Your argument that "it is a little better than the worst" is so weak-spirited as to stir in me a mild distaste for you, generally.
That is a standard pro-Apple argument. If any aspect of Apple anything is horrid, one need merely find something worse, and thereby turn Apple's shit into gold.
So any country that has had a work strike or a suicide (or a threat of suicide) is a bad country in your mind? I bet you could count on one hand the number of countries that don't fit that build.
No. I wouldn't make, and haven't made, that argument. "Bad country" is not a phrase I would use, anyway. What does "bad" mean, and to whom? There are better, narrower ways of defining the ailments of the wayward state.
Another standard Apple-supporter form of argument. If you say anything bad about anything related to Apple, you have overstated things to a ridiculous extreme.
Example: if you say that iOS is not to your liking, then you have proclaimed that tens of millions of people who like it are bad and wrong.
What these people don't realize is how much better their lives are compared with working back in their home village.
Maybe you should take one of those jobs to confirm that.
I bet you also felt this way about slavery in the U.S. - how the owners "took care" of their slaves and provided them with food, clothing and housing and how they were better off than in their African villages.
OK. So you didn't bother to read my post at all - either that or you didn't make any effort to understand it.
The Chinese workers are being given one of the best manufacturing jobs in the country. They're being paid much greater than market wages. They are working in a clean, well-lit factory that 95% of Chinese manufacturing workers can only dream of. Their work conditions meet every applicable law in China. In fact, from what I've seen, they meet almost every U.S. labor law, as well.
So where do you get 'Chinese workers are mistreated'?
So you think what - that these Chinese workers who are threatening suicide are either "spoiled children" or "manipulators"? You think there can absolutely be no truth to their complaints? Personally, I don't know what the reality is and I don't think anyone who hasn't been to the factory really does. But when people who actively pursued a job threaten suicide once they have it, I have to believe that there's at least some reality behind it.
I'm not one who believes that standards in China (and countries like it) have to meet the standards of the U.S. or western Europe. The summer I graduated high school, I worked 6 days a week: 75 hours per week + 15 hours of traveling time (but not in a factory). Years later, as an executive, I worked a minimum of 60 hours a week and that's when I wasn't traveling. So I don't have a problem with people working long hours. But I think there's got to be something wrong in the way those factories are run for employees in both China and Brazil to be complaining so much.
So you think what - that these Chinese workers who are threatening suicide are either "spoiled children" or "manipulators"? You think there can absolutely be no truth to their complaints? Personally, I don't know what the reality is and I don't think anyone who hasn't been to the factory really does. But when people who actively pursued a job threaten suicide once they have it, I have to believe that there's at least some reality behind it.
I'm not one who believes that standards in China (and countries like it) have to meet the standards of the U.S. or western Europe. The summer I graduated high school, I worked 6 days a week: 75 hours per week + 15 hours of traveling time (but not in a factory). Years later, as an executive, I worked a minimum of 60 hours a week and that's when I wasn't traveling. So I don't have a problem with people working long hours. But I think there's got to be something wrong in the way those factories are run for employees in both China and Brazil to be complaining so much.
They've got close to a million employees. What makes you think that you can't have 20 unhappy employees even if the facility is absolutely incredible?
There are some people who will complain about anything - especially when it gives them their moment of fame.
Employee: If I don't get a raise, i'll jump off the roof.
Foxcon: You're fired, turn in your badge and access cards. Grab your stuff and go home. Go jump off your own damn roof. When you exit out tell the guy standing in the front of the line come see me for his access card and badge. He's hired.
@ DeanSolecki "I don't want my kids growing up in this country of moral/mental abortions."
PM me...one of my best friends is a diplomatic officer and I'm quite sure he'll be happy to process you and your family's oath of renunciation and then you'll have 10 days to vacate US territory for whatever country will grant you citizenship. As far as the children are concerned, parents cannot renounce U.S. citizenship on behalf of their minor children.
I can't comprehend a job situation so bad that I would jump to my death in protest. Maybe I need a reality check.
Martyrdom has been around forever. In this case it's somewhat of a cultural issue. You've most likely seen this infamous photo of a monk engaged in self-immolation. http://bitly.com/IgeFAH Sheeesh... I mean, how bad do things have to be to set yourself on fire?
Quote:
Originally Posted by DeanSolecki
I'm stepping out of this conversation at this point. To muppetry I will only say that, with the body of available information I would contend that the chinese factory worker is not sufficiently respected as a human being, and threats of mass suicide are a conspicuous (and not isolated) indication of that fact. You may set different thresholds, judge by different parameters, and reach a different conclusion. I would say, however, that you reached that conclusion deterministically.
As an amendment to my sentiments in this thread, I would mention parenthetically that there are a great deal of Americans and Westerners that respect and fight for human dignity as a principle, and not in the manner of a tribalist (i.e. our human dignity instead of your human dignity) and a few of those have commented on this thread, as a counter ballast to the "Win team America, murder everyone else" crowd.
