Nanfu Wang : What it was like to grow up under China's one-child policy

Nanfu Wang·TED2019
What it was like to grow up under China’s one-child policy
Summary
The story told me the true meaning of propaganda for the first time.
The word of propaganda means information that spreads in order to promote a particular goal. And then even its goal is really important, many people might struggle but it might make sacrifices.

In China, in the past, China wanted many soldiers for winning wars and families had to have five or six children, however, the government realized that severe food shortages would happen. Thus one-child policy was announced. The population explosion would be avoided. However, many families wanted to have more children, especially they wanted to have a boy because they wanted a boy to carry on the family name. It made sacrifices that are abortions, sterilizations, and feeling guilty. The speaker had a brother because her family asked and paid, though, she felt ashamed and guilty.

The goal might be necessary for the country’s survival.

And then we have to understand that not only China’s one-child policy but also the word of propaganda.
The speaker tells us at last. There is no country on earth where propaganda isn’t present. In societies that are supposed to be more open and free than China, l think that it’s Japan, it can be even harder to recognize what propaganda looks like. It’s true. It’s because it’s hidden and it stops us to think, and it makes us believe that it’s true. Every society is vulnerable. We have to really think what propaganda wants to tell us and what we should do ourselves.

Words in this story
propaganda /noun/ information spread in order to promote a particular goal
brainwash /verb/ remove a person's ideas and replace them with other ideas