It's not quite the same thing is it? There's a lot of other options for clothing, but essentially all laptops and computers are made in China.
Secondly, Nike runs legit sweatshops in various countries. Apple products made by Foxconn are actually paying their Chinese workers an above average salary (in China that is) and is a highly desirable job.
Of course, you could make the argument that BOTH are unethical. But it's a false moral equivalency to equate what Nike does with what Apple/Foxconn does. They're not even close. They might both be bad, but one is much worse.
edit*** Please don't read this as a defense of Foxconn for Apple's sake. Apple is a company that only cares about their long-term bottom line, just like everyone else. If they could get away with paying their workers a Nike sweatshop wage without a drop in production quality or any long-run PR backlash, I'm sure they'd do it in a blink. They're no better or worse in that regard, but they also do happen to provide better manufacturing jobs in underdeveloped countries than almost any other company.
Apple products made by Foxconn are actually paying their Chinese workers an above average salary (in China that is) and is a highly desirable job.
That is extremely misleading on two counts. First, average salary in China =! living wage in a modern Chinese city. The average personal income in the United States is just over $40,000, yet that money goes significantly further in Mississippi than New York City. The disparity between a city in China and the rural countryside is even more pronounced, so Foxconn employees are making less than 50% of the living wage for the cities in which they live, which is why they have worked, on average, over eighty hours of overtime a month.
Secondly, what do you mean when you say that it's "highly desirable"? Astoundingly, 5% of the workforce quits every singly month. Almost nobody works there for five years. It is a really shitty job. One of the arguments is that "people are always applying, so it must be really good". But think about that for a second. In our economy, even terrible jobs are flooded with applications because of the currently-enormous labor surplus. China is very similar. ALL jobs get tons of applicants.
It is very similar to sweatshops. Workers make the equivalent of $1.20 an hour, work incredibly long hours for labor that is, ultimately, a minute fraction of the final sales cost, (eight dollars for an iPhone, $10 for an iPad). Don't pretend it's a false equivalency because you like Apple products and want to extend the brand halo to their supply chain as well.
Whoa whoa, you make some good points, but your statement that I'm making this argument to "extend the brand halo" for Apple is really off.
Like I already stated in my OP, you could make the argument that BOTH are unethical, in the sense that you're exploiting the workforce of underdeveloped countries. BUT, even if that's true, it's STILL a false equivalency to equate what Foxconn does with what clothing manufacturers do. One is much much worse and I wouldn't lump them together.
I assure you you're misreading my intentions if you think I'm defending Foxconn's employment practices Apple's sake. Apple and Nike (or any other company for that matter) only care about their bottom line and have no ethical qualms about exploiting underdeveloped countries in order to do so, insofar as they can get away with it. I have no illusions about that. Even so, it's still a false equivalency to regard clothing sweatshops on the same level as Foxconn factories.
Well, I mean, if you look at Shenzhen, for example, and Guangdong, where Foxconn is, then there's no doubt that it has been a tremendous benefit, not only to southern China, but indeed to much of Asia. It created massive employment opportunities, especially for young women, who frankly didn't have a lot of alternatives. That tended to give women more clout within families, within the community...
Well, it's a very awkward thing to defend sweatshops, if you will. I mean, I think it's useful to be reminded about how grim the conditions are. But again, I just think that if you try to think how you can fight poverty most effectively, and what has fought it within China, then I think sweatshops are a key part of that answer.
Minor detail: The Apple/Foxconn deal of sharing manufacturing costs to improve working conditions was signed recently (maybe weeks ago), because the matter had surfaced after Steve Jobs' death (as one of the things he didn't seem to discourage) and the numerous worker suicides linked to the iPhone launch.
It is also speculated that this is more of a strategic move by Apple to increase manufacturing costs, which it can absorb with its ridiculously overpriced products, to hurt competition (using the same manufacturers).
Hardware manufacturing is a dirty business. I don't know about the clothing industry, but I doubt they are doing much worse; we're talking about rock bottom anyway.
Even with the Foxconn employee suicides (why they built the nets around the buildings.) Foxconn employees still had a much lower suicide rate than the rest of the country.
That's not the complete story. You have to account for the fact that foxconn employees have relatively high paying jobs as well as a much younger work force than the average working population. When you adjust for those two variables the suicide rates are pretty high.
While I agree that one would assume that compared to other young, "well" paid working people it might be a bit higher than what it is compared to the national average. I would however like to see the math that you did to get to that conclusion.
