“我必须成功才能有相对的自由。我才有足够的自信告诉别人我究竟是怎么样的一个人。我必须做道120分才能得到基本的尊重。这是少数/边缘群主过度证明。女性说男性做到80分就可以合格，我们必须做到120分是典型的例子。这是她获得尊严的方式。这意味到很大的自我付出，自我伤害。”
– 项飙 (Xiang Biao)
I came across a zaobao (早报）reel reporting on his talk at the local university explaining why certain groups such as immigrants, women, minority groups feel the need to “put in 120%”. This was the way the person would set the threshold for self respect at huge personal costs.
I was at first fascinated by this idea to explain why I was tired from overwork even though I wasn’t working. Ruminating on it for a couple of days, I feel that it was flattering me by appearing to recognise huge effort. I don’t feel that I was exchanging that effort with self respect. It’s more of, this is the way that is right in my world.
Xiang Biao exploded in China and reading that linked article (早报reporter again!) it felt very close to what youngsters in SG has been complaining. “Students study tirelessly get into a good university, office workers push themselves relentlessly just to earn enough money to buy a house..” I would add, pay for it and earn enough to show off the watch on the wrist, the condo address and eventually hitting the threshold of being “rich” for retirement.
Noticing the effort was refreshing. It made him look empathetic and made him look as if he was explaining something in a new way. It felt he was flattering this generation of tired out youths.
Leave a Reply