This episode discusses the phenomenon of college students unable to let go of their academic qualifications when entering the workforce. The superficial reason is unwillingness to let go, but the deeper reality is that they simply cannot.
Excerpt
Positive propaganda hopes young people will live better lives, but the youth are not buying it. One reason is that all problems are attributed to mindset, ignoring the existence of societal illnesses, let alone how to solve them.
Even if young people are willing to take off their long gowns, most of the jobs available to them involve manual labor. However, they may not have the relevant skills or physical strength—for example, can they plan routes for food delivery? Can construction workers push carts?
In modern society, various certificates are required to prove personal ability. The credential society is built on this foundation of broken interpersonal trust. Academic qualifications are currently one of the most energy-consuming and difficult proofs to acquire.
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Listening link
https://www.xiaoyuzhoufm.com/episode/642ef45e9361a4e7c3d81bc6
Official Introduction
The “Kong Yiji” in Lu Xun’s writings suddenly became a hot topic. First, there were disheartened young people lamenting the difficulty of finding jobs, saying, “Academic qualifications are not only a stepping stone but also a high platform I cannot get down from, a long gown I cannot take off.” As the saying goes, “The youth who do not recognize Kong Yiji have only understood it as a character in a book.” These words resonated with netizens, who humorously used this comparison to self-mock. Comparing oneself to Kong Yiji is a common emotional outlet online. However, as analyzed in our previous episode on the “narrative of hardship,” mainstream media hurriedly stepped in, launching condescending criticism and lectures against netizens’ self-mockery, with statements like “Contemporary ambitious youth will never be trapped in long gowns,” and “Only by removing the ‘long gown’ in our minds can we truly run,” sparking heated discussions.
In this episode, starting from the historical context of Lu Xun’s creation of “Kong Yiji,” we discuss the formation and dilemmas of credential society and “academic inflation.” In today’s label-driven society, pathological myths of getting rich quick (such as side jobs promising daily earnings of xx yuan) are prevalent. However, under imperfect social safety nets and保障机制 (social safeguard mechanisms), these myths cannot ease employment pressure. Academic qualifications, as part of the modern society’s trust system, are indispensable. Academic inflation is an unavoidable tendency in credential society, but encouraging everyone to simply “take off the long gown” without reflecting on mechanisms such as higher education and social保障 (social security) does nothing to solve the problem.
| Speakers
Danniu, Xiao Hezi
| Timeline
- Origin of controversy and social background
03:10 Has the once condescending mainstream media “backfired” again?
09:33 The “critique of the old society” training we received since childhood now points to the present
13:30 Kong Yiji is a victim of the transition between old and new eras, and a mirror reflecting societal pathology
19:46 The long gown is not something you can just take off; physical limitations are hard to overcome
25:46 Despite “material abundance” nowadays, anxiety about social material conditions is increasing day by day
32:50 What we need is not “get-rich-quick myths,” but底线保障 (social safety nets) and保障 (security)
- Credential society and “academic inflation”
36:24 The development needs of modern society have made academic qualifications a useful label for evaluating others
44:57 Academic qualifications are indispensable “qualifications” within the social trust system
51:20 Philosopher repairing motorcycles: People are not unaware of the fulfillment and joy of manual labor but fear lack of保障 (security)
57:25 If pursuing academic qualifications is inevitable, at least strive to improve educational methods and training mechanisms