Here's To The Ladies

Back when China started down the one child per family road, the higher powers were focused on a bleak future. More people than the land could feed, overcrowding, and the sort of dissatisfaction that might lead to rebellion - all of that was supposed to be curtailed by limiting family size.

In spite of world criticism, the policy was put into effect and it has done its job. The increase in population began to decline, and today the more-equal-than-others can point to their success. The ballooning numbers look to be under control, with figures that suggest the overpopulation problem is resolved.

Wouldn't you know that the Chinese people would go and skew things. Fine, they said, if it's to be only the one, it'll be a boy. Hard to combat thousands of years of tradition and some deeply ingrained notions about the value of boys when it comes to farm work and minding the old folks.

Since the first program worked, it was time for a follow-up program that was tried out beginning in 2003. Have a girl, those-who-will-be-obeyed cooed, and there's money in it for you. Subsidies and benefits until the ladies are married off, and swear to Jaysus the government will give the old folks a wee pension after they reach the age of 60. And sure enough, it was incentive enough.

These days, there are 120 boys born for every 100 girls. It used to be 134 lads, so there's progress for you. If nature was allowed to run its course, there would be only 105 boys per 100 girls, so there's work to be done in China to bring about a balance. They wanted to cut back on new births, but things took an unexpected turn along the way, and it is not a pretty picture.

Imagine, if you will, those 34 or 20 testosterone charged young men, with no chance of finding a wife because there aren't enough to go around. Now multiply that out and you've got yourself an army of sexually starved lads with a bit of pent up aggression and more than enough frustration. The rulers of Communist China are sending out their army of spies to catch those who dare to defy the government edict banning fetal sex selection because they can readily envision that army marching to Beijing.

Time for another crackdown in China, going after the black market ultrasound technicians. If that doesn't work, perhaps they could introduce the concept of polyandry. Sure and the ladies would go for that, wouldn't they? Hard to imagine what kind of incentives would work, to convince a woman that having more than one husband to skivvy for was a grand notion. There's not enough money in the world to cover the cash payments that would be required.