"All liberal arts majors are called service industries, and one word to sum up is licking. Following the bombardment of journalism majors this summer, Zhang Xuefeng's remarks about liberal arts have once again sparked controversy.
Liberal arts are all service industries
Zhang Xuefeng quoted the controversy between literature and science again.
In a recent live broadcast, some parents said that their children could score 140 points in mathematics, but they didn't want to study science.
In this regard, Zhang Xuefeng asked rhetorically: "Do you want to go to a low-grade university in the future, or engage in a low-grade industry in the future?" All liberal arts majors are service industries, do you know what a service industry is?Summed up in one word, it is licking, Party A is right, I will give you a smile, this is called the service industry. ”
Later, Zhang Xuefeng also said: "I am also engaged in the service industry, and I use my professionalism to ** every parent in the live broadcast room, but there is no way, don't let yourself do this kind of licking business for the rest of your life for the sake of a momentary understanding of the grade of the college." ”
As soon as this remark came out, it once again sparked heated discussions.
Proponents believe that what Zhang Xuefeng said is an objective fact in the current environment, and that liberal arts are weaker than science in terms of employment. But opponents argue that Mr. Zhang's argument that he has weakened the liberal arts too much and that the service sector is a derogatory term is too extreme.
Even Weibo CEO Wang Gaofei also ** this topic and asked rhetorically, what happened to the service industry?
In the face of **'s questioning, at noon today, Zhang Xuefeng posted an apology on Weibo. He said in the comment area that there is nothing wrong with doing the service industry, but some people can't get over this hurdle in their hearts, and if I can get over, I will do the service industry. If you can't get by, you're not fit to be in the service industry. I would like to remind people who think that some people who are professional and high-level should understand their essence, especially in the early stage of their career, before making a choice.
Expert: Zhang Xuefeng's remarks are too extreme, and liberal arts should not be called a dog-licking major.
In fact, this is not the first time that Zhang Xuefeng has been on the hot search because of his personal remarks. This summer, Zhang Xuefeng's ** clip of "If the child has to apply for journalism, I will definitely knock him out" quickly exploded on the Internet, and immediately attracted the questioning of Zhang Xiaoqiang, a professor of journalism at Chongqing University.
Professor Zhang Xiaoqiang posted that don't be fooled by an Internet celebrity like Zhang Xuefeng, he harms people and misleads the public. Journalism can be literate and martial, can enter the mainstream**, can start a business independently, and can take the civil service exam.
From the past "bombardment of journalism" to today's "liberal arts majors are called service industries", the topic of liberal arts and science on the Internet has never stopped, and Zhang Xuefeng's remarks have undoubtedly ignited the war between arts and sciences again.
In this regard, many experts and scholars told the Blue Whale reporter that they did not agree with Zhang Xuefeng's statement, and his remarks were too extreme, extreme and one-sided.
Bai Wenxi, chief economist of IPG China, said in an interview with the Blue Whale reporter that Zhang Xuefeng said that "liberal arts are all service industries, and they are licked in summary", which is biased. Liberal arts majors do not only exist to meet the needs of the market, they carry the development and inheritance of human civilization. At the same time, liberal arts majors also focus on cultivating students' critical thinking skills and cultural literacy, which are very important in many career fields. Therefore, we should be hospitable to the role and value of liberal arts majors, and should not simply classify them as service industry or dog-licking majors.
Guo Tao, an angel investor and financial commentator at Beijing Satellite TV, told the Blue Whale reporter that liberal arts majors cover a wide range of disciplines, such as humanities, social sciences, arts, etc., which play an important role in cultivating critical thinking, creativity, and communication skills. Therefore, it would be unjust to simply disparage liberal arts majors to the service industry or lick.
Guo Tao believes that Zhang Xuefeng's remarks may be out of dissatisfaction or misunderstanding of the liberal arts major. However, this view ignores the importance of liberal arts majors for social and personal development. Liberal arts majors cultivate people's ability to think, express and culture, which are all important qualities needed in modern society. In addition, the service industry is a broad concept that encompasses a variety of occupations and industries, not just liberal arts majors. Therefore, it is one-sided to simply reduce liberal arts majors to service industries or licking.
Who is to blame for low wages and difficult employment?
What is the way out for liberal arts students?
As soon as you enter the liberal arts, it is as deep as the sea", and the "fall from grace" of liberal arts students is not new.
In terms of universities, since 2019, Tsinghua University, Shandong University, Jilin University, Central South University and other universities have canceled the recruitment plan for liberal arts majors in their independent enrollment, including humanities and social sciences, law, philosophy, Chinese and Chinese language and literature, journalism and communication, history and other majors, and many corresponding science majors are still retained.
In 2020, Tsinghua University stopped recruiting undergraduate majors in journalism and communication, and the relevant departments explained that Tsinghua University did not stop holding related majors, but hoped to cultivate higher-level professionals.
In terms of employment rate, according to Zhaopin's "2022 College Student Employability Survey Report", the employment contract rate of humanities graduates in 2022 is only 124%, while the employment contract rate for science and engineering was 295% and 173%。Judging from the data, the employment contract rate of liberal arts students is less than half of that of science students, and the salary level is 1,000 to 2,000 yuan lower than that of science students.
Lack of professionalism and easy to be replaced is the general view of the outside world on liberal arts, even in the eyes of many liberal arts students, professional weakness is the biggest obstacle to employment.
Liberal arts students seem to mean that there are few opportunities, difficult employment, and few outlets. In this context, many liberal arts students have even begun to find another way out, for the sake of high salary, decency, and good employment, and roll into other tracks, such as cross-border finance, changing careers as product or data analysts, and self-learning programming from scratch.
From "211 Master of Liberal Arts complains about the average salary of 5,000 at the job fair" to "the trend of liberal arts students transcoding agricultural growth", under the hot search, liberal arts students have been pushed to the forefront again.
However, are problems such as low salaries and difficulty in finding employment the fault of liberal arts students?What is the way out for liberal arts students?
Bai Wenxi told the Blue Whale reporter that in order to better match the needs of society, the cultivation of liberal arts talents needs to pay attention to the following aspects:
1.Strengthen basic knowledge and skills: Liberal arts majors need to have solid basic knowledge and skills, such as language skills, writing skills, critical thinking skills, and so on. These abilities are the foundation for students to be competent in their future careers.
2.Expand interdisciplinary knowledge: With the development of society and the advancement of technology, many industries and professions require interdisciplinary knowledge and skills. Therefore, liberal arts students need to expand their knowledge and Xi the knowledge and skills of other disciplines to enhance their competitiveness and adaptability.
3.Develop innovative and practical skills: Liberal arts students need to be innovative and practical in order to respond to the changing needs and challenges of society. Schools can cultivate students' practical abilities by providing practical courses, Xi opportunities, innovation and entrepreneurship projects, etc.
4.Strengthen career guidance and career planning: Schools can provide career guidance and career planning services to help students understand the job market and career development trends, and provide career planning advice and guidance on job search skills.
Regarding issues such as low wages and difficult employment, Yuan Shuai, executive vice president of the Institute for the Promotion of Agriculture, Culture and Tourism Industry, said in an interview with the Blue Whale reporter that this is not the fault of liberal arts. These problems are more due to socio-economic and job market changes than to the liberal arts majors themselves. At the same time, personal ability and opportunities are also one of the important factors that determine the quality of career development. Therefore, we need to improve the employability and salary level of liberal arts talents by strengthening education reform and social and economic development. At the same time, it is also necessary to encourage liberal arts talents to give full play to their own advantages and actively expand their career fields and development space.