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,
I am writing to express my views towards the issue about ‘ME’ generation. ‘ME’ generation is a term describing a culture of narcissism among the young generation and an era when people consider themselves as the center of the world. People in this generation are characterized by self-absorption, high self-esteem and attaching much importance to self-entitlement. In fact, it is not a trend in one place, but it is a phenomenon that can be found in the globe, including Hong Kong.
Why does the ‘ME’ generation exist? One of the main reasons is that the parenting style has changed. In the past, each family usually had at least four children. As time passes, more and more parents prefer to raise two children or even less instead, in order to ensure their children are given the best. This is actually what happens in Hong Kong. It is understandable that the parents put all the attention to their only child and the little kid becomes the center of the family. These children even become the king or queen at home and all their wants are satisfied as long as their parents are able to afford. What is more, parents take care of them so well that they do not need to learn anything related to daily lives such as sweeping the floor or cooking.
Under this trend, the young generation is not only prone to being ‘Kong Kids’ but also often forget to be grateful. The young generation often takes things for granted. For instance, they hold the beliefs that they should be given the latest model of smartphones or they are treated unfairly. When they get what they want, they seldom think of saying ‘thank you’ as they think it is their rights. Having this kind of misconception, the personal growth of the young will be definitely harmed. It is certainly hard for them to be resilient. Worse still, they will easily be depressed whenever there is a blow or hurdle. In the end, the young generation will give up easily and be unable to overcome challenges.
To stop this trend prevailing, parents should stop spoiling children. Although it is not difficult to comprehend that parents will do their utmost to let their kids grow happily, overprotecting them is never desirable. What the parents had better do is to instill and inculcate the correct values into children’s minds such as letting them know things do not come for free. Better still, parents should let children solve the problem themselves instead of helping them instantly so that the kids will be more tough and strong as they grow and they will also learn not to be self-centered. As the young generation is our future pillar, we should make every endeavour to help them grow healthily.
Hopefully, our young generation can be grateful all the times and do not take themselves as the center of the world.
Yours faithfully,
Chris Wong
Chris Wong
Kathy Wong Ho Laam
6B 2015-16