"The term 'white-collar' essentially means that even though you receive a salary, it's as if you don't."
I've always been somewhat unclear about the distinction between the "Chinese Academy of Sciences" and the "Chinese Academy of Social Sciences," much like how I've always been confused about the difference between the "Writers Association" and the "Federation of Literary and Art Circles." Now I understand: the "Chinese Academy of Sciences" produces things like "atomic bombs," "hydrogen bombs," "Shenzhou V," and "Shenzhou VI," whereas the "Chinese Academy of Social Sciences" produces terms like "white-collar," "blue-collar," and "black-collar." As for "monk-collar," that falls under the jurisdiction of the "Chinese Buddhist Academy."
Listening to this further, it doesn't sound so much like an academy of sciences but more like a private clothing factory. So should "V-neck" fall under the management of the Erdos Cashmere Sweater Factory, and "stand collar" under the domain of "Qipai Men's Wear" which highlights men's charm?
The "Chinese Academy of Social Sciences," after considering factors such as prices, transportation, and housing conditions, solemnly announced the 2007 "white-collar standard" for various cities, dividing them into seven categories, ranging from 900 yuan in Lhasa to 5000 yuan in Beijing and up to 18,500 yuan in Hong Kong. My curiosity is not about how much each category pays, but why it feels like someone with color blindness is working hard to distinguish the colors of a collar. If the "Chinese Academy of Sciences" produces atomic bombs or Shenzhou spacecrafts for reasons like countering imperialism or developing outer space resources, could it be that the "Academy of Social Sciences" aims to prepare for a new round of patriotic hygiene campaigns where everyone's collars are white and clean, promoting cleanliness and sophistication while also publicizing the "Green Environmental Protection Olympics" coming our way in just over 200 days?
Yet we clearly know there are far more important issues than the color of collars that need to be addressed by the "Academy of Social Sciences," such as whether the bank's rule requiring a 40% down payment on a second home is scientific, or how ordinary people can avoid the anxiety of moving their small savings back and forth between the stock market and real estate, and then again from real estate back to the stock market. Or, can we prevent pork prices from rising only to let fuel prices rise afterward...?
I believe in "scientists," but I don't trust "social scientists," because "science" is reliable, whereas "society" is the least reliable thing. Reliable "scientists" combined with the most unreliable "society" form a terrifying compound word. Otherwise, how could so many people work themselves to death yet still not earn enough for a down payment, while those who idly chatter all day are rich enough to provide their pet cats with separate bedrooms and visit pet beauty salons on weekends for elaborate hairdos?
In college, I had a very honest professor of sociology named Mr. Qin. He said that "sociology" isn't as good as "learning society," and how one learns society is actually about mixing in and guessing. First, assume a theory, then use phenomena to fit the theory. This principle is similar to getting something for nothing, except that "getting something for nothing" usually involves trying to trick one wolf at a time and possibly getting bitten, whereas "social scientists" can deceive an entire society. In our society, children are obedient; you can swallow them whole, and they won't even object, instead praising your warmth.
Here are my few questions:
One, defining someone as "white-collar" based on monthly salary is difficult to implement. The master Gu who fries dough sticks downstairs earns six to seven thousand yuan every month. Based on three years of breakfast experience, I can smell that his collar is yellow—oil yellow—with my eyes closed. The coal mine owner upstairs from Shanxi earns at least half a million yuan per month, but I always feel his collar is black. Are they considered white-collar?
Two, the mistress I often see in the underground garage driving a Porsche never goes to work. It seems she doesn't wear clothes with collars in winter either—low-cut tops, backless dresses—all to showcase her dazzling diamond necklace. Does she count as white-collar?
Three, generally speaking, after graduating, a university student's monthly income is between one thousand and fifteen hundred yuan. After three years, earning three thousand would be a stroke of luck. They struggle with housing, mobile phone fees, girlfriends, etc., and even if they manage to earn three to five thousand, their collars won't stay white—they're lucky to be gray-collar.
