[Opinion] Young Generation Who Lost Dream

Was it about ten years ago? One may recall a young man who stood against a tank at the Tiananmen Square in China. It seems that there is a certain kind of relation between such a reckless behavior of the young man and the recent `gust of China`. The zeal of the 1968 students revolution, which swept over Europe, provided spiritual arms to the educated people to go through the 1990s, which was a difficult time period. The generational shift of the politicians, represented by Gerhart Shreider and Toni Blair, must have been possible in such environment. This is to say that if a society wants progress, it needs younger generation who dreams of rebellion.

It has been only a couple of years since the taste of younger generation took over the mass media in South Korea. Younger people`s taste and color are rampant in not only TV programs but also commercials. The magical power of IT industry and multimedia is amplified in the midst of younger generation`s living style. Thus, it seems possible that younger Korean people`s mass culture has created a boom of the `Korean current` in the neighboring countries. Some people detect the underlying strength of the younger people in such phenomenon. However, my opinion is different. Creative ideas and original thoughts are limited to the consumption realm. Cultural indulgence only vanishes after reaching the peak of passion and pleasure, but it does not sublimate in energy for the future planning.

Although I do not want to assert this point, I made this conclusion along with a research team while analyzing the result of consciousness survey, which was conducted by a university research center where I am currently working. Since the foreign exchange crisis, Korean society has regressed to become more realistic and conservative. Surprisingly, people in their 20s are leading such trends. They are not different from the older generation in terms of using connections and `background` without hesitation for the success and promotion, and stepping aside from seniors` wrongdoings. There is no sign of resistance against the older generation who prioritizes growth and material and voluntarily accepts the realistic limitations. It feels very sad thinking that the young Korean people in their 20s have abandoned idealism, dream, resistance and adventure, which are the privileges of the younger generation.

Does the younger generation in Korea furl the wings? We failed to find a ground to answer `no`. According to U.S. sociologist Robert Merton`s classification of the type of social behavior, the young generation in Korea is shifted from `progressivism` to `accomodationism`. This is to say that they are caught in the trap which the older generation has made.

Major incidents that have changed history since the independence were all the works of the younger generation. The younger Korean generation`s resistance against authoritarianism was sufficient to wake up the younger people around the world. Their passion for revolution became a triggering device of civic movement in the era of globalization. Thanks to the female fighters who paved the way for feminism in difficult environment, it was possible to break the boundary of strong androcentrism. Thanks to the labor workers who committed themselves to the labor movement in 1970s and 1980s, labor workers are treated better at least than before. Although these people are now the leaders of the society, they long for younger people who can reproach them.

From the perspective of economic demography or political demography, the tendency of the younger generation is a rudder that decides the fate of the nation. If they are filled with the spirit of management, we can expect economic growth. If they have a wide spectrum of ideology, ideological struggle will be over after 20 years. If they do not like cliques gathering together among similar people, regional conflicts will disappear. However, this is not the case.

The recent economic crisis and unemployment may have encouraged the younger generation`s `accommodationism`. In a situation where competition rate of employment has hit record high, challenge and dream for progress has changed to an empty dream. From this perspective, neglecting the unemployment of youth is a kind of sin. However, we should remember that this kind of difficulty has always existed. When the older generation committed wrongdoings and their ability was not sufficient, the younger generation challenged more. This was the history of Korea.

If so, from whom can we expect big transformation? If the cultural current of indulgence and passion, which is exported to other Asian countries, is felt either as a sense of shame to those who cannot carry out the generational task, or a feast for those who accommodate themselves to the reality, the 21st century of Korea may disappear. As Nietzsche advised, show us the power that melts the object with 1,000 eyes. We hope that the younger generation proclaims the generational war to the older generation.

Song Ho-Keun (Professor of Sociology at Seoul National University)