We aren't all bad, but the worst of us sure are ambitious.
Well, there are some Americans and other Westerners who fight for dignity and ethics as a principle. I think there are many who believe they are supporting those principles, but they have actually just consumed too much Koolaid. The so called free market gets people to support or fight for dignity & ethics & freedom... when the market place can make money at it.
So this probably came about because non-Apple Foxconn workers do not enjoy the same conditions as Apple workers because the world continues to ignore them as they are sub-newsworthy and the companies they make products for don't see ANY need to help them.
I'll bet that if you went into some of these factories, workers would be discussing the unfairness of Apple workers being treated better than them, so they resort to drastic measures to get the world to notice them.
All thanks to a bunch of hypocritical, misguided do-gooders doing their best to paint a big, fat target on Apple.
I'm surprised by the amount of vitriol coming from most posters. Yes, it's obvious that Apple is being singled out on something that most or all electronic companies are doing but it's Apple. Apple is a massive market leader/innovator and what they do has a tremendous amount of influence. Whenever ANYone is at the top of their industry/sport/profession they will ALWAYS receive more scrutiny than their peers. People will look up to you and frankly, you don't have a choice in that matter. You chose to receive the spotlight when you reached the top.
What these people don't realize is how much better their lives are compared with working back in their home village.
You have neither the real knowledge nor the right to tell these people what they should or should not realize. You simply have no clue about what it's like to be in their shoes.
What these people don't realize is how much better their lives are compared with working back in their home village.
You have neither the real knowledge nor the right to tell these people what they should or should not realize. You simply have no clue about what it's like to be in their shoes.
I'm pretty sure that Z³ was Poeing with that comment.
Comments
This problem was solved long ago when Foxcon installed nets. Let them jump - no problem.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DeanSolecki
Your argument that "it is a little better than the worst" is so weak-spirited as to stir in me a mild distaste for you, generally.
That is a standard pro-Apple argument. If any aspect of Apple anything is horrid, one need merely find something worse, and thereby turn Apple's shit into gold.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DeanSolecki
Quote:
Originally Posted by SolipsismX
So any country that has had a work strike or a suicide (or a threat of suicide) is a bad country in your mind? I bet you could count on one hand the number of countries that don't fit that build.
No. I wouldn't make, and haven't made, that argument. "Bad country" is not a phrase I would use, anyway. What does "bad" mean, and to whom? There are better, narrower ways of defining the ailments of the wayward state.
Another standard Apple-supporter form of argument. If you say anything bad about anything related to Apple, you have overstated things to a ridiculous extreme.
Example: if you say that iOS is not to your liking, then you have proclaimed that tens of millions of people who like it are bad and wrong.
Quote:
Originally Posted by I am a Zither Zather Zuzz
What these people don't realize is how much better their lives are compared with working back in their home village.
Maybe you should take one of those jobs to confirm that.
I bet you also felt this way about slavery in the U.S. - how the owners "took care" of their slaves and provided them with food, clothing and housing and how they were better off than in their African villages.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2012/04/28/apples-reported-foxconn-protest-not-actually-about-apple/
Quote:
Originally Posted by jragosta
OK. So you didn't bother to read my post at all - either that or you didn't make any effort to understand it.
The Chinese workers are being given one of the best manufacturing jobs in the country. They're being paid much greater than market wages. They are working in a clean, well-lit factory that 95% of Chinese manufacturing workers can only dream of. Their work conditions meet every applicable law in China. In fact, from what I've seen, they meet almost every U.S. labor law, as well.
So where do you get 'Chinese workers are mistreated'?
So you think what - that these Chinese workers who are threatening suicide are either "spoiled children" or "manipulators"? You think there can absolutely be no truth to their complaints? Personally, I don't know what the reality is and I don't think anyone who hasn't been to the factory really does. But when people who actively pursued a job threaten suicide once they have it, I have to believe that there's at least some reality behind it.
I'm not one who believes that standards in China (and countries like it) have to meet the standards of the U.S. or western Europe. The summer I graduated high school, I worked 6 days a week: 75 hours per week + 15 hours of traveling time (but not in a factory). Years later, as an executive, I worked a minimum of 60 hours a week and that's when I wasn't traveling. So I don't have a problem with people working long hours. But I think there's got to be something wrong in the way those factories are run for employees in both China and Brazil to be complaining so much.
Last post was moved to a new thread in Political Outsider. This is about Apple, not Socialism, commies, pinkos, liberals, or whomever.
Quote:
Originally Posted by zoetmb
So you think what - that these Chinese workers who are threatening suicide are either "spoiled children" or "manipulators"? You think there can absolutely be no truth to their complaints? Personally, I don't know what the reality is and I don't think anyone who hasn't been to the factory really does. But when people who actively pursued a job threaten suicide once they have it, I have to believe that there's at least some reality behind it.