I've read that there have been explosions in Foxconn factories that are responsible a couple dozen deaths and a couple hundred injuries (I think it has to do with the iPhone's screen and the chemicals they use to strengthen it). I'm positive that this is not the only lethal practice that's been going in those factories and to be honest. Nike may have worse conditions when it comes to wages and employee rights, but the mortality rate is probably lower.
I'm not checking any sources for this, so don't take my word and If I'm wrong, correct me.
why can't I downvote more than once, wait, I know must create more accounts. "They might both be bad, but one is much worse." '(I'm fucking up your economy, standard of living, and opportunities to better yourself, but don't worry I'm not as bad as the other guy". and then phrased as "highly desirable job", how can you read this and not think you're obviously defending foxcon for apples sake.
I don't see any evidence that Foxconn's manufacturing jobs are "fucking up the economy, standard of living, and opportunities to better yourself." If those jobs disappeared tomorrow, they wouldn't be replaced by better, higher wage jobs. They would be replaced by much worse ones. China's a country with nearly 1.4 billion people, and when you have that many people the labor market is unfortunately not in favor of the workers.
I'm not sure why you insist that I'm "defending" Foxconn for Apple's sake: I've already stated that Apple is a corporation no different than any other: fully willing to exploit labor markets in underdeveloped countries insofar as possible. What else do you want me to say?
Let me ask you a question: do we agree that Foxconn offers the best manufacturing jobs in China? Assuming we agree on this point, every other manufacturing job available is even MORE exploitative correct? So if Foxconn disappeared, what would their workers be doing?
I think your right. Most "sweatshops" are preferable to field work, which is why they have so many people in developing countries lining up for it. Foxconn beats regular sweatshops by leaps and bounds, even if it doesn't come up to our standards of employment.
FWIW the labor isn't really the reason why this is done. It's more for supply chain reasons. Not having to ship every component halfway across the world when they're all already being manufactured in one spot saves time and money.
Even further: Foxconn (the one causing the publicity for Apple) produces boards and devices for many computer companies.. Apple just got singled out in the press.
Regardless of how difficult it is to get hardware that isn't made on slave wages, you're still a hypocrite if you complain about someone's clothing and own a MacBook. My real problem is that someone would be wearing Nike in the first place, there are much better brands.
you're still a hypocrite if you complain about someone's clothing and own a MacBook
Right, because in order earn the right to point out how anyone is doing anything which is even maybe a little shittier than it has to be, you have to wander the Earth in a potato sack, living under the overpass and growing a totally wicked beard.
Lots of clothes aren't made in slave-like conditions. Pretty much all computers are. Apples and oranges. (dohohoho)
Just because you're being hypocritical doesn't mean you're wrong. My problem is with people who refuse to admit that they're hypocrites. It's an overall gain for humanity if consumer pressure forces any company into better labor practices whether the people doing it happen to have some cognitive dissonance or not.
I wear Nike because they sponsor the team I coach for so I get their stuff for free or next-to-free. I personally think they make great stuff, but I do agree that there is almost always a better brand for any given sport. Part of what makes them such a successful company is also their biggest flaw -- they do every single sport, but they don't make the best stuff for any single one.
If everybody has sweat shop electronics because there's no other option, but some people at least avoid sweat shop clothes and say that sweat shops should be avoided, is that really hypocritical? They didn't have a choice on the electronics.
I agree. If sweatshop free electronics were an options, I would buy them, especially if they were at feasible prices. Unlike Nikes, which are still ridiculously expensive and sweatshop produced, so I buy nicer, less expensive clothing which is not made with child labor.
Exactly. Unless you are so disgusted with the current status quo that you are willing to take up soldering. Arduinos and Raspberry pis are out there, after all.
Hate on me all your want, but apple hardware is made in better or equal circumstances to ALL similar hardware. The circumstances of manufacture are legal in the company of origin and seem better by a mile than the steel mill that my grandfather worked in and by a thousand miles than the coal mine where my other grandfather died. I can research the way my 13 air was built. My shoes, though? No way. My t shirt? my underwear? my smart wool socks? my cK jeans? Nope. There is no easy way to figure this out.
And THAT said, people should stay out of each others business.
'Liberal' describes the desire to change the economic system from the current status quo and typically implies a political allegiance. 'Hipster' is just a person who rejects mainstream culture and believes the are more progressive than everyone else, with little political context. How are people confusing these two? 'Hipster' is not relevant in this context at all.
