ROA 4 - Guardians

We've all heard about China's One Child Policy (OCP) at one point or another. Mainstream media, long ago, made the term OCP as fluent as common phrases we're used to hearing today, such as Weapons of Mass Destruction ("WMDs"), Quantitative Easing ("QE"), War on Terror and Net Neutrality.

Sure, we know what OCP means; it's pretty self explanatory. It was part of a population planning policy in China - introduced in 1980 - and its objective was to control overpopulation. OCP was very much a social engineering initiative and stipulated that families have only one child each in an effort to relieve the demand on resources and to control the then-surging population. It has since been changed to a Two Child Policy.

Today's ROA touches on a social byproduct of OCP which I never thought about. It has to do with the child who was born under the OCP regime and the child's respective guardians. As a man, Mr. Fucking Randy judges people all the time; anyone who says they 'don't judge' is full of shit. But how does Mr. Fucking Randy judge people? Well, I'll share my best practices (a few quick rules, if you will) that I use often. These include, but are not restricted to, the following:

How the person treats a customer service rep - This could be a technical support staff over the phone, a waitress, a bellboy, etc. Customer service reps are at the mercy of the customer all the time; it's one of the toughest jobs to do, especially because the customer is NOT always right. But you can count yourself fucked (potentially fired) if you ever question a customer. Anyone who treats a customer service rep unnecessarily like shit is immediately put on Randy's Caution List; these people  are abusing power and likely think they're better than poutine (which is impossible).

How the person treats Mr. Fucking Randy when s/he doesn't need Mr. Fucking Randy - When you need something, you'll be anybody's bitch, but what about when you DON'T need something? The best people treat their peers the same way every time, regardless of their own needs.

How the person has raised their child - Cannot be used in all circumstances because not everyone has children, but parenting tells a lot about an individual, and this has been the third metric I've used consistently to judge a person.

However, my trip to the Orient has shown that the last metric, may need to be taken off my list. I'll explain.

A common stereotype for an only child is that they are spoiled, socially awkward or a loner; the child doesn't have any siblings, so it's more likely that s/he will be more accustomed to getting whatever s/he desires and unwilling to accommodate when others are present.

"I'm an only child," said Dick Burns, "and I don't believe I have these problems."

Agreed, Dick. It is an unfair stereotype. But it is a common stereotype nonetheless. Therefore, if you were a child born under the OCP, it wouldn't be surprising if you had these qualities to some degree.

But here's where things become insanely chaotic. In many parts of China, both parents work full time; it's almost a must in today's economy since the country is highly populated and cost of living is expensive (if you think the real estate in Toronto or Vancouver are crazy, just look up Shanghai real estate and you'll be shocked). So, if both parents are working, they'll hire a nanny to look after their child. Childcare duties will also be taken care of by grandparents (from both sides of the family), so in total a child will have as many as seven guardians raising him/her on a regular basis:

1. Father

2. Mother

3. Nanny

4. Grandpa - Father's side

5. Grandma - Father's side

6. Grandpa - Mother's side

7. Grandma - Mother's side

Considering the child won't see his/her parents on regular basis, the tendency for grandparents to spoil their grandchildren and the nanny's childcare methods, the child will experience varying degrees of parenting. The rules set by Mother and Father will ultimately differ from Grandpa and Grandma, and inconsistencies start popping up all over the place.

Kids need rules or else they'll run wild, which is why I used to judge people based on how they raised their children. What you pass onto your children is ultimately a reflection of who you are, so that's why I thought it was a good way to judge a person. But given the byproduct that OCP has done to many children in the Orient, this philosophy can't be applied fairly anymore.

"This is a known problem," said a local I spoke with while on holiday. "Parents are handing off their children to grandparents and nannies because they need to make ends meet financially. But then when they do get time with their child, they get challenged on almost everything they do. Kids prefer their grandparents because grandparents tend to be spoilers and more lenient. Arguments erupt between child, parent and grandparents over this, and it can be dangerous."

I thought about this dilemma, and it really sucks when you think about it. Everyone just wants what is best for the child, but too much influence from too many different people can cause more harm than good. The child grows up in a very unstable disciplinary environment which will influence how they turn out as adults. I'm sure this happens all the time in North America as well, but I think the OCP has amplified this situation in the Orient.

"Yikes, never thought of that," said Burgundy, nodding. "I guess that's why countries only have one President. It's best to have a unified voice and message. One, unified, Trump."

"Lord have mercy on all of our souls!" cried Tree Bone.