Forward One, Backwards Two

China instituted the rule of one child per family some time ago, this was in answer to the problem of over population.  It sounds horrific to a lot of people, a castrating of their civil rights and liberties, after all, if you want children, shouldn’t you be able to have them, and when you want them ?  But, what if you’re one of their citizens? you’re threatened with fines and imprisonment if you defy the government, plus you’re indoctrinated on a daily basis, as are your children, that this is for the good of your country, for yourselves and your future.

You can imagine some poor young woman walking through a crowded market and being pointed at, and pointed out, by some evil, old, toothless crone, jealous because her womb shrivelled up and turned to dust some years ago, just because they’re pregnant, and might already have a child!  TRAITOR!

So, one child per family, or else; But, what about those who do not want children, or who cannot conceive, do they get a chance to swap ‘Baby – Credits ?  “I don’t want one, here you can have mine, you can have one for me”.  Do they meet in dark alleys in the dead of night, Black-Market Babies, Buy ONE GET ONE FREE ?

Okay, so they did it, it may be with the best will in the world, or not, that’s not my call to make, but, they did it.  How long did they think about it?  It seems to me to have been a ‘knee-jerk’ reaction, because a few years along the line …. OOPS!   The birth rate has fallen to around the half a percent mark, that’s bad, but wait, there’s worse to come, … there are now more boys than girls being born, mmmmm?  So, marriage and further propagation is going to be a bit awkward isn’t it?  I sense a King Herod moment coming over the horizon, and if it does, remember who said so, nobody thought of that did they?  Just as well when you think about it, because you KNOW that they’d put something in the water, the food,or in the air. 

Add to that the little matter of the pre-regulation generations merrily living longer, unless King Herod takes a diversion, you never know, and you’ve got a whole lot of baby boys looking forward to a future of caring for their elderly relatives, and no, I’m not being SEXIST, I’d say baby girls if the balance was tipped the other way. believe me.  Also, Chinese girls now have the upper hand, how many suitors will they have the choice of, love is going to be a thing of the past, arranged and ‘better rated’ marriages will be the order of the day, who can provide the best deal, employment prospects, dowry?  “Leave your resume at the door, I’ll get to it at some point”.

One step forward and two steps backwards, are they really that shortsighted? mmmmmm.

Keep your eyes open, new developments will follow.