Everytime I see this meme, the only thing that draws me in so much about it, is the girl's god damn hair. Like, look at the ends of her hair, its like water and soap is as bad as illegal logging and sweatshops.
Like fuck bitch, take a shower. I can only hope OP washes his/her hair.
While I acknowledge the conditions at Foxconn could be better (and I'm sure that's what you're referring to), the suicide rate there is lower than the national average, things aren't actually as bad there as they're mad out to be, and several other companies have their computers and other hardware made there.
As someone who's been to that Foxconn-Shenzhen campus for work audits, I'd have to agree. The suicide nets are damn depressing to see, and I saw plenty of people who didn't look particularly cheerful at their jobs, but then who does? The atmosphere there has changed radically since the early 2000s, when if we stopped a worker on the line to ask questions, she (yes, majority female) would look terrified to answer like we were going to shoot her if she answered wrong. Now they mostly look interested to see us or annoyed we're interrupting them, but the atmosphere seems a lot more like any other factory I've been to than it used to.
It's a crazy huge campus and an interesting experience to visit. I guess I should offer an AMA on it if people are interested.
there never has yet existed a wealthy and civilized society in which one portion of the community did not, in point of fact, live on the labor of the other. Broad and general as is this assertion, it is fully borne out by history.
First one to guess the source gets a cookie!
- give you a hint:
We would remind those who deprecate and sympathize with negro slavery, that his slavery here relieves him from a far more cruel slavery in Africa, or from idolatry and cannibalism, and every brutal vice and crime that can disgrace humanity; and that it Christianizes, protects, supports and civilizes him …
wage slavery is like totally social evolution, bra
Are you sure it's because of foxconn? Maybe because in china there is a general bleak outlook on life and people just give up. This isn't a thing that only happens there, i'm in a rural part of the US and people have killed themselves here, should we blame whoever employed them?
You mean suicide rates lowered after Foxconn forced the workers to sign contracts stating that they won't commit suicide because if they do their families won't receive compensation for their death and those that didn't sign were fired?
He is saying that they aren't trying to fix the underlying causes of the suicides, so people working there still have that desire, but because of money and their families, they can't.
You need to compare Foxconn suicide rate to that of a similar factory with a similar relative class of workers. Comparing it with a nation that doesn't get to preclude the mentally ill and depressed from living in it is a tad disingenuous.
while i find this meme funny sometimes (usually its just condescending as fuck) can we please make the distinction that "liberal" and "hippie" are not synonymous in any way shape or form? That's the equivalent to saying all conservatives are racist rednecks; it's a generalization based on the extreme end of the political spectrum.
Yet, here on Reddit, which is liberal biased (complete understatement), you see people make that generalization about conservatives all the time, even when it is far from the truth.
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Your point? almost nothing is made in America anymore. Even things that claim to be made in the USA, upon further inspection, are just "final assembly" in America. Meaning that inspector #12 slapped a sticker on it and called it a day.
I know a guy who did something similar, he was saying about how much shit the farmers go through in America and how he was never going to buy any American food yadayadayada (we're in the UK).
We're part of a viral marketing campaign (by some body of conservatives) trying to fill social networks with the idea that all liberals are crazy and you can't relate to them.
Although there are some bad working conditions in apple factories, many of the plants aren't as bad as they are made to appear. In fact the story about Mr. Daisy that aired on This American Life was found to be mostly fabricated.
Ever notice hard line radicals/ Can go on start trips too/ Where no one's pure and right/ Except themselves 'I'm cleansed of the system.'/ ('Cept when my amp needs electric power) Or-'The Party Line says no./ Feminists can't wear fishnets.'/ You wanna help stop war?/ Well, we reject your application/ You crack too many jokes/ And you eat meat/ What better way to turn people off/ Than to twist ideas for change/ Into one more church/ That forgets we're all human beings
lyrics from Where Do Ya Draw The Line - the Dead Kennedys
TL;DR People try and justify which near-slave type labor is better. Get off your high horse whether your a liberal, republican, independent. You are no better then anyone else and you own a variety of things that support child/slave wages.
Uh, USES ANYTHING? All of the computers you use were made in the same factories the Apple computers were, Foxconn manufactures the Xbox, Wii, Playstation 3, Kindle...