I'm not one who believes that standards in China (and countries like it) have to meet the standards of the U.S. or western Europe. The summer I graduated high school, I worked 6 days a week: 75 hours per week + 15 hours of traveling time (but not in a factory). Years later, as an executive, I worked a minimum of 60 hours a week and that's when I wasn't traveling. So I don't have a problem with people working long hours. But I think there's got to be something wrong in the way those factories are run for employees in both China and Brazil to be complaining so much.
They've got close to a million employees. What makes you think that you can't have 20 unhappy employees even if the facility is absolutely incredible?
There are some people who will complain about anything - especially when it gives them their moment of fame.
Unfortunately the Communist NYT and NPR political theories don't result in happy Chinese factory workers. These workers prefer capitalism.
Employee: If I don't get a raise, i'll jump off the roof.
Foxcon: You're fired, turn in your badge and access cards. Grab your stuff and go home. Go jump off your own damn roof. When you exit out tell the guy standing in the front of the line come see me for his access card and badge. He's hired.
Apple should say Samsung hired these people to put on this stunt. Everyone knows that being with Apple is bliss.
@ DeanSolecki "I don't want my kids growing up in this country of moral/mental abortions."
PM me...one of my best friends is a diplomatic officer and I'm quite sure he'll be happy to process you and your family's oath of renunciation and then you'll have 10 days to vacate US territory for whatever country will grant you citizenship. As far as the children are concerned, parents cannot renounce U.S. citizenship on behalf of their minor children.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Postulant
I can't comprehend a job situation so bad that I would jump to my death in protest. Maybe I need a reality check.
Martyrdom has been around forever. In this case it's somewhat of a cultural issue. You've most likely seen this infamous photo of a monk engaged in self-immolation. http://bitly.com/IgeFAH Sheeesh... I mean, how bad do things have to be to set yourself on fire?
Quote:
Originally Posted by DeanSolecki
I'm stepping out of this conversation at this point. To muppetry I will only say that, with the body of available information I would contend that the chinese factory worker is not sufficiently respected as a human being, and threats of mass suicide are a conspicuous (and not isolated) indication of that fact. You may set different thresholds, judge by different parameters, and reach a different conclusion. I would say, however, that you reached that conclusion deterministically.
As an amendment to my sentiments in this thread, I would mention parenthetically that there are a great deal of Americans and Westerners that respect and fight for human dignity as a principle, and not in the manner of a tribalist (i.e. our human dignity instead of your human dignity) and a few of those have commented on this thread, as a counter ballast to the "Win team America, murder everyone else" crowd.
We aren't all bad, but the worst of us sure are ambitious.
Well, there are some Americans and other Westerners who fight for dignity and ethics as a principle. I think there are many who believe they are supporting those principles, but they have actually just consumed too much Koolaid. The so called free market gets people to support or fight for dignity & ethics & freedom... when the market place can make money at it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rogifan
A shout out to Forbes for pointing out the bias in this reporting. Apparently the factory in question is tied to Microsoft and Xbox, not Apple.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2012/04/28/apples-reported-foxconn-protest-not-actually-about-apple/
So this probably came about because non-Apple Foxconn workers do not enjoy the same conditions as Apple workers because the world continues to ignore them as they are sub-newsworthy and the companies they make products for don't see ANY need to help them.
I'll bet that if you went into some of these factories, workers would be discussing the unfairness of Apple workers being treated better than them, so they resort to drastic measures to get the world to notice them.
All thanks to a bunch of hypocritical, misguided do-gooders doing their best to paint a big, fat target on Apple.
I'm surprised by the amount of vitriol coming from most posters. Yes, it's obvious that Apple is being singled out on something that most or all electronic companies are doing but it's Apple. Apple is a massive market leader/innovator and what they do has a tremendous amount of influence. Whenever ANYone is at the top of their industry/sport/profession they will ALWAYS receive more scrutiny than their peers. People will look up to you and frankly, you don't have a choice in that matter. You chose to receive the spotlight when you reached the top.
And how easily we forget the kinds of violent protests that happened here in the United States. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_violence
Let's tone down the rhetoric and grow up a little.
Quote:
Originally Posted by I am a Zither Zather Zuzz
What these people don't realize is how much better their lives are compared with working back in their home village.
You have neither the real knowledge nor the right to tell these people what they should or should not realize. You simply have no clue about what it's like to be in their shoes.
Quote:
Originally Posted by stelligent
Quote:
Originally Posted by I am a Zither Zather Zuzz
What these people don't realize is how much better their lives are compared with working back in their home village.
You have neither the real knowledge nor the right to tell these people what they should or should not realize. You simply have no clue about what it's like to be in their shoes.
I'm pretty sure that Z³ was Poeing with that comment.
Quote:
Originally Posted by FreeRange
The reality is that China is still a country of around 800 million peasant farmers.
Yeah, I'm gonna call BS on that.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SolipsismX
"intense or irrational dislike or fear of people from other countries."
So you are both from the US and the UK?
He might have dual nationality...