Faves for this Web page
Another problem with forcing a one child only policy...
Quoted: "In the traditional Chinese mind, only boys carry the bloodline of the family. So if a family only has girls, they will want boys…There is a big market for baby boys."
Votes for this web page
Add a Fave for this Web page
- What happens when I press Publish?
- Your Fave for this Web page gets shared with the Faves community. You can access it at any time by selecting "My Faves" from the menu above.
- Why do you ask for my email address?
- We use your email address to create an account, so you can easily find your Fave again at a later time.
Related Content from Around Faves
south asia
-
This movie looks like it could be really cute...
2 FaversViewed: 31 TimesQuoted: Disguising herself as American, an Indian credit card phone operator (Shriya Saran) travels to San Francisco for a romantic liaison with a man (Jesse Metcalfe) she met through her work. Upon her arrival, however, she decides to keep her true identity a secret, which threatens to dampen the sparks between her and her potential beau.
- shiwani - May 27 20081 FaverViewed: 2 Times
- shiwani - May 07 20081 FaverViewed: 9 Times
buddhism
-
1 FaverViewed: 4 TimesQuoted: he act itself occurred at the intersection[b] of Phan Dinh Phung Boulevard and Le Van Duyet Street.[18] Thích Quảng Đức emerged from the car along with two other monks. One placed a cushion on the road while the second opened the trunk and took out a five-gallon gasoline can. As the marchers formed a circle around him, Thích Quảng Đức calmly seated himself in the traditional Buddhist meditative lotus position on the cushion. His colleague emptied the contents of the gasoline container over Thích Quảng Đức's head. Thích Quảng Đức rotated a string of wooden prayer beads and recited the words "Nam Mô A Di Đà Phật" ("homage to Amitabha Buddha") before striking a match and dropping it on himself. Flames consumed his robes and flesh, and black oily smoke emanated from his burning body.[18][20]
- timchao - May 13 20082 FaversViewed: 9 Times
- lucidflame - Oct 05 20074 FaversViewed: 4 Times
I heard about this last night on Jim Leher. I guess part of the reason boys are being stolen and are more desirable in general is because the Chinese feel that girls cannot carry on the family name. WHY can't girls carry on the family name?! These are the dangerous effects of surname abandonment.
I feel like this is less a one-child policy issue than it is a good old fashioned sexism issue.
At least the Chinese are trying to address overpopulation. Most Americans don't even realize it is an issue because our environmentalists and media don't have the guts to approach the topic of population regulation. Meanwhile, we are the country that makes the most heavily-polluting people.
You're definitely right about the sexism element of it. But I think the one-child only policy in certain countries actually ends up reinforcing latent sexism (for example, the rise in female infanticide, abandoning female infants, or the crazed desire for your one child to be a boy, that you're willing to abudct/buy a child on the black market). It's kind of chicken or egg...
I definitely think we need to talk about overpopulation, but I think the one child only policy being enforced by the government is problematic. For example, after the earthquake in Szechuan, many couples lost their only child and are now too old to reproduce. So is the Chinese government prepared to provide systems to care for these people as they grow older, in a culture that's traditionally had children care for their elderly parents?
I think the one-child only policy is rooted in good intentions, but it also opens up some serious long-term cultural issues... But I don't know what the alternative is either! Maybe the answer is promoting family planning/education?
P.S. Happy hour soon? The one at Poppy in Cap Hill is fabulous - tried it out this week!
You're right, the one-child law is badly flawed. This reminds me of an EXCELLENT author Terry Gross interviewed on Monday, Michelle Goldberg. You would be much interested in her book, "The Means of Reproduction: Sex, Power, And The Future of the World". She talks about how family planning and women's rights/education is the key to solving so many problems in the 3rd world and overpopulation in general. I learned some fascinating facts, like did you know that HW Bush was a huge proponent of family planning when he was in office? Not in this country but as a matter of foreign policy to help stave off China taking over. One of Goldberg's arguements is that patriarchal cultures don't object to birth control and abortion as a form of controlling overpopulation -- they object to it to the extent that it empowers women and breaks down their traditional society as they see it. She also talks about how in recent decades America's religious right has been forming alliances with middle eastern countries (that we normally hate) in order to strengthen their fight against family planning and abortion. It's like a crack sandwich for your head. You have to listen. I'm definitely buying the book. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103022290
Oh and hells yeah, happy hour next week! I want to try Poppy big time.
Ooh I definitely want to read this!! Thanks much for the recommendation. Okay, I'll e-mail you about happy hour...
I happen to approve their one-child policy. When I formed a Zero Population Growth chapter in North Dakota while I was in the Air Force(40 years ago), it was ridiculed. Why? Because North Dakota was losing population as children got educations and left the state for better opportunities. But the problem isn't local -- it's global. We can't continue to increase population on a finite planet. Are there better ways to accomplish it? Perhaps. But this is the first serious attempt to deal with the problem.
I applaud your efforts! North Dakota does seem like it'd be a tough crowd for Zero Population. I have a feeling the idea will be taken more seriously about a decade down the road.
My right-wing cousin insists that Paul Ehrlich (the founder of ZPG) has been proven totally wrong. You can't reason with some of these people.
I understand. I think everybody has a right-wing cousin with whom people such as ourselves get to talk an awful lot with about the weather come the holidays. And this of course is why god made pocket-sized flasks -- on the 8th day. They don't talk about that day much.
LOL!
I think I'd feel differently about it if there wasn't a history in certain countries of trying to sterilize (or speicifically control the reproductive rights) of the poor, without addressing the economic realities of why they typically have more than one child (disease/high infant mortality, needing them to work to raise money for the family, taking care of the elderly). Maybe that's not the case any more, but you're seeing other issues of sexism and inequality bubble to the surface instead. I think if you're going to have a policy like this, then you also have to be able to deal with ramifications on people's lives ...
Very true.