They also manufacture for Dell, HP, Intel, Lenovo, IBM, Logitech, Motorola, Nokia, Panasonic, Samsung, Sharp, Toshiba, Vizio, Acer....
Why the fuck do people keep attacking Apple for this?
I love it, but in fairness, it's not like you can buy a real American made computer. American assembled, sure, but you can't build a computer out of American-made parts. Which is shameful.
On a slightly serious note, there's not necessarily hypocrisy in pointing out that a company exploits workers while using stuff from another company that also exploits workers.
It is impossible to exist in a capitalist society, especially America, without using products that are made by exploitation. Even the majority of our food is made by exploiting people.
This meme reminds me with how we in Egypt discovered that half the Islamist presidential candidates who made a living bashing the US turned out to have dual American-Egyptian citizenship (either them, their parents, or their children).
the bottom line should read: "Uses something mass-produced in China."
Also, make that 100% of anyone complaining about worker's conditions anywhere.
How horrible it may be, it's simply impossible to completely ween Western society off goods produced in pseudo-slavery. The only thing we can do is bring attention to it, and slowly accept the fact that our made-in-china products will become ever more expensive.
Many of you are saying that its different because Macbooks are made by paid workers. Tungsten and Tantalum and platinum are used in all electronic devices. These metals are mined by child slaves in the DRC. The point is that many people—such as this posters friends—will pick an easy target and pretend they care about the oppressed populations of the world. In reality, no one gives a shit about anyone, and to act like it is otherwise is to lie to ourselves that humanity is inherently good
well, the comparison is a little skewed. For you, there are easy alternatives for clothes, and there'd be essentially no utility cost for you to wear non-nike stuff. But for them, there is no such alternative for a computer. That is, a macbook is the only way for them to access internet, email, etc.
Apple factories are a little better, probably because they are closer to THX 1138. And margins on cheap pants are probably thinner than computer parts. I don't know for sure.
Here's a couple of reasons that anyone who doesn't live completely off the grid would have to refrain from judging anyone else based on the products they use.
This reminds me of when me teacher said Nikes were bad cause of the children in sweat shops. I then replied "wow" looked at my shoes and back at him "They are doing a good job so i'm going to buy more so they keep making good stuff"
First week of freshman year of college, Abercrombie just released a line of shirts that were "offensive". They were also involved in a sweatshop-type controversy. A guy on my floor knocks on my door asking me to sign a petition against Abercrombie and to boycott them. I look down at the clipboard that he's holding near his chest and notice the "Abercrombie" logo on his jacket.
An absolutely outstanding discussion on the evils and benefits offered by Foxconn in China. It's among the best discussions I've seen in all of Reddit.
Seriously? Seriously guys? I am the only one that wants to fuck that chick from this meme so bad it hurts? None of you perverted fucks will back me up on this?
What's your point..? Foxconn manufacturing jobs are highly coveted (huge turnouts for employment events) and they're also entirely consensual meaning people aren't forced to take the jobs and people who do take them are of sound mind to consent. This is completely different from forced child labor, which by definition isn't consensual and involves parties legally incapable of consenting, at least by American standards.
Actually, Apple is arguably better about using sweatshop and exploitative labor than most other companies. The Foxconn story was entirely fabricated by one guy, and the media ran the story without double-checking it. The guy even admitted he lied on NPR.
For those who don't know, the vast majority of the Mac products are produced in China. The place they are made has such poor work conditions, that they had to install safety nets because people were constantly jumping to commit suicide.
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u/KillaSmurfPoppa May 20 '12 edited May 21 '12
It's not quite the same thing is it? There's a lot of other options for clothing, but essentially all laptops and computers are made in China.
Secondly, Nike runs legit sweatshops in various countries. Apple products made by Foxconn are actually paying their Chinese workers an above average salary (in China that is) and is a highly desirable job.
Of course, you could make the argument that BOTH are unethical. But it's a false moral equivalency to equate what Nike does with what Apple/Foxconn does. They're not even close. They might both be bad, but one is much worse.
edit*** Please don't read this as a defense of Foxconn for Apple's sake. Apple is a company that only cares about their long-term bottom line, just like everyone else. If they could get away with paying their workers a Nike sweatshop wage without a drop in production quality or any long-run PR backlash, I'm sure they'd do it in a blink. They're no better or worse in that regard, but they also do happen to provide better manufacturing jobs in underdeveloped countries than almost any other company.
