In a society where people are taught to respect their
elders, the youths of today with their loud music,
unusual fashions, and irreverent behavior are something
of a rude awakening. But all is not fun and games for
young people in Taiwan. The pressure to do well in
school remains an overwhelming factor in their fast-
disappearing childhood. What does this mean for the
future leaders of Taiwan?
The scene at the departure lounge of the Chiang Kai-shek International Airport is one of chaos. "Please, don't go!" scream dozens of teenage girls with tears streaming down their faces. "I love you!" Several others bang on the glass partition that separates them from their idols, the Japanese boy band Kinki Kids. The drama is a record producer's dream. Fans are young, hip, and think nothing of spending upward of US$35 for a concert, not to mention the cost of souvenirs such as posters, CDs, dolls, and florescent stickers. "The Kinki Kids' three concerts sold out in one day," says event organizer Isaac Chen. "Demand was so great that we had to add another performance."
It is hard to imagine the same kind of scene taking place in Taiwan fifteen or even ten years ago. Indeed, today's youths live in a society very different from that of generations past. They are generally more affluent than their parents were at the same age, and they have greater exposure to outside influences and cultures, as well as access to the Internet. So how are their values, attitudes, lifestyles, and opinions different from those of previous generations? And how do they perceive life, death, sex, marriage, interpersonal relationships, and career prospects?
"Today's young people live in a relatively wealthy, peaceful society, the result of hard work and effort people from my generation strove to achieve during the 1960s and 1970s," says Cheng Shyr-yan, 56, a psychologist and writer. "Because of the rapidly developing society, the way they behave and think is very different from the way we were at their age." He believes his generation was a more cohesive group--more independent and better able to handle adversity and endure difficulties. Youths today in comparison do not have much practical experience in trying to achieve their goals and they are not prepared to take responsibility and manage difficulties. So when they do encounter problems, they avoid them instead of trying to resolve them.
Avoidance takes many forms. For example, many youths have gravitated toward the Internet. "A major problem with the Internet is the anonymity. So many people hide behind nicknames," Cheng notes. "People might strike up a lot of friendships online, but these aren't based on personal interaction or real life."
Shen Ching-ping, a senior high-school student, is perhaps typical. His time is largely divided between studying and spending time on the Internet. "I basically go to school during the day, go home and study, then go online," he says. "I don't have much spare time, so I'm happy when my parents leave me alone. When I'm online, I can say whatever's on my mind without anyone judging me or betraying my secrets or thoughts. A lot of kids at school hide their true feelings and pretend they're happy even when they're not."
Establishing lasting and meaningful relationships with peers is a difficulty many youths share even without the use of the impersonal Internet. Another senior high-school student, Wang Chun-hung, admits he has a hard time making friends with his classmates, largely because of academic rivalry. "I have very few 'real' friends because my interests are quite different from others', and classmates are very competitive when it comes to grades," he says. "This makes it difficult for us to learn from each other and to form close friendships, and that's too bad."
While some youths may lament their lack of meaningful relationships, others take comfort in acquiring things. As in developed countries around the world, there are those who complain that young people's accumulation of goods leaves them with little appreciation of the value of things. "In the past we bought a watch and wore it for twenty or thirty years. It served the purpose of telling time," states John Hei, promoter of Dale Carnegie Training in Taiwan. "But now young people like to buy several watches, and wear them for only one or two years. For them, watches are a fun fashion accessory that allows them to express their identity."
Hei sees this sense of the temporary nature of things being applied to other aspects of life, including work and marriage. Many of today's youths move from one job to another rather than establish a lifetime career, and a lot of people who get married do not believe they will stay together for the rest of their lives. "Generally speaking, youths like to express their individualism; they like things that are new, and are constantly looking for change," he observes. "If parents and teachers remove this option for them, conflict usually arises."
A college student, Annie Chung, 21, says the generation gap between her and her parents is quite noticeable. Her mother tends to buy more expensive but better quality clothes, while she prefers cheaper items so she can buy more. "Another thing is that my dad always tells me exactly what to do," she adds. "But I think it doesn't matter how you get there, as long as you reach your goal." Her father also has more traditional views of marriage, while Chung does not think that marriage is the only choice for women. "Whether a woman's married or not, I think her top priority should be financial independence. That's my priority after graduation. And I don't see anything wrong with divorce if it's a loveless marriage. What's the point in staying together for the sake of saving face, or morality?"
