this post was submitted on 26 Nov 2025
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[–] thefluffiest@feddit.nl 63 points 5 days ago (1 children)

That’s what you get for being born in the USA

[–] DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works 50 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (1 children)

I was born in China. Immediatly got a massive fine for the crime of being the 2nd child. 💀

I was lucky they didn't just abort me. (government people didn't manage to stop my birth in time...)

[–] Spider89@lemmy.world 6 points 5 days ago (2 children)

?.. Is it illegal to have more than one child?...

[–] DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works 46 points 5 days ago (1 children)

It used to be, at the time I was born.

My mom was in Guangzhou when she had me. I don't know exactly what happened, I don't exact understand everything my mom told me, but apprantly either (1) they didn't manage to find her, or (2) there was some jurisdiction issue that can only be enforced in Taishan (台山), where she was from, because she told me that she was told to go back and she refused, or maybe (3) they government found out about the pregnancy too late.

I'm still unsure. My mom doesn't like talking about it when I push further on the topic. I think it was her village responsible to enforce it, and since she was in Guangzhou (its a city), I think they just didn't bother to enforce the abortion. Honestly I'm still confused as hell how I survived it.

My mom told me that after I was born, my existence was pretty much safe, since I assume it's hard to order people to terminate a crying baby vs a fetus. So anyways... I lived.

My mom told me she got sterilized afterwards.

The fines were that, if my parents didn't pay the fines, I don't get legal papers. Basically like an illegal immigrant in my own country. So kids basically got punished for just... existing... they didn't even choose to exist.

But my parents paid the fine, luckily. It was hard to save up for the money to pay.

[–] T3CHT@sh.itjust.works 20 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Thanks for sharing your story. I've heard of one child policy but never from a 2nd child's perspective.

Your story is a disturbing parallel to modern immigrant stories in the US, as well as others, im sure.

Healthcare is just one step above having a safe place to be in terms of human need, but places/governments that cant meet childrens basic needs in modern society are worth shaming.

[–] DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works 14 points 5 days ago (2 children)

Your story is a disturbing parallel to modern immigrant stories in the US

I'm also one of them. I'm here in the US right now, I know how it is.

When I had Chinese Language class in the US when I was in highschool (it was a mandatory world language thin where you need 2 credits), I remember there was a presentation thing that I have to introduce myself in Chinese (which I already know lol, that's why I picked it over spanish), I told the class my family immigrated to the US when I was 8, then I think some kids whose parents are from Fujian were shocked my family came legally. Judging by their reaction, I think some of them, well, their parents at least, were probably unauthorized or maybe they struggled to get legal status. I think the kids themselves were born here, or at least they never admitted that they themselved came without permission, so I assume they are born here. One of my classmates, he was an acquaintance of mine (I wouldn't really call a "friend") and he told me his dad got into a bar fight and got deported... so he is just dadless... I felt kinda guilty my family is still together.

The first few years in the US, yea that was rough. I was in Brooklyn. My parents signed me up for afterschool programs so they can work longer. Basically treated that as free childcare lol. I remember that day when the first day of afterschool programs start. It was tuesdays and thursdays from dismissal at 3PM to 4 PM. My mom forgot to tell me.

So I, didn't speak english at the time, I kinda just cried for an entire hour... I'm seeing this in my memory... like in 3rd person view and I just remember that scene. Didn't know what was going on, I thought I got in trouble for something. Like... poor kid, I feel bad just observing the memory.

Later on, the afterschool stuff expanded to some ESL classed to like 4:45PM on tues and thurs days. Then I got added to some non-profit Chinese American afterschool program thing... and that was the part I kinda hated the most. A lot of ethnic Chinese kids. Lots of them ABCs ("American-born Chinese"). Their parents are probably busy working too.

I basically remained quiet for the first two years of this. I only talked to kids that spoke Cantonese. Just being invisible for the rest of the time.

Later on, when I learned some English, I still kinda kept my shy personality. Even the English-only ABCs that were foreign to me. I remember some of them bullied me. I still, sort of, remember some of their faces.

I often got picked up last at school. That scene is sad when I recall the memory. 6:30 PM, the clock continues ticking, sky getting dark.

I remember the sun just gone from the sky by the time my mom and I got to our front door of the rented house.

