Meritocracy promised to replace birth lottery with social promotion
based on individual skills and talents. Unfortunately, its
implementation seems to actually increase the inequality in access to
the most prestigious educational credentials and professional
opportunities. As Daniel Markovits points out in this article, it does
not mean youth from the privileged classes have it easier than before.
In the last couple of months, China appears on the West news either
due to quickly and largely contained coronavirus outbreaks,
outcompeting the West technologically or territorial disputes.
And while this is all true, Chinese economy is not free from the
challenges faced elsewhere, such as rising housing prices and
overall “rat race”. Some disappointed youth started
withdrawing from their toxic lifestyles by adopting
“lie flat” attitude, worrying the authorities and
the larger society.
How many times have you seen smart and great looking couple
and were jealous of how smart and beautiful their kids will be?
I had this thought pretty often. But what if things do not work
out as planned? Professor Ding has just given up and finds himself
unable to make his daughter succeed in one of the world's most
competitive schooling systems. His learnt lesson and message to the
world: “Parents should identify their kids’ unique qualities
in different aspects other than academic studies”.