Another college student, Tseng Chien-hao, reveals similar opinions. "I don't think you have to get married. It depends on whether you can find someone to love and who loves you in return," he explains. "Honestly I don't have much hope in marriage. Marriage has built-in problems like money, responsibilities, child-rearing, and sharing the housework. Being single is better, you're more carefree." Tseng also thinks that cohabiting is morally acceptable, as it allows a couple to determine whether or not they are suitable for a long-term relationship.
Affluence has affected not only youths' appreciation of material items or their goals for the future, but also their travel experience. They are traveling farther distances in greater numbers than ever before. The disposable income per household in Taiwan was NT$889,053 (US$25,770) in 1999 compared with NT$520,147 (US$15,077) in 1990 and NT$233,112 (US$6,757) in 1980. Parents appear willing and able to pay virtually any amount of money to send their offspring abroad for education, travel, or to improve their language skills. One question commonly heard on campuses across the island is, "Which country are you planning to visit this summer?"
Chao Hsin-yi is an accounting director of Best Education Studies, a business that organizes overseas study tours and provides information and consultation to applicants to foreign schools. Each year, his agency organizes about twenty study tours to European countries, including England, France, and Switzerland, for approximately 600 young participants. The tours cost between NT$100,000 and $120,000 (US$2,900 and $3,478) inclusive of airline tickets, tuition, and accommodation. "Nowadays, with higher per capita income and fewer children, parents pay more attention to education and are more generous in their spending," Chao says. "An overseas study tour can help students improve their English skills and broaden their horizons."
Many people agree. Chen Chih-hsiung, a junior high-school student, says his mother signed him up for a month-long study tour to the United States last year. At first he was reluctant to go because he did not know anyone else on the tour, but eventually he went ahead with the trip. "It turned out to be a wonderful experience," he recalls. "I got to see a lot of cool things in museums, cultural centers, shopping malls, and theme parks. But to tell the truth, my English didn't improve very much. I didn't really talk to people or ask a lot of questions."
A college student, Chen Yu-wen, has also traveled abroad. "A lot of people dream of travelling to Europe, and I'm no exception. I was lucky to be able to go when I was only twenty," he says. "When I went to England in 1998, I had a chance to polish my English and learn about the local customs and culture. I also made a lot of friends from around the world. It was a great experience and an unforgettable trip!"
Parental indulgence in terms of expensive trips is one thing, indulgence in food is quite another. As in the United States, obesity is becoming a serious problem among youths in Taiwan. High-calorie, high-fat diets and a sedentary lifestyle have contributed to an increase in obesity and associated chronic diseases such as diabetes.
To evaluate the growth trends among school children in Taiwan, Chu Nain-feng, an associate professor of the Tri-Service General Hospital's Department of Community Medicine, conducted a survey among Taipei's junior high-school students aged twelve to sixteen between 1980 and 1994. He discovered that over the past fifteen years body weight increased dramatically over body height. The prevalence of obesity also increased significantly, especially among boys. The rate of obesity among this group went from 12.4 percent in 1980 to 16.4 percent in 1994. Last year, Chu completed a similar survey and found the obesity rate for boys grew to 17 percent.
"Overweight children are at a high risk for developing long-term chronic conditions, including adult-onset diabetes mellitus, coronary heart disease, orthopedic disorders, and respiratory diseases," he cautions. "Overall, this study indicates that obesity and the adverse effects of being over one's ideal body weight is not only a problem in Western countries, but in Taiwan as well." Diet, physical inactivity, and smoking are the prime culprits. "With the increasing Western influence on young people's diets, we see them taking in more calories than before," he notes. "But there's no corresponding interest in exercise. This trend is continuing. If we don't move to stop it, these children will likely develop chronic diseases in the next twenty years. That will put a considerable burden on the healthcare system."
Wu Chun-chieh, 13, acknowledges that he has not given serious thought to the potential health problem. "I like to play sports for fun. I'm not into it for my health. I'm still young, I shouldn't be worried about my health at this age," he says. "But I'm planning to lose some weight because my classmates have been teasing me about being fat. It's a problem though. I don't have much time to exercise because I have to study most of the time."
Education authorities are not blind to this problem. The Ministry of Education (MOE) together with the Department of Health (DOH) have launched physical fitness programs and a five-year plan to improve school lunches. Another provision is a student health checkup, which will encourage young students to eat a balanced diet, engage in exercise, manage their weight, and will teach them what they should weigh.
