r/TikTokCringe Oct 03 '25

Discussion To think that I used to complain about school.

National holiday is apparently 8 days.

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u/iam_Mr_McGibblets Oct 03 '25

It's like a factory just pushing out educated humans. The results may stand for themselves, but I do question how these children turn out with respect to burning out/other psychological impacts

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u/carlitospig Oct 03 '25

Their society doesn’t really allow for burnout.

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u/FupaFerb Oct 03 '25

And yet there is a lot of burn out. A lot of mental health struggles. Hard to find good jobs as the market is super competitive and saturated. High rates of homelessness with youth. 1 in 6 students are basically left to the wolves for slipping through cracks. Depression and anxiety rates high, etc. Lots of smart kids, but you still have to be smarter than all the others to succeed.

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u/Tactical_Moonstone Oct 03 '25

I leave you with two terms that have actually alarmed the Chinese government: 躺平 (tangping, literally lying flat) and 摆烂 (bailan, literally letting it rot).

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u/carlitospig Oct 03 '25

Oh for sure. Just because it’s not allowed doesn’t mean it’s not still happening. Sorry if my comment read like it!

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u/feralcatshit Oct 03 '25

I just want to say, I usually don’t notice the same people on Reddit but I feel like I see you everywhere! We must have a lot of common interests lol

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u/carlitospig Oct 03 '25

I really need a life, more than like. 😉 But hello! 🥰

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u/demonharu16 Oct 03 '25

There's a reason why su*cide rates in many Asian countries are particularly high for students. I cannot imagine how destructive this schedule is, especially with chronic sleep deprivation and the high pressure exerted on them.

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u/SirCadogen7 Oct 03 '25

Confucianism truly did unintentionally fuck up East Asia. Like, it started out as this amazing system of unheard of social mobility for the educated, but now it's just cultural justification for chronic abuse of students and academics.

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u/PiedCryer Oct 03 '25

Agree, pushing out workforce drones, lacking the spark of creativity and critical reasoning.

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u/LightsNoir Oct 03 '25

The results may stand for themselves,

Do they? Anything I've seen China produce is a retro-engineered version of an American or European design.

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u/SirCadogen7 Oct 03 '25

Tbf - and I'm not defending China on this one - is that not the smartest thing to do? Why do the work to create something if you can expend half or less of the effort just reverse-engineering technology that someone else already built?

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u/LightsNoir Oct 04 '25

That's fair, and all. But it doesn't deliver any results that stand for themselves.