There are two main problems with this article. The obvious one is that it extrapolates the views of a few elites and people in Beijing to the entirety of China. The other serious problem is that it conflates the opinions of these elites with the urban middle class—

https://twitter.com/cfmeyskens/status/1716853588557992150

Lying flat began during the frenzied zenith of China’s tech sector, not its crackdown. It was a response not to CCP oppression, but rather their exploitative bosses—the very people complaining in this piece. Remember that it was Jack Ma who told young folks that 996 was good.

As such, the middle class youth’s economic frustration stems not from suppression of the private sector, but rather its grotesque power! People were angry about working all fucking day and not getting paid shit, a result of an economic system that prioritized growth above all.

Clearly then, it doesn’t make sense to treat the urban middle class and the business elite as the same group, because their interests are diametrically opposed. The former was struggling from the machinations of the old system, while the latter thrived

Yet, foreign commentators seem to continuously lump these two groups together. One reason is perhaps because many young urban folks are cosmopolitan and educated, and so are many businesspeople, so people assume the reasons for their opposition against the CCP are the same.

However, this assumption usually doesn’t hold true—except for young urban people who are also very rich—and I think we should be more careful about parsing the nuances. The other issue is that I think most foreign journalists are out of touch with the Chinese youth.

It’s not completely their fault—most of their sources are older, and it can be hard to find new ones. But in that case then, maybe we shouldn’t speak so authoritatively about how one group feels?