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What would be the effect if I silenced the words ''cow'' in this video? Would the human brain fill those gaps with ''women'' because they see them all over the screen?

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What would be the effect if I silenced the words ''cow'' in this video? Would the human brain fill those gaps with ''women'' because they see them all over the screen?

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Translations into English are under the titles!

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Translations into English are under the titles!

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A guy from another cowManager video sharing his experience with the software.

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I have an idea for an art work that could make one look at this issue from a different perspective. Or, at least make one realize that this issue is probably communicated in a certain way that might not be pleasant to some parts of the society. I would add a new perspective into an existing discourse.
When I hear the decision maker (usually) men talking about the demography in Latvia, about fertility, about how many children women should get and at which age, I can't help thinking of a cattle farmer. As far as I know there it is very important to know when which cow should be made pregnant so that it has the healthiest calf and the most milk production at the right time. I am sure that is not what those decision makers and communicators have in mind in their discourse platform.
I was thinking this could be a video clip in combination with a dozen of nude women textile sculptures - some pregnant, some not.
On the screen there would be news headlines about fertility. There headlines would come from real news media. I have posted a few here on Padlet. Those are the topics and messages we are fed through media.  In the middle of the screen there would be a promotion film for a cow management software. I found one on Youtube which is just perfect! There is a man walking around the cow stall, evaluating his cows and helping out those who should become pregnant according to the algorithm of the app.
This idea juxtaposes two different worlds - animals and humans - and shows how thin the line is between the methods applied to both. Here one could talk about the control that cattle owner has over his cows and compare that to a politician/decision maker who is trying his best to make clear what women should do. He does not approach his ''cattle'' with a rubber glove, but there is this media pressure that is being carried out and is supposed to call certain groups to action. I am actually wondering if it could be an idea to silence the words "cow" in the video to make the human mind fill in those spaces with the words of what they see - the naked women on the floor. Maybe it could even be just the text of the video and not the picture.

I haven't made the video, but I have put the material gathered on this Padlet for the idea what I mean. I am not going to make the film. Instead, I am making this sketch which in my opinion illustrates how I am combining the life-cycle (human life cycle, fertility cycle (of the cows)), system (the government with it's fertility plans and analysis, involvement of the media) and narrative (the individual stories). This is a sketch and I am aware that there could be many more ways to play with the material.

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For this project I am choosing three topics to analyze further: Life Cycles, System, Narratives.
The idea for this project has emerged from a recent demography discussion in Latvia. This discussion has been going on for years because of the dramatic decrease in the  population  size in Latvia, but our new government has apparently made it a priority again given the wide publicity the last few weeks. The idea came suddenly because listening to and reading all those birth-giving and fertility messages I could not help thinking about the right to choose, being the owner of your body and life, about the privacy of the baby matter, about cows in the stall being observed and evaluated on productivity, about the life cycle of a country, about the minimum population a country needs to prosper, about what happens when a nation deceases.
I chose three of the concepts: Life Cycle, System, and Narratives. In other blocks on this Padlet I am explaining how I see my demography-related thoughts in the light of these concepts.

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By inviting women to go give birth the parliament does not accept the proposal for obligatory military service for women

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This table comed from a law that existed in Latvia until 1990. It is a tax for childless people. One can see how much of your salary had to go to the state if you did not have children. I am not sure if one child was enough; I have heard people say that at least 2 children were necessary to escape this tax. I would need to research more to find out.

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the law from 30 years ago on childless tax. This concept got revived by a minister who mention this tax as one of the ideas to encourage people to have children.

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LATVIJAS REPUBLIKAS AUGSTĀKĀS PADOMES LĒMUMS

Par neprecēto, vientuļo un mazu ģimeņu (bezbērnu) nodokļa ņemšanas kārtību Latvijas Republikā

Latvijas Republikas Augstākā Padome nolemj:

1. Līdz 1991. gada 1. janvārim Latvijas Republikā saglabāt pašlaik spēkā esošo neprecēto, vientuļo un mazu ģimeņu (bezbērnu) nodokļa ņemšanas kārtību, izņemot izmaiņas, kas paredzētas šā lēmuma 2. un 3. punktā.

