Kids these days. Occasionally tardy! Sometimes truant! Unconcerned by ‘substandard food makers!’
Chaos reigns in schools acriss the country, apparently, as students fake absence notes, cheat on tests, show up late for appointments, and skip 7 AM morning exercises. A survey conducted in Chongqing Municipality in Southwestern China says that nearly 90 percent of 12 to 16 year-olds will act selfishly, given the choice.
A China Daily article on Xinhua’s website bemoans the survey’s findings, noting that ‘once upon a time middle students viewed it an honor to help others in need now it’s considered “outdated” by students nowadays [sic].’
Traditionally, students have been given ‘moral instruction’ through education about model citizens, like the model worker Lei Feng, who died when a pole fell on his head, or the student Lai Ning (pictured at left), who, hopped up on class consciousness and revolutionary fervor, waged a heroic battle against a forest fire. (He lost.)
The degenerate youth of today don’t go in for that kind of thing, apparently. The article gives a startling statistic: “in exchange for booties, 72.4% of the minor respondents would tell a lie.”
Speaking of booties, via the “related stories” section below the article:
- Xinhua / China Daily: An honesty crisis has hit Chinese fledglings
- Image of Lai Ning taken from China Youth Report (Chinese): “Who Would Drive Lai Ning Away?”