Give-up Generation
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Give-up generation (Senrian: 아끼라머루써대, akirameru sedai) is a Senrian-language neologism referring to young Senrians who have given up attaining employment, home ownership, marriage, and having children as a result of the extreme socioeconomic pressures within Senrian society. The term is broad in usage, encompassing a variety of subcategories including but not limited to satori (young people who have chosen to reject desire for advancement, overwork, and conspicuous consumption, akin to the tang ping movement in Shangea) and hikikomori (people who have withdrawn into extreme social isolation and reclusivity).
Etymology
[coining of term]
Definition
[the basic definition]
[subcategories - satori, hikikomori, hodo-hodo zoku, etc.]
Background and causes
[grueling academic system is ruthless by design; pass-or-fail academics are depressing, bullying rife; strong, often unhealthy, parental pressure - "kyouiku mama" phenomenon]
[simultaneous recruitment, seniority over competence in promotions, and overwork (i.e. karoshi) make a career miserable; some individuals would rather maximize free time or not work at all]
[on top of that, senrian deindustrialization, middle income trap issues, and slowing growth have made it harder to get a job at all]
[cities are severely crowded, rent is expensive and a mortgage is out of the question]
[as marriages are delayed and total fertility rates fall, that has social ramifications]
[some individuals, particularly on the reclusive end, might have autism spectrum disorders, agoraphobia, social anxiety, or avoidant personality disorder]
[others blame middle class affluence and modern technology]
[stringent social rules, late capitalist anomie, a historical cultural emphasis on conformity, a sense of societal stagnation, the concepts of honne and tatemae have also been promulgated]
Impact
[social and economic consequences; financial burden of waithood, expatriates, the 80-50 problem]
Criticism
[sometimes mocked or insulted by older generations; "banana generation", because bananas bruise easily and spoil quickly]
[gov't response has largely been to call it shameful and un-senrian]