2. Noteikt, ka Latvijas Republikā, sākot ar 1990. gada jūlija darba algu, no bezbērnu nodokļa tiek atbrīvoti strādnieki, kalpotāji un aplikšanā ar nodokli viņiem pielīdzinātie pilsoņi, ja viņu ar nodokli apliekamais ienākums pamatdarba vietā (dienesta vai mācību vietā) nepārsniedz 100 rubļus mēnesī.

3. Noteikt strādniekiem, kalpotājiem un aplikšanā ar nodokli viņiem pielīdzinātiem pilsoņiem sekojošas pazeminātas bezbērnu nodokļa likmes izpeļņai no 101 līdz 150 rubļiem, kurus saņem pamatdarba vietā (dienesta vai mācību vietā):

Latvijas Republikas Augstākās Padomes priekšsēdētājs A. GORBUNOVS

Latvijas Republikas Augstākās Padomes sekretārs I. DAUDIŠS

Rīgā 1990. gada 18. jūlijā

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Zaudējis spēku - Par neprecēto, vientuļo un mazu ģimeņu (bezbērnu) nodokļa ņemšanas kārtību Latvijas Republikā

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LATVIJAS REPUBLIKAS AUGSTĀKĀS PADOMES LĒMUMS Latvijas Republikas Augstākā Padome nolemj: 1. Līdz 1991. gada 1. janvārim Latvijas Republikā saglabāt pašlaik spēkā esošo neprecēto, vientuļo un mazu ģimeņu (bezbērnu) nodokļa ņemšanas kārtību, izņemot izmaiņas, kas paredzētas šā lēmuma 2. un 3. punktā. 2. Noteikt, ka Latvijas Republikā, sākot ar 1990.

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https://youtu.be/nmLML7fm4SI

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CowManager: 24/7 In Control Over Your Cows

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Birth rate crisis in Latvia - an analysis

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Birth rates as well as death rates have increased

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Alomst half of Latvian say that a couple without children is not a family

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After a few year increase, teh birth rate is about to fall again, demographer explains

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Support needs to be reviewed for families who spend child support on alcohol

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Governmnet hopes to increase multiplication of Latvians by investing 50 millions

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Artificial insemination will be compensated by the state

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Hundreds of women on waiting list for IVF

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Population has decreased by 14 thousand 

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The minister cannot explain decrease in numbers of newborns 

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More and more Latvian couples struggle with conception of babies

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The population in Latvia has decreased by another 15 thousand people 

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Demographer acknowledges a sad fact regarding birth rate in Latia

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Population of Latvia has decreased significantly

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Teh reasons why young people choose not to have children are worrying, says midwife

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Mortality is still almost two times higher than birth

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Is it true that there will only be 1 mio inhabitants in Latvia by 2050?

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Birth rates in Latvia still lower than mortality

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8 billion people: main concerns for the future

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Childfree tax and the modern conservativism

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Photos of strong Latvian multiple children families - the more, the merrier!

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We want more children to be born in Latvia!

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The desired number of children in families and how to achieve that

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https://www.la.lv/ka-latviesiem-gribet-vairak-bernu-pardomas-dalas-imants-paradnieks

The most visible fertility advocate in Latvia, author of a plan promoting big traditional (so, mom and dad, and kids) families for the coming years.

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Imants Parādnieks

Beidzamajās dienās mediju virsrakstos atkal aktualizējusies demogrāfijas tēma. Kontekstā ar to būtiski ir domāt par dzimstības veicināšanu. Par šo tēmu notika saruna arī TV24 "Preses klubā", kur kā viens no viesiem bija Imants Parādnieks - ekspertu sadarbības platformas "Demogrāfisko lietu centrs" vadītājs, NA valdes loceklis.

Viņš uzsver, ka "galvenajam uzstādījumam ir jābūt, kas ir pats svarīgākais, lai mūsu cilvēki var atļauties tieši tik bērnu, cik viņi vēlas."

