Public Health Ministry encourages Thais to make babies with cringe-worthy campaign

[OldSiamHand]

3 hours ago, connda said:

Not really needed.  In Thai culture its highly likely and culturally accepted that the children go back to the villages to be raised by the grandparents while the adult kids pursue their careers.  The parents subsidize the grand-parents to care for the kids.  It's a win-win.  Which I agree with: children need to be brought up within their family units, not by some stranger, families bringing up family eliminated the need for government funded programs to pay surrogates to care for children which means less need for tax revenues to fund something that is not needed by Thai society.  Western societies could learn a lesson from the Thai model. 

With that kind of thinking it's no wonder the Thai Chinese are running circles around their upcountry brethren.  Dumping kids with grandparents is no way to raise them.

[OldSiamHand]

18 minutes ago, Bullie said:

Interestingly that did not use to be the case in the 1920, contrary to popular believe which, of course, blames it on the slavery. The big change (i.e. young, single black mama's) in the 1960, when the welfare state was introduced in the U.S.  Initially in the Netherlands we suffered from the same problem - heck, single mothers were even given priority to rent-protected appartments, but after we made the fathers culpable (DNA) for the financial consequences the number of single mothers that are a burden to the state has dropped to very acceptable levels.

Yes, on the same point, Senator Moynihan issued a report on the status of "The Negro Family" about 50 years ago just as the great society was taking off.  It lamented that nearly 25% of black babies were born out of wedlock at that time (compared to 75% today).  Unless one believes that the definition of a "great society" is more single parent families, this is one of its most glaring failures.

[Jimbo2014]

4 hours ago, connda said:

Not really needed.  In Thai culture its highly likely and culturally accepted that the children go back to the villages to be raised by the grandparents while the adult kids pursue their careers.  The parents subsidize the grand-parents to care for the kids.  It's a win-win.  Which I agree with: children need to be brought up within their family units, not by some stranger, families bringing up family eliminated the need for government funded programs to pay surrogates to care for children which means less need for tax revenues to fund something that is not needed by Thai society.  Western societies could learn a lesson from the Thai model. 

Thats right and the traditional model has held up until recent times.  Now with migration to the cities, breakdown of family units, smaller families, thailand has to consider adopting alternative policies.  They are now a lower middle income country and times change.  Its one of the reasons for the low birth rates as well as the high costs of raising a child.  

[nuakmuaynina]

8 hours ago, connda said:

Not really needed.  In Thai culture its highly likely and culturally accepted that the children go back to the villages to be raised by the grandparents while the adult kids pursue their careers.  The parents subsidize the grand-parents to care for the kids.  It's a win-win.  Which I agree with: children need to be brought up within their family units, not by some stranger, families bringing up family eliminated the need for government funded programs to pay surrogates to care for children which means less need for tax revenues to fund something that is not needed by Thai society.  Western societies could learn a lesson from the Thai model. 

Whilst I agree that the west could learn from this it isn't really practical. Mainly due to the average age of new mothers rising. For an example all the new mothers I know in the UK are 30+, some of their parents are 70, and whilst they would like to take care of the grandchildren doing it in place of childcare isnt really workable for them.

[jaltsc]

"The government is worried that the Thai population will stop increasing and are trying to encourage Thais to have more babies..."

 

How about a campaign to make the ones who father the babies support those they helped produce? 

Edited February 10, 2017 by jaltsc

[Jonmarleesco]

Thailand, the nation with wonderful vitamins ... or so the campaign ad claims.

 

Why not discuss with China. They're looking to reduce production. The two countries' citizens could help each other.

[Ulic]

On ‎09‎/‎02‎/‎2017 at 9:48 AM, Jeremy50 said:

The planet doesn't need more babies, it needs less. How about a campaign to promote healthy and happy homosexual or celebate lifestyles without  the enormous personal and environmental  cost of pushing out yet more babies into a critically overcrowded world. 

I think you will find a lot of homosexuals want babies. Western countries need to stop

subsidizing babies (baby bonus in Canada). The UN should promote ending of poverty

in third world countries by promoting birth control. Religions should loose there tax

exempt status and use the funds to promote birth control. That would counteract their

go forth and multiply message. (Catholics/Muslims) Way too many people on the planet.

(BTW. I have no children.)  Not sure what the number should be but probably south of 4 billion.

