The CCP and the philosophy of lying flat

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Most Asian countries I have been in work unbelievable hours and 6 or more days a week for very little pay.

The philosophy of ‘lying flat’ – the greatest irony for the CCP | Lam Hoi

2021.06.03
Recently, the buzzword “lying flat” has taken mainland China’s cyberspace by storm. The term originated from an internet post, titled “Lying Flat is Righteous”, written by a young netizen. According to the author himself, he has not worked for more than two years. But he stares down the traditional values of society, living the life of a free spirit by “lying flat”. The article has touched a chord with many young people, and the definition of “lying flat” has been further expanded to include cutting back on spending, restricting individual desires and saying no to “working hard” as a way to escape the harsh exploitation of “involution” (long working hours with low returns, the unhealthy competition between colleagues who are on overtime perpetually as well as other phenomena). Young netizens’ recognition and discussion of “lying flat” have even alarmed the government. Not only was the post removed from the internet, but the Nanfang Daily also published an essay titled “‘Lying flat’ is shameful. How can it be righteous?”, which was also posted onto the website of Xinhuanet in criticism of the philosophy. Obviously, the emergence of “lying-flatism” has touched a sensitive nerve of the CCP.

The government mouthpiece has attacked the “lying flat” philosophy on the grounds that “you can change your life only through hard work”, which is a traditional mindset. However, the inconvenient truth that the mouthpiece is unwilling to mention is that “lying flat” resonates with young people because they no longer believe that they can work their way up the social ladder by working hard. How can one say that young people are not working hard enough when they begin their “996” working lives (the requirement to begin work at 9 am and leave work at 9 pm for six days a week) in a big company as soon as they graduate from university and food delivery drivers have every second of their time wrung out of them by the precise machinery of big data? Despite their hard work, the “996” working lives remain, because young people are “supposed” to be “pursuing their dreams”. After a rider manages to deliver a meal within ten minutes, he is asked to do it within nine minutes next time as part of an “improvement and optimization” drive.


Though young people keep working hard, they fail to receive reasonable returns in the system of exploitation. The benefit of their hard work is reaped by vested interests. What is the point of hard work if it cannot change your destiny? Why not just lie flat? At least life will be easier by doing so. Furthermore, young people are facing not only vested interests, but also their scions, who were born into much higher social statuses than ordinary people. They are at the top of the social hierarchy without having to work hard. Such being the reality, how can one convince young people to work hard to change their lives?

This is not the first time someone has had a brush with mainland China’s system of unfettered crony capitalism. During last year’s May Fourth Youth Festival, the authorities unveiled a promotional film called “The Waves Coming From Behind”. The original intention was to inspire young people to work hard, and the film was full of positive things about life. However, the positivity depicted was merely the privileges of a few, things that were completely irrelevant to the lives of young people. Thus, “the waves coming from behind” became a derogatory term synonymous with “the offspring of the rich and powerful”. Before that, there was the term “chives”, which refers to the masses who are easily tricked. This time netizens have amalgamated the two terms and created slogans such as “Chives that lie flat are not easy to cut” and “I don’t want to kneel, and I can’t stand. So, I have to lie flat”. These multifarious slogans have the common targets: the enormous disparity between rich and poor, the sclerotic class structure, the exploitation of labor and the system that has caused all that. Isn’t the “lying flat” philosophy, which has coincided with the centenary of a CCP that is “against the bourgeoisie’s exploitation of farmers and workers” and which takes aim at unfettered capital’s exploitation of labor, the greatest irony for the CCP when it calls on us “not to forget the original intentions?
Different ages, similar exploitation
No doubt the CCP is aware of the dangers posed by the “lying flat” philosophy to the regime. First, the public grievance embodied by “lying flat” is a challenge to the ideology of the regime. Second, from a practical point of view, if many people “lie flat” by refusing to work, spend money, have children or buy a flat, the gains of the rich and powerful will shrink at a time of an aging population and weak domestic demand. This will in turn lead to economic and social issues. This is why the authorities must launch a clampdown on the “lying flat” philosophy. However, the mere words of “lying flat is shameful” and the unrealistic Chicken Soup-style positivity are definitely incapable of solving the problem fundamentally.
For the Maoists and leftists within the CCP, today’s problem of capitalist exploitation is attributable to the “capitalist roaders” during Reform and Opening Up. Therefore, it is necessary to return to the old approach of “a crackdown on despotic landlords”, i.e., government action against capital. However, the idea of “a bigger state and a smaller private sector” does not seem capable of solving the problem of “lying flat”. After all, during the era of the “people’s commune” where people had meals collectively, another form of “lying flat” existed. The term back then was “lack of enthusiasm for production”. What is common between these two types of “lying flat” is that both are a form of passive resistance (by not actively engaging in production) as a response to the seizure of the fruits of their labor. As for the difference, the seizure was conducted by the “state” in the past, while it is now conducted by capitalists. But the results are similar, i.e., the fruits of labor ending up in the hands of the same gang of rich and powerful people. Similar exploitation has occurred in the ages of capitalism and socialism, and this is one of the most paradoxical phenomena of the two 30-year periods of the CCP.
A real solution is very simple indeed. It is to let workers have a fair share of the fruits of their labor, so that capitalists cannot exploit workers’ time and labor without limit. When it is possible to move up the social ladder by working hard, “lying flat” ceases to be an attractive idea. This, however, is very difficult to achieve in a China with a one-party dictatorship. After all, the CCP has a monopoly of power, and it would be a fundamental contradiction of the nature of authoritarianism for the CCP to restrain itself and share the gains with the people. Better labor protection and more balanced relationships between employees and employers are mostly found in democratic societies, as there are checks and balances in the designs of their systems. As long as it is guaranteed that one can have a reasonable share of the fruits of their endeavor, “lying flat” will not be the choice of mainstream society in either the right-leaning UK or the left-leaning Nordic welfare states.

https://en.appledaily.com/the-philosophy...LZQQI6BNSY