Showing posts with label booming economy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label booming economy. Show all posts

Friday, May 10, 2013

CHINA: ONE CHILD NORM AFFECTS YOUTH BEHAVIOUR


The Sky news reports an exceptional case of jealousy from China and the incident is related to two school girls aged 12, called Qin and Zhou for convenience. They were classmates. Of the two Zhou is nice looking with proper stature and Qin is chubby yet not ugly. Their common friends liked Zhou to make company with and for other extracurricular activities more than with Qin who they dubbed as fat and not very pretty.

Qin could not bear it and she got very jealous of Zhou. One day she invited Zhou to her home to play and while they were in Qin’s room, Qin smashed a stool on Zhou’s head from behind, killing her instantly with a broken head. Neither the killing nor the splash of blood on the floor unnerved Qin and her vengeance had not finished yet. She cut off her head and hands  with various weapons like kitchen knife, scissors, beer bottle etc and put the body parts in plastic bags and cleaned the floor.


The crime was soon found out.  Since Qin is below 14 years old criminal case was not slapped on her and the court sentenced her for two year’s rehabilitation. The court also ordered Qin’s parents to pay about $18000 to the Zhou’s family. Qin was sent to the rehabilitation Centre. Under one-child norm, for both the parents of Qin and Zhou they must be their only child and Qin while smashing the head of Zhou smashed the hearts of those parents too.


It is an extreme case of jealousy, there is no doubt about that. But cases of student rivalry are not uncommon in China and there are reported incidents of poisoning and killing fellow students in colleges. In 2004 a bright student from a poor family hammered and killed four of his classmates in cold blood. The reasons are more psychological than physical.


   The Chinese Government adopted the one-child norm to cut the spiralling population of their 1.3 plus Billion by half. The rule is strictly followed. As a consequence of it,  female foeticides increased and the  the parental care on the only child got too big to be comfortable for the child.


 In the present day Chinese society the only way to acquire prosperity and position in life lies in academic excellence. So the parents are always breathing on their only child’s back to guide him every minute of his life and push him to the frontier limits for better academic results. No child enjoys a carefree life. After the classes at school or college tuition classes awaits him. The parents have set a timetable  and a child’s life revolves round it. In schools or colleges too excellence and competition rule the roost.


The psychiatrists generally agree that growing up as a single child is not mentally healthy and does more harm to the child than good. There is every possibility for the child to become selfish, unloving, and obstinate and to lack such qualities like sharing, compassion and commitment. Has  the unusual jealousy of Qin got any relevance to it ? May be. But one thing is sure while the one child rule may help ease the burden of population it is giving unbearable stress on the children.


In a wider view, when all families in a nation have only one child how it would collectively affect the national behaviour ? It is yet to know, because no nation other than China has imposed and executed   the one-child norm before as is China doing now.  China being an important nation in the world, not only sociologists but the others are also curious to know the out come.