旧社会
释义 DEFINITION
旧社会原指1949年中华人民共和国成立前的封建社会及半殖民地半封建社会时期。在官方语境中，该词常被用来描述压迫、剥削、贫困的社会状态。
在当代网络语境中，90后、00后群体创造性使用该词：
- 用于自嘲当代高压生活（如996工作制）时称'这和旧社会有什么区别'
- 吐槽官僚主义现象时戏称'大清还没亡'
- 当遭遇不合理收费时讽刺'这是旧社会土匪收保护费吗'
这种用法通过历史时空错位制造荒诞感，本质是青年群体对社会问题的另类抗议。
词源故事 ETYMOLOGY
2018年知乎热帖《当代打工人是否正在经历新式'旧社会'？》首次将'旧社会'的隐喻带入大众视野。作者将富士康工厂的封闭管理制度与民国时期的包身工类比，引发年轻网民强烈共鸣。
2020年B站UP主'历史调研室'发布视频《当我们说'旧社会'时在说什么》，通过剪辑《白毛女》等红色经典影视片段与当代'躺平'青年访谈交叉蒙太奇，获327万播放量。弹幕中'这不就是我老板吗''周扒皮竟是我主管'等调侃形成集体宣泄。
2022年'小镇做题家'事件中，微博出现#万物皆可旧社会#话题，网民将学历贬值、就业困难等现象称为'知识分子的旧社会'，相关表情包使用《茶馆》《骆驼祥子》等文学作品人物配当代职场文案，实现解构权威的话语狂欢。
典型用例：
甲：'公司要求手机安装定位软件，下班后还要随叫随到'
乙：'建议贵司直接发卖身契，旧社会cosplay玩挺溜啊'
DEFINITION
Jiù shè huì (literally 'old society') originally referred to pre-1949 China characterized by feudal oppression and foreign imperialism. In modern Chinese internet culture, Gen Z has repurposed this term with dark humor:
- When complaining about 72-hour work weeks: 'Are we back in the bad old days?'
- Mocking bureaucratic red tape: 'Did the Qing dynasty ever end?' (referring to China's last imperial dynasty)
- Protesting unfair charges: 'Is this protection money collection like in the gangster era?'
This usage creates absurdist contrast between historical trauma and modern grievances, becoming a coded social critique.
ETYMOLOGY
The term's resurgence began with a 2018 Zhihu post titled 'Are Modern Wage Workers Experiencing a New Type of 'Bad Old Days'?', comparing Foxconn's factory regime to 1930s indentured labor. This struck a chord with China's '996 generation'.
In 2020, Bilibili creator 'History Lab' went viral with a video juxtaposing clips from socialist classic The White-Haired Girl with interviews of 'lying flat' youth. Over 3 million viewers flooded the comments with dark humor like 'My boss is the new landlord' and 'Capitalist exploitation with Chinese characteristics'.
The 2022 'Small Town Swot' controversy saw Weibo users rebrand educational inflation as 'The Intellectuals' Bad Old Days'. Memes overlaying characters from Lao She's Teahouse with modern job-hunting woes became cathartic artivism.
Typical usage scenario:
A: 'My company requires GPS tracking on our phones and 24/7 availability'
B: 'Might as well hand out indentured servitude contracts. Y'all really committed to this bad old days roleplay.'