We’re Overworked, and Everyone Just Needs to Lie Down
What tang ping and hikikomori reveal about what’s wrong with how we approach hard work
“Lying flat is my wise movement,”
It’s a quote from a user on the since-deleted post on the Chinese discussion forum Tieba, on how instead of participating in a capitalist society, they were going to live it out by ‘lying flat’.
The words for lying flat in Chinese are tang ping, and it has since become a popular social protest buzzword by young Chinese on societal pressures, and the value in choosing a more low-profile, modest lifestyle. People are choosing to not get married, to not have kids, to not have a job, and to have as little material things as possible.
“You’re beaten up by society and just want a more relaxed life… ‘lying flat’ is not waiting to die. I still work, but just don’t overstretch,” — Wang, 24.
What surprised me most about reading about this phenomenon was my reaction to it: Yeah, I get it.
This trend is not too different from Japan’s version of hikikomori, or young people who become recluses in their parent’s home, and refuse to leave their room for months or…
