixth Tone that official media outlets may be concerned about the tang ping lifestyle because of its potential to threaten productivity, but "humans aren't merely tools for making things... when you can't catch up with society's development—say, skyrocketing home prices—tang ping is actually the most rational choice".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tang_ping


Related Sinosphere cultural phenomena:
Quote
Buddha-like (Chinese: 佛系), or fo xi using its Chinese pronunciation,[1][2] is a buzzword used in China to describe young people who reject the rat race of the contemporary workaholic Chinese society in favour of a tranquil, apathetic life. The term is a neologism combination of two Chinese characters: "fó" (Chinese: 佛), meaning "Buddha"; and "xì" (Chinese: 系), meaning "series" or "school". Young people who uphold the Buddha-like mindset[3][4] are referred to as Buddha-like youths (Chinese: 佛系青年)[4] or Generation Zen.[5][6][7]

The term originated in a 2014 issue of the Japanese women's fashion magazine Non-no to refer to Japanese men who had progressed from being herbivore men to being monk-like men who consider it too exhausting to even bother interacting with women and enjoy being by themselves. The term has been also applied to numerous areas such as parenting, employment, online shopping, fandom, dating and interpersonal relationships. Although the word is inspired by the Buddhist doctrine of becoming spiritually satisfied through giving up anything tied to avarice, it is not a Buddhist principle.

The "Buddha-like" label is primarily adopted by young Chinese men from the post-90s and post-00s generations referring to their less-than-optimistic life outlook, although some post-80s experiencing quarter life crises also admit subscribing to the mindset. Stressed out by poor job prospects, decreased life satisfaction, increasingly stagnant social mobility, disappointing romantic life, familial complications of the one-child policy and soaring housing prices, youths have adopted the term to maintain their fortitude and as a backlash against society's high expectations. For example, the adherents of Buddha-like parenting would say that "there are not that many kids who will really amount to much, so why give them an exhausting childhood?"[1]
[...]
On 11 December 2017, a Chinese media company posted an article titled "The first group of post-90s generation who have become monks" (simplified Chinese: 第一批90后已经出家了; traditional Chinese: 第一批90後已經出家了) on its WeChat account Xin Shixiang (Chinese: 新世相), which had four million followers.[8][14][15] The essay, which discussed Buddha-like youth, went viral, in two days receiving over one million views on WeChat and 60 million on Sina Weibo.[15] It was the first time on Chinese platforms that the phrase "Buddha-like" became viral[16] and led to the neologism's broad adoption in Chinese society.[9] According to the scholar Jie Yang, the article was widely read by millions of viewers in China who connected with its message of living a Zen-like existence of being apathetic towards both wins and losses in life to confront the increased stress they feel from their community.[1]
[...]
The Buddha-like philosophy has been compared to the tang ping or "lie down" (Chinese: 躺平) philosophy an author introduced in 2021 in which the author had stopped working for two years and stopped caring about consumption.[23]
[...]
Whereas the diaosi and sang subcultures cast the blame for people's misfortune on extrinsic factors, the Buddha-like philosophy casts the blame inwards, bemoaning themselves for having physical and mental weaknesses and for being born in the wrong era.[17] The Buddha-like mindset is more biased to action and can be put more into practice in everyday life than the diaosi and sang subcultures.[17] The Buddha-like philosophy is to "don't fight, don't grab; let everything go" and urges tranquility and is a "sweet-hearted" mentality.[17] On the other hand, diaosi adherents have an "unwilling" mentality while sang followers have a dispirited mentality.[17] Buddha-like youth reject consumerism by saying, "I have the right not to consume, I have the right not to follow the logic led by consumerism, and I have the right not to pursue the materialism advocated by consumerism."[17] It is a progression from the diaosi subculture that covets the materialism of the wealthy and the sang subculture that finds passing pleasure in purchasing goods.[17]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddha-like_mindset


While the emerging Chinese counterculture has given youths idealistic new outlooks on life to save their souls from Western-style consumerism, other Sinosphere nations (and the US with its Antiwork movement) still remain in a state of paralyzed depression:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satori_generation
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbivore_men
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hikikomori

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sampo_generation
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N-po_generation
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hell_Joseon


China needs to capitalize on its cultural power and start exporting its counterculture. The Cold War was not ended due to sheer military or economic might alone. It was as much of a battle of ideology, culture, and soul. Youths throughout the world are longing for idealism and hope just as they started to do in the 1950s-60s, and this time around the new counterculture has started to emerge in China.
Posted by: guest55
« on: December 01, 2021, 04:10:49 pm »

Who can still afford to live in the city? | DW Documentary
Quote
In cities around the world, housing prices are skyrocketing while incomes aren’t keeping pace. Housing is a human right that is becoming increasingly evasive. A market gone wild is putting the squeeze on tenants.

The documentary film sheds light on a new kind of faceless landlord, our increasingly unlivable cities and an escalating crisis that is impacting us all. This is not gentrification - it’s a different kind of monster.

Across the globe, rental prices in cities are skyrocketing and long-term tenants are being driven out of their apartments. The film follows Leilani Farha, UN Special Rapporteur on Adequate Housing from 2014 to 2020, as she travels the globe, trying to understand who’s being pushed out of the city and why. Housing is a human right, a precondition to a safe and healthy life. But in a number of cities, having a place to live is becoming more and more difficult. Farha’s investigation leads her to a social housing project in the Swedish city of Uppsala, where several thousand apartments abruptly changed hands; to the trendy London district of Notting Hill, where many urban mansions are vacant; to Berlin, the German capital; and to Valparaíso in Chile. She also heads to the green hinterland of Seoul and the New York district of Harlem, where one tenant’s rent has been raised from 2,400 to 3,500 dollars from one day to the next for his 70-square-meter home. Besides interviewing desperate tenants, the journalist speaks with sociologist Saskia Sassen, economist and Nobel Prize laureate Joseph Stiglitz, and writer Roberto Saviano. They vividly explain how the transformation of the housing market into capital assets that are traded like stocks or commodities has culminated in a global social crisis within just a few years. "I believe there’s a huge difference between housing as a commodity and gold as a commodity. Gold is not a human right, housing is," says Leilani Farha. That is why she founded "The Shift," a global initiative that brings together advocates, mayors and NGOs, to counter the unbridled transformation of housing into financial assets.

#documentary #housing #dwdocumentary #freedocumentary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPloUxLWfB8

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