Sang, which literally means loss or deprivation, is used to refer to a mentality of idleness, apathy and demotivation. In recent years,
sang has become an increasingly prominent cultural phenomenon among young Chinese people, especially those born in the 1990s. The idea of
sang, an editorial in the
China Youth Daily says, should be approached in two ways.
At the beginning of sang fever, young people saw sang culture as a form of entertainment, since the young inevitably suffer pressure and frustration, and demotivational ideas tend to appeal to them. A little bit of sang is normal and understandable in this context.
But too much sang culture can seriously impact the senses, and negative ideas such as those promoted by brands that have capitalized on sang culture, (such as the tea 'flavor': “you are not a loser who owns nothing, at least you have a mental illness”), could alienate the nation's youth and make traditional notions of success seem increasingly unattainable.
China's youth must be helped to abandon their obsession with sang culture so they can play an active role in their own lives. Young people face the immense pressures of study, employment, marriage and housing acquisition, but if the government and the society provide more for them, perhaps they will have the courage to combat this sang emotion, the editorial concludes.
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