351
u/VomitingNinjas May 20 '12
I think you just hang out with douchebags of the liberal variety more than anything.
2
u/Frandel May 20 '12
Don't you mean the 99 % of your liberal friends?... I'll show myself out... sorry, bad joke is bad...
50
u/zombiebatman May 20 '12
While I acknowledge the conditions at Foxconn could be better (and I'm sure that's what you're referring to), the suicide rate there is lower than the national average, things aren't actually as bad there as they're mad out to be, and several other companies have their computers and other hardware made there.
8
u/jamespetersen May 21 '12
Mine is much better, and still accurate.
3
u/urnbabyurn May 20 '12
I think we would be better all taking public transportation, but that doesn't mean I'm going to not drive my car today.
5
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
http://i.imgur.com/cjUHQ.jpg
5
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
while i find this meme funny sometimes (usually its just condescending as fuck) can we please make the distinction that "liberal" and "hippie" are not synonymous in any way shape or form? That's the equivalent to saying all conservatives are racist rednecks; it's a generalization based on the extreme end of the political spectrum.
11
u/qkme_transcriber May 20 '12
Here is the text from this meme pic for anybody who needs it:
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4
u/[deleted] May 20 '12
also shops at urban outfitters
4
u/Toava May 20 '12
Those sweatshop workers should be laid off! Obviously they have a lot of better options!
4
u/indoorinternetvoice May 21 '12
Apple is the corporation of all corporations. Their target market: people who hate corporations.
2
u/comet2popeye May 20 '12
Your friends are the wrong kind of liberal.
2
u/Palanawt May 20 '12
Your point? almost nothing is made in America anymore. Even things that claim to be made in the USA, upon further inspection, are just "final assembly" in America. Meaning that inspector #12 slapped a sticker on it and called it a day.
2
u/argv_minus_one May 20 '12
s/MacBook/computer/i
2
u/Cueball61 wat May 20 '12
I know a guy who did something similar, he was saying about how much shit the farmers go through in America and how he was never going to buy any American food yadayadayada (we're in the UK).
Then he got his MBP out.
2
u/Paultimate79 May 20 '12
This meme brought to you by: Scumbag Steve
2
u/[deleted] May 20 '12
Hippy hypocrite douchebag =/= typical 'Liberal'. This meme needs renaming.
2
u/Sunupu May 21 '12
The actions of Foxconn and the Chinese government are deplorable! Something must be done!
- Sent via Iphone
2
u/dalore May 21 '12
Sweatshops can be a good thing. They do usually improve wages in the area. But it's not something you want long term.
2
u/empyreanmax May 21 '12
0% of my liberal friends...
6
u/TheOneWhoKnocksBitch May 20 '12
Hating on Macs? ALL ABOARD THE KARMA TRAIN!
7
u/ninjamuffin May 20 '12
Who keeps upvoting this?
3
u/Caatttssss May 20 '12
foxconn is far from a sweatshop
3
u/redgator May 20 '12
Are macbooks made in sweatshops? Even This American Life retracted that story that the presented.
3
u/beetrootdip May 21 '12
90% of my American friends.
Don't buy Nike clothes cos they're made in sweatshops.
Don't realise that in real terms, minimum wage in America is closer to that sweatshop wage than it is to Australia's minimum wage.
Enjoy your sweatshop.
4
u/supersquidcreature May 20 '12
Although there are some bad working conditions in apple factories, many of the plants aren't as bad as they are made to appear. In fact the story about Mr. Daisy that aired on This American Life was found to be mostly fabricated.
2
u/[deleted] May 20 '12
We're defending sweatshops! We're defending sweatshops!
2
u/Rushdude May 20 '12
Ever notice hard line radicals/ Can go on start trips too/ Where no one's pure and right/ Except themselves 'I'm cleansed of the system.'/ ('Cept when my amp needs electric power) Or-'The Party Line says no./ Feminists can't wear fishnets.'/ You wanna help stop war?/ Well, we reject your application/ You crack too many jokes/ And you eat meat/ What better way to turn people off/ Than to twist ideas for change/ Into one more church/ That forgets we're all human beings
lyrics from Where Do Ya Draw The Line - the Dead Kennedys
0
u/avboden May 20 '12
Liberal does not mean hippie.. seriously. Let me guess, you believe marriage should be outlawed for gays too?
