China's "Lying Flat" Movement, and The Similar Stories in America

The phrase "Lying Flat" doesn't immediately make the impression as a form of social and economic protest which is causing concern among industrialist elites, but it's the relatively simple nature of the movement which creates its power. Lying flat, or "tangping" in Chinese, is a very simple philosophy created by some very complex social situations in the country of China.

Workers in China are often compelled to work gruelling hours for productivity, although this is usually done by intimation rather than outright force. Despite the emergence of "996" work culture - working 9 AM to 9 PM, six days a week - wages and buying power are not keeping pace, and Chinese youths are fearing that they might be the first generation to not be more prosperous than their parents.

Faced with work expectations which are putting their lives and health at risk, and rising costs which prevent them from affording housing and other benchmark goals in spite of this, some are choosing to "Lie Flat". Finding cheaper living situations, cutting down on personal costs, not owning cars or getting married, and finding work that allows them to support themselves without the extreme work culture.

This video discusses the Lying Flat movement, its parallels with earlier philosophies such as Cynicism and Eastern philosophies, and the response by those in positions of power.

It also touches on events which are sometimes reported in the US, but typically not compared to Chinese movements. Similar factors of wage stagnation, rising costs of living, and inflexible and demanding work environments similarly have US workers re-evaluating their options and priorities. From The Great Resignation to Van Life, the FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) movement and emerging aesthetic trends like Cottagecore, this video explores the idea that workers in two very opposed nations may be experiencing very similar struggles.

Timeline:
00:00 Why We Work
01:05 Tangping/ Lying Flat
02:05 Chinese Work Culture and 996 Schedules
05:10 What It Is to Lie Flat
05:50 Influence of Diogenes and Other Philosophies
06:50 Cycle of Burnout and Futility
08:36 Parallels of US Workers
10:15 Similar Lifestyle Movements in America
13:00 Conclusions

References:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=corZx0a1yRU - Lying Flat Song

https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3136510/what-996-gruelling-work-culture-polarising-chinas-silicon-valley

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/3007073/chinese-tech-tycoon-zhou-hongyi-joins-996-debate-says-happy-work

https://u.osu.edu/mclc/2021/07/03/more-on-lying-flat/#more-38525

https://www.forbes.com/sites/tomspiggle/2021/07/08/what-does-a-worker-want-what-the-labor-shortage-really-tells-us/

https://www.npr.org/2021/06/24/1007914455/as-the-pandemic-recedes-millions-of-workers-are-saying-i-quit


https://fortune.com/2021/01/11/pinduoduo-employee-death-suicide-china-996/#:~:text=2%20employee%20deaths%20and%20a,of%20China's%20'996'%20overwork%20culture&text=On%20Saturday%2C%20less%20than%20two,and%20returning%20to%20his%20hometown.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/worklab/work-trend-index/hybrid-work

Wages/Productivity Graph
https://cepr.net/this-is-what-minimum-wage-would-be-if-it-kept-pace-with-productivity/

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