Chinese parents

[garote]

"We have 300 students. All of the students here are "only" children. The one child policy makes sense to me, and to most Chinese. Because there are too many Chinese, and the government requires it, many people accept it as the right policy. If you want to guarantee the quality of children, then you shouldn't have too many births."

-- Ms. Long, head instructor at the Long Yun Gu Zheng Training Academy in Chengdu.

(From an NPR podcast I was listening to in the lab at work.)

Compare this attitude, to, say, the prevalent practice in Latin America, and most of the US...

Comments

[4abudabit.livejournal.com]

Maybe they can execute kids who perform at the bottom of thier classes, too. That would really guarantee the quality of children. :J)

[robocowboy.livejournal.com]

That attitude stems from a government mandate. It's been the enforced "right idea" for so long that people raising families now are a generation or two into a cultural rule based on a governmental rule. I can't decide whether I think that is a good thing or not, despite my feelings about our already overpopulated world and the looming doom ahea.

It's an interesting distinction, whether the rule is for reasons of control or survival. Maybe it doesn't matter.

[4abudabit.livejournal.com]

Keep in mind, 1st world countries have stagnant growth rates when you remove immigration from the equation. Some are even shrinking like Russia and Japan. Of course, if 3rd world countries keep dumping thier unwanted on our borders we will still keep growing.

[robocowboy.livejournal.com]

Yes, I'm aware of that. Population explosions happen the most in "developing" nations that are on their way from being 3rd world into 1st world nations (2nd world?). The problem is that a huge part of our globe is in that developing nation stage. The stagnant or negative population growth in a few countries is vasty overshadowed by the massive growth elsewhere. So given that picture, I am glad that China's growth rate is in check. I just wish the rest of the world would willingly limit family size without the need for birth laws.

[robocowboy.livejournal.com]

However, as thegoodreverend says below, the methods used to keep China's growth rate in check are abhorrent. Hence why I wish self-regulation by individual familes, wordwide, were realistic.

[garote]

Well, there's a lot we can do about that, above and beyond wishing ... For one thing, we can get all up in the face of missionary "aid workers" who refuse to distribute or even endorse modern birth control methods.

[robocowboy.livejournal.com]

I take it you've never engaged in conversation with folks whose minds are done been made up in the biblical sense.

[garote]

I was thinking more subversive methods. Like following them around in a big VW bus, about three days back, and handing out bundles of condoms to the people they've been fucking with. Maybe explain that some of what they been hearing is a little bullshitty.

[thegoodreverend.livejournal.com]

First world countries generally trend toward fewer children in families as standards of living increase - hence the large populations in poor Asia, South America, and Africa. Family size has decreased in the US, too - from a story last year:

The average number of people living in U.S. households has dropped almost one whole body each time the country adds 100 million citizens, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

They're comparing it to total population, but it's really a graph over time. The way the Chinese do it, however, is by government mandate, forced abortions, and less friendly options. Nothing right with it at all.

[garote]

The one thing right with it: "For each successive child you have, you face progressively stiffer fines."
The things wrong with it: Everything you mentioned, and more.