Moscow pensioners occupy metro in low birth rate protest

[The Ripper]

In a bid to increase Russia’s birth rate, hundreds of pensioners crammed yesterday into Moscow metro and occupied all the seats, wearing white bibs reading: “If you don’t like it, have a baby.”

Around a thousand activists from a group called the Older Generation occupied a whole train on the circle line, only giving up seats to disabled people, pregnant women and those with children.

“We are holding the event in support of the president’s policies that have the aim of raising the birth rate of Russians in Russia,” said organiser Natalya Golikova from the Moscow suburb of Khimki.

One participant, Raisa, a woman with white hair curled on the top of her head, called out to two strap-hanging passengers, a woman in a miniskirt and a man in a leather jacket, with their bibs saying “My children, you should have more babies. Give birth!”, “We have already got two,” and “You need to have more.”

Russia’s birth rate has jumped recently, attributed to an inflow of immigrants from Central Asia and the Caucasus where families are traditionally larger, and the protest also had a nationalist, anti-migrant slant.

The flash mob was co-organised by pro-Kremlin youth group Nashi 2.0 and its aim was to increase the birth rate “among Russians, not immigrants”, said an activist on the train who only gave her name as Yana.

“We are calling specifically Russian women and Russian men to improve the demographic situation,” said Yana, 16, who said she was still studying at college.

Some called the message too heavy-handed, saying young people have other priorities.

“I am in two minds about this. We need to raise the birth rate but everything depends on your material position and a person’s aims and desires. We are now getting married at 30 or 35,” said Igor, an engineer.

“I think people are becoming more educated and don’t have enough time for children,” agreed his neighbour, management student Elizbar.

“Young people’s mentality is changing. Of course we need to have babies. But it’s too early for me to talk about it, I’m still studying.”

Gulf Times (http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=435527&version=1&template_id=39&parent_id=21)

[SwordoftheVistula]

“I think people are becoming more educated and don’t have enough time for children,” agreed his neighbour, management student Elizbar.

“Young people’s mentality is changing. Of course we need to have babies. But it’s too early for me to talk about it, I’m still studying.

That seems to be a perennial problem in European countries. I'd say this is one more argument against government supported higher education, or if you are of a more socialist mindset, offer some kind of subsidy to women who get married and have children instead of going to university (but only if the man has a certain income or education to prevent degenerates taking advantage of the subsidy).

[The Lawspeaker]

What you conveniently forget is that in socialist countries like Nazi Germany (yes.. national socialism is socialism) and the USSR it was encouraged to have children.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3a/Mutterkreuz1940.jpg
Eight or more would entitle the woman to a gold cross, six to seven for silver, and four to five for bronze.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/27/MotherHeroine.jpg
Mother Heroine (Russian: Мать-героиня) was an honorary title in the Soviet Union awarded from 8 July 1944 to all mothers bearing and raising 10 or more children. The title was accompanied by the bestowal of the Mother Heroine Order and a certificate conferred by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. It was awarded upon the first birthday of the last child, provided that nine other children (natural or adopted) remained alive. Children who had perished under heroic, military or other respectful circumstances, including occupational diseases, were also counted.


The latter was received for giving birth to and raising over 10 children. Birth rates began to fall towards the end of the USSR and crashed completely after 1991.. that's right: after the return to the insecurities of the "free" market.

[Smaland]

Gulf Times (http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=435527&version=1&template_id=39&parent_id=21)

This is exactly what America needs, if only the people would listen.

[Oreka Bailoak]

This is the kind of spirit we need in society. :thumb001: Love, happiness, strong families, moral values, having children (and pride in your heritage!)- they all fit together so very well strengthening each other and also make a healthy society.

I want these types of protests organized all over the western world- I'd participate in one. :lightbul:

Thanks for sharing the article.

[Hess]

This is good news. I think all Europeans living in Russia should be encouraged to have more babies :thumb001:

[Bloodeagle]

It warms my heart to hear that these pensioners, still give a damn about their country, enough so, to protest for the children - the keys to the future.

I hope that people still respect the elderly in Russia and that they are not thought of as relics of some former and unenlightened time.

[Daos]

Mother Heroine

We had those as well, most were gypsies. We thank them for saving our population from decline...:rolleyes:

[Agrippa]

One has to link social status and success with being a successful and fertile mother. Also through material advantages and by positive discrimination in various fields of society.

Like I said so often, in modern Liberal Capitalism, children are more of a burden than an advantages, while in the past children were always part of the status and wealth of a women in a traditional society at least - Feudalism and Western Christianity already broke with that to a certain degree.

The value of the bloodline must be taught as well.

But at least, they do SOMETHING and show their dissatisfaction with the situation.

Yet one thing is clear, without changing the system, European women worldwide won't have the necessary birth rates, especially not the more valuable ones, which are now at least to their 30's pre-occupied with various other things than thinking about children, and at 30 women tend already towards being less idealistic and forgiving, having many bad experiences with men and so on, not talking about the lost years in between, that it is even harder to found a larger family...

[SwordoftheVistula]

We had those as well, most were gypsies. We thank them for saving our population from decline...:rolleyes:

Yeah that's the problem with all these programs. The people that get encouraged to have children are usually the ones at the bottom of society, people not capable of doing much else with their lives other than have kids.

[Troll's Puzzle]

That seems to be a perennial problem in European countries. I'd say this is one more argument against government supported higher education, or if you are of a more socialist mindset, offer some kind of subsidy to women who get married and have children instead of going to university (but only if the man has a certain income or education to prevent degenerates taking advantage of the subsidy).

Higher education & Universities have always been supported by the state here and this birth rate 'problem' is a recent thing.
And it wouldn't be a 'problem' to me if it wasn't for the immigrants taking over (with a higher birth rate too) since we have too high a population to support easily already.

I think there should be much less higher education (most of it is crap anyway and useless to the people it is inflicted on, heaping them in debt and basically letting them act like a holiday camp for 3 years; it just delays people maturing into adults until they're in their mid-late 20's and gives them unrealistic expectations/career goals etc, which probably does effect birthrate; most 'working class' people I know who didn't go to Uni got married younger, some have kids, and tend to have more stable relationships) but it should still be state supported as it always has been. ;)

[Curtis24]

Yet one thing is clear, without changing the system, European women worldwide won't have the necessary birth rates, especially not the more valuable ones, which are now at least to their 30's pre-occupied with various other things than thinking about children, and at 30 women tend already towards being less idealistic and forgiving, having many bad experiences with men and so on, not talking about the lost years in between, that it is even harder to found a larger family...

Yeah, its fucking tragic, how the youth and beauty is squandered through promiscuous sex with unfaithful men :(

Though, I disagree that it necessarily hardens women so that they cannot love. Most women have an inborn ability to "fall in love" intensely no matter how old they are...

[Agrippa]

Yeah, its fucking tragic, how the youth and beauty is squandered through promiscuous sex with unfaithful men :(

Though, I disagree that it necessarily hardens women so that they cannot love. Most women have an inborn ability to "fall in love" intensely no matter how old they are...

Fact is, some of their demands and "personal deficits" increase over time, while their ability for Idealism and forgiveness decreases.

This is also related to a growing Materialism, like a typical middle age mother had it in the past too, but is highly problematic, especially for the higher class of them, because it becomes more and more difficult for males to be in a higher position relative to them, which is what they prefer.

In the end, no matter how one puts it, the situation can get only worse over time in a situation like that described and the "natural approach" would be to marry/make a fixed relationship and give birth to children early.

I'm always talking about the tendencies of course, individually things might be different...