Here's an article I wrote for my Journalism projects some time ago. Thought it was pretty good to share.

The strawberry generation, also known as Generation Y, is a term coined in Taiwan and refers to people born between the 1980s to the early 1990s. The general perception is that these people, having grown in a protected environment and with economic prosperity, are less able to withstand pressure or to do hard work, just like strawberries, which grow in a highly protected environment. So if you are in your twenties or late teens, you have unfortunately been classified as part of the strawberry generation.

Under the protective wings of family, they have little understanding of the difficulties and complexities of the real world, developing an unhealthy self-complacency. With the influence of the rapidly changing mass media, culture shocks from the East and West, coupled with the boundless Internet, they absorb massive amounts of information while developing an attitude and lifestyle quite different from the ‘old school’ concepts. They might be smart, but cannot cope with a heavy workload and intense working conditions. All of these make it difficult for them to adapt to the ‘real’ world.

I’m not sure if being generalized as part of the strawberry generation is an insult or underestimating the potential of Gen Y, but there are people whom I have met that fit the description of a ‘strawberry’. The world revolves around these people, they take everything they have for granted and everyone should cater to their needs only. Sometimes, these people are shockingly rude and uncouth, where has the Asian tradition of respect gone?

They do not work for their spending money, they can spend ten times of what I spend in a month in a day without batting an eyelid and when that runs out, they just go to their parents for more. They do not know what it feels like to be on a real tight budget, the kind that you would think twice about even going out to the mall to save on the travel fare, not the kind when you want to save to buy a Prada bag, because your parents said you busted your thousand-dollar credit limit. However, is this their fault?

The very people who label us as strawberries unfortunately might have to eat their words, as most of them would be parents of these ‘strawberries’. They spoil their children with huge allowances; give them what they want without making them work for it, and even protect them from punishment at school. I am sure you would have heard of parents who lodge complaints with the Ministry of Education just because the teacher was too strict and punished the child for not doing his homework.
A major weakness of the strawberry generation is the lack of planning for their future. They live only for their happiness and freedom while lacking a blueprint for their future life.

I cannot imagine what they would be like without the protection and financial backing from their parents. It is one thing for a parent to want to give your children the best life you can, but another to teach them discipline, to be independent, to work for what they want and not to take the things they have for granted.

That said, there are definitely some young people who are well-adapted, tough and know how to combine the good qualities of the “Strawberry Generation” and the wit of the old school styles. The true strawberries may rot away, but these other tough young people will survive and become future winners.