The healthcare thing... yea... I'm trying to find a psychaitrist right now... it sucks... Hard to find one that's taking new patients and also take your insurance.

A few years ago. My dad had some stomach issue and went to the hospital for like a few months, the bill was so big lmao. Like I think the bill was 4 or 5 digits before the decimal point or something. Luckily, we were insured. Still not a small sum, even then.

That said, overall, our lives improved after we came to the US (we moved around 2010). As for the undocumented... oh yea that's fucked. I could imagine the families being torn apart. I remember my classmates situation. I bet some of their families probably got separated under this admin's cruel crackdowns. We got very lucky to be able to just come here legally.

[–] T3CHT@sh.itjust.works 3 points 4 days ago

You are on a tough path and I hope you succeed. Im glad to count you as a fellow citizen here and I hope it gets better for everyone here.

[–] MonkeMischief@lemmy.today 1 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Thank you so much for sharing your story.

I'm grateful to your mom, and I'm glad you're here. <3

[–] DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works 2 points 3 days ago

Lol...

My mom's kinda... eh...

Kinda have a love-hate relationship with parents right now.

Like... sure, I appreciate for their sacrafice, but still... emotionally manipulate as hell, at times, emotionally abusive.

[–] ameancow@lemmy.world 13 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (6 children)

It used to be when the population was spiraling out of control faster than infrastructure and economy could keep up. A new middle-class of sorts rose up and people stopped having kids like everywhere else in the world. So now they have raised the limit to three and are throwing in a bundle of incentives and benefits but even that's not increasing birth rates.

A lot of countries are facing aging populations and a smaller young workforce and it's going to wreck economic production for literally everyone. There's a reason for the huge push for robotics in elderly care across much of Asia. But the US and EU will be feeling the crunch soon enough also.

This is a problem that's being co-opted by right-wing nazitards like Elon Musk who are making it about race, but it's really a global issue without a lot of clear causes or solutions.

[–] Trainguyrom@reddthat.com 9 points 5 days ago (3 children)

This is a problem that’s being co-opted by right-wing nazitards like Elon Musk who are making it about race, but it’s really a global issue without a lot of clear causes or solutions

Its really only an issue in the context of capitalism. Capitalism relies on growth. No growth or negative growth means capitalism collapses and all of the hoarding that the rich and powerful have been doing was meaningless. Capitalism grew out of Mercantilism which was an extremely similar economic theory but Mercantilism largely assumes that any trade is bad because someone is "winning" and someone is "losing" meanwhile capitalism learned that trade is good because the same money can be spent more times by more people.

The short term solution is to create significant financial and other incentives for people to go into healthcare, particularly CNAs because a larger aging population than the working population will require lots of CNAs to care for the elderly. Right now these workers are woefully underpaid and largely abused by both their patients who lack the mental faculties to know what they're doing and their workplaces which are increasingly frequently owned by private equity

[–] alternategait@lemmy.world 2 points 4 days ago

abused by both their patients who lack the mental faculties to know what they’re doing and their workplaces

Oh theres a number of patients who are of fully aware of what they are doing who are happy to have a chance to abuse someone they see as below them (either because of classism or racism or sexism).

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[–] zqwzzle@lemmy.ca 35 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Life is considered a pre existing condition.

[–] psud@aussie.zone 2 points 3 days ago

No cover for you, your disease is caused by your life and that's a pre-existing condition. Denied.

[–] ceenote@lemmy.world 18 points 6 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (1 children)

Just grit your teeth and bear it, baby. If you were an adult, you'd wish you'd just gotten spanked instead of having your life ruined.

Oh shit, you don't have any teeth. Sorry, baby.

[–] bleistift2@sopuli.xyz 12 points 5 days ago (2 children)

Akshually they do. They’re just hidden.

[–] MajorMajormajormajor@lemmy.ca 10 points 5 days ago

Surprise teeth.

[–] ceenote@lemmy.world 5 points 5 days ago

Baby, don't grit your hidden teeth. They'll bleed, and you don't have insurance, baby.

[–] Treczoks@lemmy.world 7 points 5 days ago

Only in America...

[–] Warl0k3@lemmy.world 12 points 6 days ago (4 children)

At least in the US, the mother's health insurance policy (assuming she has one) will automatically extend to cover children born while the mother is under coverage.

