A regulation on "Universal Social Security" has once again cast the spotlight on the already turbulent intergenerational relations. Starting September 1, 2025, the Supreme People's Court of China's new judicial interpretation will completely close the gray area of "voluntary waiver of social security" between companies and employees. While this move ostensibly aims to protect workers' rights, the deeper logic behind it is to address the increasingly severe pressure on pension payments. Social security, the fundamental contract of modern society, is essentially a tax—using the money of current workers to support the previous generation of retirees. As the intensity of mandatory contributions continues to increase, an unavoidable reality emerges: this is essentially a wealth transfer that uses the future of "Little Dungs" (young people) to pay for the present of "Old Dungs" (middle-aged and elderly people).

This is not a dilemma unique to China, but a global challenge, sounding the horn for a new era.

The Tottering Pension System

The world is aging at an unprecedented rate. Data shows that the proportion of the global population over 65 is expected to rise from 10% in 2022 to 16% by 2050. In China, this trend is particularly severe. It is estimated that by 2035, its elderly population will exceed 400 million, and the pension system may exhaust its cumulative balance by then. Officials have admitted that the social security fund is in a state of "tight balance," and forcing companies to pay full social security for all employees is precisely to "strengthen and expand" this pension pot.

Turning to the United States across the ocean, its pension system presents a different picture. Personal pension accounts, represented by 401(k) plans, are deeply tied to the US capital market. To chase higher returns to cover future pension expenditures, trillions of dollars in pension funds continuously flow into the stock market, becoming a major force driving the long-term prosperity of US stocks. However, this also places the late-life happiness of tens of millions of Americans on a giant bubble blown by excessive currency issuance and speculative sentiment. Once the bubble bursts, the consequences will be catastrophic.

Whether it is strengthening collection through administrative orders or driving up risky assets through financial instruments, the actions of governments point to the same reality: the traditional pension model is no longer sustainable. Behind this is a more profound shift in social structure.

From Class Struggle to Intergenerational War

We are entering a "post-capitalist" era. Its prominent feature is that the marginal return on capital continues to decline, and revolutionary breakthroughs in technological development tend to level off. In this macro context, the main contradiction of society has quietly shifted. Traditional class contradictions based on the ownership of means of production are gradually giving way to a more direct and brutal "intergenerational war."

In this "war," the middle-aged and elderly generation ("Old Dungs"), with the wealth and real estate they accumulated during the golden age of capitalism, occupy an absolute dominant position in social resources. They are rentiers and asset holders. Meanwhile, the younger generation ("Little Dungs") faces a completely different world: high housing prices, solidified social classes, and meager wages. Relying on personal struggle to achieve capital accumulation has become an unreachable dream for the vast majority of young people.

"Old Dungs" need the labor and support of "Little Dungs" to maintain their comfortable retirement lives and asset values, while "Little Dungs" find their futures being overdrawn in advance by the previous generation. This structural conflict of interest is causing the gap and antagonism between the two groups to intensify. This is not a simple generation gap issue, but a zero-sum game concerning survival space and future rights.

When Shang Yang Meets Orwell

The conflict between generations is not only reflected at the economic level but also spreads to the political and cultural spheres. The Online Safety Act, which recently came into effect in the UK, is a perfect example.

The act grants regulators enormous power, requiring social media platforms to strictly censor "harmful content" and take measures to limit minors' access to relevant information. Ostensibly, this is to protect the online safety of teenagers. However, in practice, the power to define what is "harmful" rests entirely with those in power. Notably, this bill received rare unanimous support from both the Conservative and Labour parties in UK politics.

Hidden behind this is the fear of the older ruling class regarding the organizational and ideological mobilization capabilities of the younger generation. In the age of social media, young people can easily cross geographical boundaries to form powerful waves of public opinion and even organize effective social movements. To prevent this force from "flipping the table" and challenging the existing power structure and wealth distribution pattern, the "Old Dungs" have chosen a united front to "legally" control the thoughts of young people through legislative means.

Furthermore, to pave the way for the implementation of this act, the propaganda machine was started in advance. The TV series Riot Class (混沌少年时), which was a hit in the UK recently, was considered by some critics as a smokescreen by the "Old Dungs." The show profoundly reveals issues such as cyberbullying and misogyny, cleverly portraying social media as a breeding ground for extremist thoughts and gender antagonism. By playing up the threat of "gender struggle," it successfully diverts public attention from the true core contradiction, creating a public opinion basis for the act to strengthen internet control. However, we must clearly realize that the main contradiction in society today is not gender conflict, but the class contradiction between the "Old Dungs" who hold capital and the "Little Dungs" who have nothing.

However, this high-pressure control is destined to fail to solve the problem fundamentally. When normal channels of expression are blocked, the dissatisfaction of young people will only accumulate and explode in more extreme and secretive ways.

The Road to the Future

Facing this silent war, the coping strategies of the younger generation are showing a trend of polarization. A tiny minority of "Involution Kings" choose to fight to the extreme on the track of internal competition, trying to squeeze through the narrow gate of the bourgeoisie through extraordinary efforts to achieve financial freedom. However, for the vast majority of ordinary young people, "lying flat" and "letting it rot" have become rational choices. This is not passive escapism, but a silent resistance of non-violent non-cooperation. They choose to lower their desires, participate in labor minimally, accept intergenerational transfers from their parents, and instead enjoy the dividends of the era—relatively cheap entertainment and living materials provided by higher productivity and technological levels.

For the "Old Dungs" in power, to maintain basic social stability and prevent contradictions from intensifying to an uncontrollable point, increasing welfare spending will become an inevitable choice. Among these, implementing universal welfare policies such as Universal Basic Income (UBI) is gradually moving from a utopian fantasy to a realistic policy option. By distributing a sum of cash sufficient to meet basic living needs to all citizens without discrimination, it can not only alleviate the survival pressure on young people but also inject necessary liquidity into the economy in the post-capitalist era of sluggish consumption. This is not out of kindness, but a necessary cost to keep the existing system running.

Conclusion

We are at a turning point in history. Policies represented by mandatory social security have sounded the alarm for intergenerational war. This war has no smoke, but it concerns everyone's future. In an era where returns on capital are increasingly thin, how to redistribute existing wealth and how to bridge the huge gap between generations will be the ultimate test that all modern nations must face. Whether it is the young people who choose to "lie flat" or the power holders forced to increase welfare spending, they are all writing the survival rules of the post-capitalist era in their own way. The outcome of this war is still unknown, but it will undoubtedly profoundly shape our future world.