For the Post-1980’s Generation 給八十後

 出生於八十年代的你們：

剛讀過健吾和周志煌合著的社會學論著《八十後的生存與生活》，感慨良多。從置業、就業到戀愛、婚姻，中國八十後的現況就是這樣赤裸而殘酷地呈現眼前。掩卷以後，我不住在想，究竟這一代人的未來還是怎樣？根據主流傳媒的論述，這群所謂的八十後着實不知所謂 — 只知好高騖遠，不知民間疾苦。我不清楚這種說法是否恰當，畢竟我所接觸的人也不過是滄海一栗、冰山一角，不過讀畢此書，我可以肯定的是，我們這些人的問題未必源於我們「不事生產」、「好食懶飛」的性格，而是整個社會的結構性問題。我猜，你們也是如此相信，因為，身為八十後，都有共同的快樂，和哀愁。

八十後一份子上

Dear those born in 1980’s,

I have just completed the reading of “The Survival of Post 1980’s Generation”, a new book written by Kengo and Zhou Zhihuang, which impresses me so much. The book directly describes various social phenomena of the new generation in China, such as their employment and marriage issue, through the method of case study. I can’t stop thinking about the future of this generation. According to the narrative of mainstream media, we are lazy and ridiculous. I can’t tell if it is true, but after reading this book, I do only know that their problems should not only be attributed to their personality, but also to the society.

Yours sincerely,

Someone also born in 1980’s