Your time is over, strawberry generation – there’s now a new generation in town, and it’s becoming a thorny issue! Known as the durian generation, they are soft and they are protected at every single angle by a prickly issue – their extremely protective and indulgent parents who they turn to for every single thing!
Who are these durian children?
From schools to workplaces, incidents of the durian generation have been reported aplenty, ranging from how teachers are to be blamed for the students’ behaviour in school, right down to how job-hunting should be an easy and fool-proof process.
The durian generation are those born after the 1990’s, although they can be further divided into Gen Z (born between 1997 and 2012) and Gen Alpha who’re born after 2012. This generation takes it for granted that they can get whatever they want, and it is no surprise that they think this way. It isn’t a stretch to say that their parents have been spoiling them for years, and especially if they are the only child.
A generational gap
So how different are they from the strawberry generation, also known as Millennials? While the previous bunch are accused of being insubordinate and being lazy in their work, and unable to withstand social pressure, the durian generation is said to be a group that is arrogant, selfish, and unwilling to put in any effort for what they do, as they know their parents would back them in any way.
Interestingly, a 2024 Wellness at Work Report, the durian generation were found to be the group with the highest rates of burnout, compared to other generations. Some folks in this generation even consider themselves going through a “quarter life crisis.” This could be due to the fact that most of them have a “work to live” philosophy, as cited by a TVBS report, which is clashing with the current work environment. It could also be because they prefer to communicate with colleagues via text or email than in person.
Thus, should the stress level increase for them, they may try to push the responsibility off to someone else instead, knowing full well that there would be a substitute who would work in their favour.
However, by doing so, inevitably what results is this generation will never learn what failure is, because in their opinion, they have never failed. They will not take up responsibility as they do not want to, nor are they willing to admit their mistakes or take orders.
However, they will nonetheless take whatever credit they can lay their hands on, and they welcome praises and compliments to boost their ego. While praise motivates everyone, it seems that the durian generation will quit a job if they don’t get enough of it.
There are always exceptions
There are of course exceptions, and we aren’t denying that there aren’t those from the durian generation who aren’t motivated, responsible, and awesome. Nonetheless, take a look around you – we are certain you can find examples of the durian generations closer than you realise!
by Rin Yeo