Four, why is it that white-collar workers in Chengdu earn only 1900 yuan, while in Urumqi it's 2100 yuan, and in Hong Kong it's 18,500 yuan? What's the basis? Is someone who helps park cars in Hong Kong earning over 20,000 yuan per month considered white-collar, while someone earning 3500 yuan per month at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences not considered white-collar? Or does selling fish balls in Macau make you white-collar, while researching bombs (or eggs) at the Chinese Academy of Sciences doesn't make you white-collar?
Five, OK, suppose a young man in Beijing earns 5000 yuan per month and qualifies as white-collar. White-collar workers should buy houses, right? Housing prices outside the Fourth Ring Road in Beijing have reached 12,000 yuan per square meter... Following the call for 90-square-meter "small units," the total cost, including stamp duty, property tax, and other taxes, would be around 1.2 million yuan. With incredibly good luck, the 30% down payment is covered because he just won a bet on Inter Milan vs Juventus ending 1-1, with less than 2.5 goals, and Cruz scoring first. That leaves around 800,000 yuan to be mortgaged over 20 years, plus rising bank interest rates, resulting in a monthly payment of about 4850 yuan.
Only 50 yuan left? Then take another job—tutoring kids in English at night for 50 yuan. Still not enough? I heard a newly opened Taekwondo school in Chaoyang District hires sparring partners; if you get beaten by trendy sisters for an hour on weekends, you earn 200 yuan, making it 1600 yuan a month. Still not enough? Then you'll have to carry corpses, which reportedly pays 800 yuan per corpse...
After 20 years, the house mortgage is paid off, but your skin is worn out too. Next, it will be others carrying your corpse.
Calculating this way, distinguishing between "white-collar" and "gray-collar" is a rather meaningless endeavor. Even if you earn 5000 yuan per month and work three jobs for 20 years, the money earned is still "white-collar"—what is "white-collar"? It means using your hard-earned money to pay mortgages, mobile phone bills, girlfriends, medical expenses...
Most amusingly, I accidentally checked the official website of the "Chinese Academy of Social Sciences" and found that this unreliable yet seemingly credible entity posted numerous recruitment advertisements, some mentioning "monthly salary of 800 yuan." It turns out that the "Chinese Academy of Social Sciences," which sets the white-collar standard, is far from qualifying as "white-collar" itself—it’s like the producers of fish balls setting standards for atomic bombs.
In conclusion, it might be better to be "black-collar" or "no-collar." Black money comes fast and in large amounts. The girls at "Heaven on Earth" earn at least 30,000 yuan per month and never need to wear clothes with collars for work.
Attached: "Chinese Academy of Social Sciences announces the 2007 white-collar income standards for various cities"
The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences recently announced the 2007 white-collar wage standards for major cities nationwide, taking into account various factors such as price levels, living costs, transportation costs, and urban modernization. For migrant workers, add 1800 yuan to the base amount. There are seven tiers, with the standard being Renminbi, unit in yuan:
First tier: Hong Kong 18,500, Macao 8900;
Second tier: Shanghai 5350, Shenzhen 5280, Wenzhou 5020, Beijing 5000;
Third tier: Hangzhou 4980, Guangzhou 4750, Suzhou 4300, Xiamen 4100, Qingdao 4000;
Fourth tier: Nanjing 3780, Fuzhou 3380, Wuxi 3200, Tianjin 3150, Jinan 3120, Dalian 3000;
Fifth tier: Zhengzhou 2880, Kunming 2800, Wuhan 2680, Haikou 2600, Changsha 2480, Sanya 2360, Chongqing 2250, Shenyang 2100, Urumqi 2100, Xi'an 2080;
Sixth tier: Chengdu 1900, Harbin 1700, Hohhot 1700, Guizhou 1600, Changchun 1500, Lanzhou 1500, Yinchuan 1100, Xining 1000;
Seventh tier: Lhasa 900.
You can compare and see—you may not despair about life, but you might despair about yourself.