How to spot a capitalist collaborator
With the end of the Lunar New Year, people all over China have trudged back to work. Struggling to overcome their so-called “holiday syndrome,” many try to motivate each other by saying: “Soldier on, workers (加油, 打工人 Jiāyóu, dǎgōngrén)!”
打工人 is just the latest trendy, self-deprecating label that young Chinese office workers have assigned themselves, following “996 (jiǔ-jiǔ-liù, working from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week),” “corporate livestock (社畜 shèchù),” and “overtime dog (加班狗 jiābāngǒu).” Just like the language of workers’ struggle that formed the basis of the older generation’s political education, these buzzwords indicate young workers’ growing dissatisfaction with excessive stress, unpaid overtime, and other injustices in the workplace.
These memes sometimes even turn into action, with 打工人 exposing mistreatment by employers on social media, or sharing tips for protecting one’s rights and how to take legal action.
However, it’s not easy to unite the workers: Some just won’t join the revolutionary ranks, even if they suffer from the same oppression as all other 打工人. Though these individuals have never possessed any capital themselves, they seem to sympathize with employers rather than fellow proletariat, and find excuses for all that the company does. Thus, they are called “spiritual capitalists (精神资本家 jīngshén zīběnjiā)” by netizens.
Spiritual capitalists are everywhere in daily life. They could be your supervisors, colleagues, or well-meaning parents and teachers, who fob you off with platitudes or tell you to “hang in there” when you complain about work. Middle managers are likely to develop spiritual capitalism: Perhaps they get a sense of ownership after years of working in a business, and the meager power they hold makes them feel that they are no longer an ordinary laborer, but a potential boss.
A spiritual capitalist is usually easy to spot by how they act or talk. First of all, they never admit that a business pays its employees because workers create value: Rather, it’s because the company is being generous, and the employees should be grateful in return:
Like a Boss is a story from our issue, “Dawn of the Debt.” To read the entire issue, become a subscriber and receive the full magazine. Alternatively, you can purchase the digital version from the App Store.
Sun Jiahui is a freelance writer and former editor at The World of Chinese. She writes about Chinese language, society and culture, and is especially passionate about sharing stories of China's ancient past with a wider audience. She has been writing for TWOC for over six years, and pens the Choice Chengyu column.
