Time is changing. It’s claimed to be the time of the ‘ME’ generation. ‘ME’ refers to the young people in the world. Is this also the case in our city? Write a letter to the editor to express your views towards the issue.
Dear Editor,
With the advent of the modern and technological era, people’s living quality improves continuously. It is not strange to hear that they demand even higher living standards. The young people, however, do not only want to be wealthy and famous, but they feel they deserve it. That is why the term ‘ME’ generation has arisen recently. Being an international city, Hong Kong is not immune to this phenomenon. Therefore, I am writing to express my views towards this issue.
First and foremost, why are the youngsters in Hong Kong armed with an attitude of entitlement? It is because parenting has changed dramatically. Nowadays, most of the families are more prosperous and have a decent living. Gone are the days when the families have to work very hard to earn a living. They tend to give everything they own to their only sons and daughters, hoping that they do not have to be as exhausted as they did. They demand less from their loved ones and give more than what they should have. Children are then not that thankful due to the constant exposure to a relaxing, wealthy and comfortable environment. In their eyes, it is taken for granted that they should get plentiful things from people around them. In a word, parents fail to nurture the children a ‘positive’ view of their future but only reinforce their entitlement mindsets.
There is plenty of evidence to show that teenagers in Hong Kong are more self-centered then before. First of all, they possess narcissism and have high self-esteem. It seems to them ‘likes’ and ‘followers’ are the panacea for them to be happy, incredibly happy. They feel extremely good if people praise them or have positive comments on them. On the contrary, if they receive negative views, they will be sad, immensely sad. They think that they deserve the likes from anyone else. However, if things go not as planned, they will suffer huge grievances.
Apart from their poor mentality, they appear to shun hard work. Their entitlement thinking takes its toll on them again. ‘I deserve a good academic result or a decent salary, but I am not going to sacrifice my personal life to achieve this’. Unlike their predecessors, they are lazy and irresponsible. Not only do they make little efforts on completing their duties, but they also blame others when things happen out of control. When they cannot finish their job duties well, they claim that their bosses have given a wrong order. When they cannot score good grades, they say their teachers did not nurture them well. No wonder why there are mounting frustrations and grumblings from the employers and the education sector.
Living in the ‘ME generation’, teenagers are always saying ‘ME’,’ME’ and ‘ME’. They lack the sense of gratefulness for what they gain, but are full of grievances for what they cannot get. It is absolutely detrimental for their well-beings. What could be done to prevent the situation from deteriorating?
To commence with, parents should rethink on their way of nurturing their kids in a bid to let them grow healthily. They should no longer act like ‘helicopters’, always hovering above their beloved kids. Instead, leaving them alone sometimes can pave the way for their independence and emotional strength. What they should really do is to communicate with them and give them support ONLY when necessary. Only by doing so can they give opportunities to their loved ones to walk out from their comfort zones. Therefore, youngsters can realize that what they have are not for granted and develop a sense of thankfulness and empathy.
All in all, ‘ME’ generation is definitely not an honor nor a praise. It is hoped that the next generation can learn to be humble and respect others by the concerted efforts of all the parties in our city.
Yours faithfully,
Chris Wong
Chris Wong
Ho Yik Chung Dick
6E 2015-16