Lazy or Smart?
Slacker Nation? Young Japanese Shun Promotions -- Wall Street Journal. This article reminds me of many such scare pieces in the U.S. in recent years about the lazy young undermining American competitiveness. If it's true in the US and in Japan than the Chinese and Indians will make quick work of the Americans and Japanese in the coming years. I have my doubts, though. We'll see. But with regard to Japan specifically, the second paragraph of this article and the second to last paragraph both clearly demonstrate bugs to be fixed, not aspirations to be realized.
I guess there is a real cultural / generation divide opening up. It's worth remembering that a 24 year old has never really known anything but the perpetual recession of the "japanese malaise".
As far as i can tell money inspires greed - it's a simple trap, the more you earn, the more society tells you need to spend. It has to be that way, it's the very basis of a system of industrial production, where the ability to produce greatly outstrips the workers ability to consume. Enter credit, and let the marketing roll... but proles are starting to ask how much of this crap they really need. Sure, we tried a service based economy, but only so many people can be software engineers, call centre drones, burger flippers, hairdressers; at some point an exchange of tangible goods is necessary.
Anyway, what are these kids supposed to be aspiring to? The same screwed-up relationships that their parents are beginning to realise that they'll never live long enough to mend? Conspicuous consumption? Haha. Our value system / democratic consumer society is a (bad) joke. It's the end of an era. You can tell because the beliefs of the last ~50 years look paper thin and laughable.
My conclusion is that we are running way above our 'societal carrying capacity', which usually means that the captains of industry will be ordering up a war or famine sometime soon. Wonder if we'll answer the call...
[Why is it that everything i write these days comes off as the rant of a chronic depressive?!]
Posted by Jon Ellis on November 02, 2008 at 08:46 PM JST #
Yep. Big changes under way, no question. You are a bit more global then the article suggests, but all the elements are here, too. And I do see the Japanese malaise, but I see that among the so-called "salarymen" whereas this article points to the kids as the problem. I am not at all surprised the young workers are rejecting what is put in front of them. But I have to be honest, I have no clue what they have in mind as a replacement.
Posted by Jim Grisanzio on November 02, 2008 at 10:03 PM JST #
Jon ellis: "Anyway, what are these kids supposed to be aspiring to?"
Swedish youths are very engaged in the future of modern economics:
http://www.pp-international.net/
It might come to a chock to the current leaders that they are becoming old though. :)
Posted by Kristofer on November 03, 2008 at 12:44 AM JST #
I agree with the article, wholeheartedly. Why should someone smart and ambitious rot away climbing along in the corporate hierarchy?
It's a corporation. A corporation doesn't care about people, and corporations today don't even care about profits any more, there is nothing but endless layers of extremely overpaid managers which don't have a clue about what is going on in the trenches.
And now we need even *more* management? Such insanity I read!
All a manager has to do in this day and age is stick it out for two years, cover up losses and failures with "powerpoint engineering", and massaging numbers in Excel, and he'll get a bonus big enough to last him a life time (or at least to buy a Ferrari, if he's in middle management).
A manager never admits how it really is, everything is always positive, politically correct... it's disgusting. I always tell my people what it's like, and even if the times are tough, at least they respect me for being an honest person, not treating them like idiots, and not being an emotional whore.
Corporate hierarchies are dead! Dead, dead, dead! Generation Y has many shortcomings, but one good thing it does have is, that generation will bring about much needed change, and be the corporate hierarchy's undoing.
It already started with Google and NASA.
Oh I look forward to that day!
Posted by UX-admin on November 03, 2008 at 01:49 AM JST #
UX-admin)
In Japan the problem isn't extremely overplayed managers it is that the change from regular employee to management generally entails a massive increase in hours and responsibility without a commensurate increase in benefits. Normal employees are generally required to receive paid overtime, management isn't.
The pre-bobble generation worked for the love of their company, the generation in their 20-30 have experienced the social cost of this and don't want to have anything to do with it.
Posted by Edward Middleton on November 03, 2008 at 10:46 PM JST #
Another view of this issue http://ampontan.wordpress.com/2008/11/03/those-slacker-japanese/
Posted by Jim Grisanzio on November 03, 2008 at 10:50 PM JST #
"In Japan the problem isn't extremely overplayed managers it is that the change from regular employee to management generally entails a massive increase in hours and responsibility without a commensurate increase in benefits. Normal employees are generally required to receive paid overtime, management isn't."
That's exactly what I mean, why would someone young and full of life want to rot away for a corporation, slave away long hours of their life (even if it were paid)?
I used to do this, now I don't really care any more. I lost nerves, I came home dead tired, and for what? So that someone "up the chain" has a nice report with nice looking numbers, gets a big fat bonus?
Better to take it easy and enjoy life, I have to work a minimum of 8.42 hours and it's way too much (and they won't let me automate myself out of the job, no matter how many times I ask!)
I lose the whole "Sun cycle" under artificial lighting, unable to tend to my own personal (administrative) matters, again, for what??? For whom???
A corporation isn't a real person, what is the point of trying to accumulate profits???
Posted by UX-admin on November 03, 2008 at 11:03 PM JST #
I would say that, giving this election here in the US, that young people aren't as lazy as thought any more. Millions have volunteered, organized, and gotten involved in the democratic process, learning to contribute and make a difference in society. I think this trend will continue.
Posted by Ryan Kopf on November 04, 2008 at 10:55 AM JST #