Comments by "Peter Jacobsen" (@pjacobsen1000) on "PolyMatter" channel.

  1. 5:20 The archival footage early in the video ostensibly showing the death/funeral of Mao is actually not Mao, but Zhu De, Vice President, former General in the Red Army/PLA and part of the central ruling elite. Zhu De also died in 1976, so I suppose it's an easy mistake to make. Edit: Zhou Enlai also died in 1976. It was a real bad year for top CCP leaders.
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  2. Thanks for this video. As someone who has lived in China for many years and who has followed the demographic challenges for a couple of years, I have a few thoughts on this: -Can China increase the birth rate? Possibly. Remember, China is an authoritarian one-party state. Thus, policies that would be unthinkable in the West, might be implemented here: A total ban on abortions. A ban on all types of contraception. Monetary fines for couples who are not pregnant before they turn 28, etc. Yes, it's draconian, but remember which country we're talking about.
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  3. Advertisers are sensitive because consumers are sensitive. That's why ads for diapers and sanitary pads are always demonstrated using a blue liquid, rather than a yellow, brown or red liquid.
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  4. 13:00 A little correction: It says Shanghai has subsided 2 meters in the last two decades. This is not correct. Land subsidence IS a problem in Shanghai, starting in the early 20th century, when Shanghai's industrialization began. It became most serious in the 50s and 60s and mitigation efforts began, primarily by pumping rainwater back into the ground and restricting use of ground water. In the last two decades, Shanghai has seen average subsidence of 5.5 mm per year, or a total of 110 mm (appx. 4.3 inches). Nowadays, we get most of our tap water from the Yangzi River. A large reservoir was built in the delta back in the 00s, if I remember correctly. The reservoir allows sediment to clear, after which water is pumped to treatment stations before being released into the pipes. Technically, Shanghai's tap water is drinkable, but partly due to old pipes, it doesn't taste very good, and most people buy drinking water in 4-gallon jugs and only use tap water for showering, tooth brushing, etc. (I have lived in Shanghai since 1996, and while that in itself is not evidence of anything, I have followed local developments closely).
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  5.  @hughmungus2760  Good point, but isn't Russia's population resurgence partly a result of ethnic Russians immigrating back to Russia from neighboring countries? Are Russian women really having more children?
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  6.  @hughmungus2760  Well, time will tell. But as far as I know, demographic decline has not yet been reversed in any country, though as you say, Russia got close.
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