We have learned that youths of today have more disposable income, are more technologically savvy, and have traveled more than their parents at their age, but the question remains--are they any happier? To learn about what a typical teen worries about, and the EQ (emotional quotient) of teenagers, Dale Carnegie Training, an organization that specializes in enhancing people's communication skills, conducted a poll among 1,450 teenagers between thirteen and eighteen years old in Taiwan in July last year.
According to the survey results, around 66 percent of respondents said they were unhappy. Girls were more likely than boys to feel this way, which was attributed to having less confidence in themselves and being more worried about what others thought of them. There were several main reasons for teen unhappiness. Some 58 percent of those polled blamed their heavy homework load, while 40 percent said they lacked the ability to overcome worries and pressure. More than 80 percent felt that they lacked self -confidence and good communication skills.
Chen Chih-yu, a junior high-school student, is a prime example. "More often than not, I'm unhappy and feel a lot of pressure," he admits. "I study hard, but I still can't get good grades. Maybe it's because my IQ isn't high enough." Chen is a typical student in that after classes are over he heads to the neighborhood cram school four nights a week. His parents want him to score in the top three in the class, but he has only ever reached the top ten. "I just want my parents to stop having such high expectations. They're always berating me for not doing better. It only puts more pressure on me," he continues. "I just want to do more fun things like go out with my friends to see a movie or play basketball."
"I hope I'm not putting too much pressure on my son," Chen's mother says with a sigh. "I feel sorry for him, but I can't afford to be too easy on him. Children are so passive when it comes to learning. If he doesn't study hard enough, then he can't get into a good school or get a good job after graduation. That's just how things work in Taiwan."
Tu Hsi-ming has worked at the youth counseling center, Teacher Chang, for ten years. In her experience, Tu has found that a majority of youths experience a greater sense of pressure than in previous years. Pressure to perform well in exams is rife. Family difficulties, particularly with regard to communication between parent and child, are also common. "With a greater amount of influence coming from outside cultures, as well as a changing economic, familial, and social environment, today's teens perceive things differently from their parents," she notes. "They no longer automatically believe what their elders say and do as they're told. That causes tension."
Questioning and testing parental authority is a rite of passage for any teenager, but in Taiwan this does not commonly involve criminal behavior. According to the MOE, the number of violent crimes committed by students from elementary school to college level peaked at 1,149 in 1997 and leveled off to 1,116 in 1998 and 961 in 1999. Althought the number of violent crimes committed by youths has not increased significantly over the years, it continues to cause concern, along with drug abuse and suicide.
Also worth noting, Tu stresses, is the increase in psychological problems such as melancholia and mania. According to tallies released by the DOH, the suicide rate among youths aged between fifteen and twenty-four was 4 per 100,000 in 2000, down from 4.36 per 100,000 in 1997. The corresponding rates in the United States, Japan, Germany, and England in 1997 were 11.4, 8.6, 8.2, and 6.8, respectively.
Concerned about the stresses facing modern youths, the MOE has declared 2001 the Year of Life Education and proposed a four-year plan to promote life education among high-school students to help them cope with pressures and inspire them to value their lives. In addition, the ministry has invited academics and other experts to compile booklets, design teaching activities, cultivate seed instructors, and map out theme outlines and teaching strategies. It also plans to organize seminars, lectures, and expositions, produce commercial films, and build websites for further promotion.
"Life education is not another subject but a direction of education. Teachers must learn that they are not merely disseminators of knowledge, but also mentors," explains Wu Jung-chen, a section director at the MOE's Committee on School Discipline and Moral Education. "As an educator, I've been wondering how we could improve our education skills. But it seems that the harder we work, the more children seem to lose. Why is this?" He believes the main reason is that traditional education relies on rote memorization, while parents want their children to do nothing but study. Add to the equation an increasingly alienating technology and you have youths isolated from society.
"Young children have become slaves to the exam system, and their only interaction is with textbooks and computers rather than family, friends, or recreation," Wu notes. "Also, there's the misconception of 'if you don't do well in school, then your life has no value.' This should end. Parents, teachers, and students themselves must all learn how to cultivate more meaningful views of what is valuable in life."
Times have indeed changed, as have people's perspectives. Instead of blaming youths for their different thinking and behavior, perhaps we should put ourselves in their shoes and try to understand their feelings and perspectives, as well as give them a chance to make choices and face the consequences. "You live only once. So you should just do what you want to do, what you're interested in," opines fifteen-year-old Chen Chih-yu. "I just hope that I can be in charge of my own life. After all, I'm not a little kid anymore."