The Millennial generation has been characterized as the “burnout generation” that has failed to achieve the “good life” and success of preceding generations. In my talk, I examine what I term a “transnational Sang Culture” (丧文化) which originated as a Chinese internet term to express feelings of burnout, depression, apathy, and nihilism through humorous memes, media, and consumer products. Sang Culture highlighted the struggles faced by young people due to the increasingly unsustainable pressures of contemporary life. I contend that sang as an affective category transcends national borders, and I read Ling Ma’s Asian American pandemic zombie novel, Severance, through the lens of Sang Culture to examine the macro-narratives of work culture, productivity, achievement, and success inflicted upon our younger generations.