"Un aptaujas dati liecina, ka tas vēlmju rādītājs ir vidēji vairāk nekā divi bērni. Vidējais rādītājs ir 2,4-2,5. Kas liecina, ka gandrīz katrs otrais vēlas vismaz divus bērnus un katrs otrais - vismaz 3 bērnus, kas vidēji ir šāds rādītājs," norāda eksperts.

Ko darīt, lai cilvēki gribētu vairāk bērnu?

"Tas, kas valsts līmenī ir jādara, ir jāveido tāda vide un jāorganizē tāda valsts atbalsta politika, lai cilvēki var atļauties to. Un tam ir ļoti daudz faktoru. Tas nav tikai naudas jautājums. Tas ir attieksmes jautājums, tas ir ekonomiskas dabas jautājums, tas ir drošības jautājums. Tā kā tur ir arī ļoti atšķirīgi dažādiem cilvēkiem viedokļi, kas ir noteicošais, kāpēc lai viņš realizētu šo savu vēlmi," rezumē I.Parādnieks.

SAISTĪTIE RAKSTI

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Kā latviešiem gribēt vairāk bērnu? Pārdomās dalās Imants Parādnieks

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Beidzamajās dienās mediju virsrakstos atkal aktualizējusies demogrāfijas tēma. Kontekstā ar to būtiski ir domāt par dzimstības veicināšanu. Par šo tēmu notika saruna arī TV24 "Preses klubā", kur kā viens no viesiem bija Imants Parādnieks - ekspertu sadarbības platformas "Demogrāfisko lietu centrs" vadītājs, NA valdes loceklis.

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How to make Latvians want more children?

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A narrative as I understand it is a text telling an experience which in a certain context includes a message.
The fertility messages we have been fed in Latvian media often include case studies. Each interview with a woman includes a message. Sometimes there is even a moderator who adds his or her comment to the message to make it more clear to you if you did not get what it was intended for. On the national TV the messages are usually about encouragement of large families and making childless women (and definitely if she has a dog!!) sound silly.  A lot of emotional pressure is added regarding care for elderly (which makes sense in Latvia since the elderly care is the problem of their children; there is no reasonable elderly care offered by the state, only by pricey private institutions).

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In terms of systems, the demographic situation of a country certainly has links to its welfare system, tax system.
There are certain links between generations, such as pension payments that are generated by the younger generation to the preceding one. The welfare of a country is believed to depend on the number of inhabitants, however, I found sources stating that the less people live in a country, the higher the GDP (Gross Domestic Product) which is a good indicator. However, in that case the production should be highly automatized which does not require a lot of workers. (I have lost the reference of this idea....) And again, if I ever were to create work on this topic for pubic, I would do research including talking to a demography scientist. There could be some interesting links discovered between woman's body and the GDP.

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Thinking about life cycles in relation to demography, there are many items that exist in cycles.
First of all, it is the life-cycle of a person from the birth till the death.
Conception of a child is subject to the menstrual cycle.
There might be cycles for different aspects during the course of life of a human being that have been researched and defined by social artists.
Then there are life-cycles on a more macro level: societal, political and maybe economic. I have been thinking of what happens to a nation that goes distinct - what is the minimum number of population that would make that happen, what happens to the physical land, how does a nation get dismantled, who takes it over? I could find a few articles about Latvia being on the road to becoming extinct as well as articles about countries that have disappeared. However, there do not have to be precedents for countries disappearing because of too low population numbers. While searching I did find a theory about the life cycle of democracy. It is the theory by the Scotish scientist Alexander Tyler and it originates from 1787. I have always found that democracy is not the guarantee of ''happily ever after" and this theory explains the why.  It is not a theory relevant to my demography issue, but it is definitely one to come back to. I did try to research how it is viewed nowadays to prevent me using some contentious or politically polarized theory, but so far I have no results.  I think if I was really to do a work on art on this subject, I would consult a scientist/researcher at a public university.