All governments need to budget and invest properly not count on an ever expanding population

to fund future budgets and liabilities.

[SaintLouisBlues]

16 minutes ago, Ulic said:

I think you will find a lot of homosexuals want babies.

As a gay man myself I dispute "a lot". I don't know a single one. There are some - a tiny (but vocal) minority - that want to cling to the heterosexual norm of two parents + kids. All of my gay friends regard being gay as the "get out of jail free" card when it comes to having kids.

[manarak]

this thread -->

[Moonlover]

On ‎2‎/‎9‎/‎2017 at 4:47 PM, OldSiamHand said:

I agree with you.  The world would be much better off if it learned how to adjust with fewer people.  The argument, which I don't buy into, is that we need more young people to work and pay taxes to support an aging population.  Hopefully robots will be perfected to be the ultimate personal care provider when we are all old and grey.

Folks, do please read the article fully. The government is NOT trying to increase the population, it is trying to prevent decline. No doubt, the PHM has looked at local examples, such as Singapore, South Korea and Japan, where the decline in their birth rates is resulting in large imbalances in their populations, In Japan for instance, there are more disposable diapers sold for the aged than there are for infants!

 

It is now well documented that a growth in a country's economy results in a decline the reproductive rate. It would seem that the authorities have perceived that this could happen in Thailand.

[OldSiamHand]

On 2/11/2017 at 2:20 AM, Jonmarleesco said:

Thailand, the nation with wonderful vitamins ... or so the campaign ad claims.

 

Why not discuss with China. They're looking to reduce production. The two countries' citizens could help each other.

No, China and Thailand are in the same boat regarding demographic trends.  India, Bangladesh or Laos are better examples.

[slapout]

The various Thai ministries say a lot of things which apparently are not thought out and have next to zero intelligent prior planning, as a basis nor experience in most cases. Not sure how they find the few apparently qualified people once in a while, to accomplish much as ''a expierenced human resource group'' does not seem to exist.

 

I am reminded of the promise of Thailand from this same group, becoming a hub for producing and selling viagra at a price of about 5 baht  for a 100 mg pill. Not sure where or how that would enter into the grand plan, but somebody must have????? I think someone decided India wa setting too high a quality for Thailand to compete. Might be the same in this case.

[Thongkorn]

On 2/10/2017 at 7:22 AM, Krataiboy said:

You can see the fruits of this "win-win" situation in the thousands of big city bars stuffed with Isaan country girls selling their bodies to pay for the upkeep of their children left in the care of relatives. And a bloody depressing sight it is, too, unless you are a sex tourist gloating over the prospect of congress with a girl half your age for a pittance.

 

While I totally agree that children need a "family" environment, this is rightly the responsibility of the biological parents, who should have jobs which enable them to earn enough for them to raise their own progeny.

 

Unfortunately, the wealthy minority who control the Thai economy and reap most of its benefits are unwilling to give the working masses a fair return for their productivity - and politicians, to their shame, have done little to address the imbalance.

 

As to comparisons with the affluent West, when I was a child growing up in the UK in the Fifties, most families were able to live decently with just one breadwinner - usually Dad. Mum's "job" was to take care of the home and kids. But since the Thatcher/Reagan era of deregulation of financial and labour markets, we have been marched backwards to join the Thais. Today, on both sidesof the Atlantic, both parents routinely have to go out to work to pay the family bills - including - the ultimate irony - child care!

 

If this is progress you can keep it.

 Well Put , I have been trying to put in words what you have  said exactly.  

[bheard]

Not really needed.  In Thai culture its highly likely and culturally accepted that the children go back to the villages to be raised by the grandparents while the adult kids pursue their careers.  The parents subsidize the grand-parents to care for the kids.  It's a win-win.  Which I agree with: children need to be brought up within their family units, not by some stranger, families bringing up family eliminated the need for government funded programs to pay surrogates to care for children which means less need for tax revenues to fund something that is not needed by Thai society.  Western societies could learn a lesson from the Thai model. 

The picture you paint about childen going back to villages is more and more an idealised myth. Sure it happens, but most Thai people don't come from villages anymore, they come from large cities and especially BKK.
Times are changing.
And what of life in the village? Again it's idealised and not necessarily the answer. Take a look around!