In 1958 Mao Zedong ordered all the sparrows to be killed because they ate too much grain. This caused one of the worst environmental disasters in history | The Vintage News

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[–]thomastheglassexpert 4 insightful - 2 fun4 insightful - 1 fun5 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

Without going into my hatred of the PRC government just a comment on this = "there is nothing the government won't fuck up claiming it's a good idea and all for the people. It's for the safety of children ya know". I am referencing any/all governments anywhere.

[–]Canbot 3 insightful - 2 fun3 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

The Chinese government wanted to reduce the Chinese population. This "oopsie dasie" gave them exactly what they wanted. How convenient.

By 1958 everyone understood that birds eat bugs and bugs are agricultural pests. If the government wanted to create an artificial famine and prepare an excuse that everyone would instantly buy because they all already understand that bugs destroy crops this would be the perfect premise. If they simply said the bugs came out of nowhere people would demand answers and investigations. They would forever be in fear of it happening again. With this story it is one and done. No questions asked. It was just an honest mistake.

I don't think it killed off enough people for the government's liking so they implemented the one child policy.

Inb4 hur dur prove it.

[–]211 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

Proof that asians aren't smart

[–]xoenix 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

Lots of "smart" people fall for communism.

[–]Questionable[S] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

They call that a useful idiot. Or in modern terms, Mid-wit.

[–]xoenix 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Government "experts" told farmers, who had only farmed for generations, that they were doing it wrong, and that they could double or triple crop yields by planting seeds closer together. Those crops all failed.

They also ordered farmers to produce steel, which they had no means to produce, so they'd melt down their farm equipment into slag in order to meet their "steel" quota, which would be used to make bridges that would later collapse. But without sparrows to kill bugs, with failed crops due to government farm science, and without farm equipment, they starved to death.