[–] IrateAnteater@sh.itjust.works 25 points 5 days ago (3 children)

assuming she has one

Aaaand there's the rub. Poor and pregnant? You can just go fuck yourself.

[–] Warl0k3@lemmy.world 14 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (1 children)

Yeah it gets a little bit... psychotically dystopian at that point. Most likely the child will be assigned a caseworker who will then enroll them in medicaid (or CHIP or similar state programs, assuming we still have any of those I haven't checked today...), and regardless they will receive necessary care until they're discharged. But hey, it's the US, none of this shit is actually guaranteed!

[–] flandish@lemmy.world 3 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (3 children)

dystopian? this is bog standard capitalist formula, sadly.

so. yeah. dystopian.

[–] psud@aussie.zone 1 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Unmitigated capitalism. The rest of the capitalist world voted for mitigation like safety nets and public healthcare and anti monopoly laws and their enforcement.

The cyberpunk genre is only a little more unrestrained than the US economy

[–] flandish@lemmy.world 1 points 3 days ago

i vote that unmitigated is simply capitalism “winning” at its own game. (the idea being that at long enough time scale all capitalist systems will result in unmitigated outcomes and fascism.)

[–] IrateAnteater@sh.itjust.works 9 points 5 days ago (2 children)

How it possibly be "bog standard" when it's the only developed nation on the planet where it's true?

[–] flandish@lemmy.world 3 points 5 days ago

development is a spectrum.

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[–] Thedogdrinkscoffee@lemmy.ca 8 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (2 children)

The baby, keenly aware of their lack of insurance and the implications of growing up poor in America, asks the nurse for a 4th trimester abortion.

[–] lagoon8622@sh.itjust.works 6 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Alas, this "innocent" babe is not so innocent after all. Through a stunning lack of personal responsibility, they never invested in $DOGE during early availability. A lack of capital will doom this freeloader to a life in the mines

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[–] InternetCitizen2@lemmy.world 5 points 5 days ago

Their in luck. The republican governor heard their story and just rolled back child labor laws allowing them to buy though their employer. Truly a touching story.

[–] ameancow@lemmy.world 3 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

There are a lot of "state options" for the poor, but these are often terrible and only cover the most basic services. You may not even qualify for this in some states depending on requirements. Like, a lot of places now won't provide any assistance without an address, monthly interviews or check-ins AND proof of income.

I have been to the bottom at least once when I lost a lot of family members in a short time, lost my business and had a massive mountain of health expenses and debts. I basically lost everything due to circumstances and it was damn nearly impossible to climb out again. The US makes it very, very expensive to be poor. The hoops you have to jump through to get even the most basic help make it almost prohibitive.

If I could suggest anything to anyone out there who has even basic needs met... go donate to a local food-bank/public pantry. It doesn't have to be much, especially with the holidays. Cash will go a long way, but anything will help from vegetables from your garden to a few pairs of new, cheap socks. Those places saved me and I am paying it back.

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[–] BootLoop@sh.itjust.works 5 points 5 days ago

Lol Americans

[–] WhatGodIsMadeOf@feddit.org 8 points 5 days ago (4 children)

I want a woman that can do this to me.

[–] zero_spelled_with_an_ecks@programming.dev 5 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Can there be mechanical assistance such as pulleys?

[–] MeThisGuy@feddit.nl 4 points 5 days ago

just someone to show you the ropes.

[–] ameancow@lemmy.world 4 points 5 days ago

Draw you like an infographic meme and paste text above you?

[–] ivanafterall@lemmy.world 3 points 5 days ago

Honestly, me too. It's not even sexual. Entirely. I just want her to adjust my back like never before.

[–] gandalf_der_12te@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Don't cut the umbilical cord too short, btw. It will "turn inside" during growing up, and if you cut it too short at birth, then it leaves a hole in your belly later in life.

[–] tacosanonymous@mander.xyz 1 points 2 days ago

WTF are talking about?

[–] Brahvim@lemmy.kde.social 1 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Indian here. Everybody's calling this a US thing, but isn't this a standard way to get a baby to cry so it knows how to breathe?

[–] cepelinas@sopuli.xyz 6 points 4 days ago (1 children)

It is a joke about US insurance.

[–] Brahvim@lemmy.kde.social 4 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

Welp! Seems I missed the alternative semantics for "uninsured"...

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