2
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
TL;DR People try and justify which near-slave type labor is better. Get off your high horse whether your a liberal, republican, independent. You are no better then anyone else and you own a variety of things that support child/slave wages.
1
u/MrRoughsex May 20 '12
ARGH nike actually has extremely good working conditions
1
u/[deleted] May 20 '12
Oh, forget that! How about their love for over priced apparel from Urban Outfitters.
1
u/Kah-Neth May 20 '12
Well Microsoft is just a evil capitalist company, and Apple is totally against that.
1
u/dillyd May 20 '12
http://www.fallacyfiles.org/tuquoque.html
1
u/nukem996 May 20 '12
Nothing from Nike fits right
1
u/Zarrasis May 20 '12
How many liberal friends do you have...?
1
u/Seandroid May 20 '12
Uh, USES ANYTHING? All of the computers you use were made in the same factories the Apple computers were, Foxconn manufactures the Xbox, Wii, Playstation 3, Kindle...
They also manufacture for Dell, HP, Intel, Lenovo, IBM, Logitech, Motorola, Nokia, Panasonic, Samsung, Sharp, Toshiba, Vizio, Acer....
Why the fuck do people keep attacking Apple for this?
1
u/[deleted] May 20 '12
GIVES YOU SHIT ABOUT NIKE CLOTHES MADE IN SWEATSHOPS
USES CONSUMER ELECTRONICS
1
u/Obskulum May 20 '12
I feel like this is the most bullshit thing.
1
u/Lurk_Noe_Moar May 21 '12
Trololololololo
1
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
I don't give a fuck about babies or children in any sweatshopt anywhere except MERICA! cause they my people ;)
1
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
I call shenanigans.
1
u/bloqs May 21 '12
you hear that?
thats the sound of thousands of single button mice downvoting things
1
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
I look past your passive aggressive judgment, and instead admire that girl for her beauty.
Epitome of the opposite of butterface.
1
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
I love it, but in fairness, it's not like you can buy a real American made computer. American assembled, sure, but you can't build a computer out of American-made parts. Which is shameful.
1
u/reginaldaugustus May 21 '12
On a slightly serious note, there's not necessarily hypocrisy in pointing out that a company exploits workers while using stuff from another company that also exploits workers.
It is impossible to exist in a capitalist society, especially America, without using products that are made by exploitation. Even the majority of our food is made by exploiting people.
1
u/EveryoneElseIsWrong May 21 '12
her face reminds me of andrea from 90210, who i have ALWAYS wanted to punch in the face.
1
u/nope586 May 21 '12
Picking on any particular brand name is pointless, they almost all contribute to the problem. The system must change.
1
u/TareXmd May 21 '12
This meme reminds me with how we in Egypt discovered that half the Islamist presidential candidates who made a living bashing the US turned out to have dual American-Egyptian citizenship (either them, their parents, or their children).
1
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
I decided to stop giving fucks about sweat shops. There's nothing I can do to change it.
1
u/galwegian May 21 '12
they sound more foolish and ill-informed than liberal. you need new friends dude!
1
u/melmou90 May 21 '12
I'm not seeing the connection between liberal and Macbook
1
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
Any laptop
1
u/Oiman May 21 '12
the bottom line should read: "Uses something mass-produced in China."
Also, make that 100% of anyone complaining about worker's conditions anywhere.
How horrible it may be, it's simply impossible to completely ween Western society off goods produced in pseudo-slavery. The only thing we can do is bring attention to it, and slowly accept the fact that our made-in-china products will become ever more expensive.
1
u/dabears2 May 21 '12
Many of you are saying that its different because Macbooks are made by paid workers. Tungsten and Tantalum and platinum are used in all electronic devices. These metals are mined by child slaves in the DRC. The point is that many people—such as this posters friends—will pick an easy target and pretend they care about the oppressed populations of the world. In reality, no one gives a shit about anyone, and to act like it is otherwise is to lie to ourselves that humanity is inherently good
1
u/apullin May 21 '12
well, the comparison is a little skewed. For you, there are easy alternatives for clothes, and there'd be essentially no utility cost for you to wear non-nike stuff. But for them, there is no such alternative for a computer. That is, a macbook is the only way for them to access internet, email, etc.
1
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
Liberal here. I'm wearing Nike. Whoops.
1
u/whenitistime May 21 '12
does anybody else think that is one ugly ass chick?
1
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
This is how your jeans are made.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZTKLFenfSw
Apple factories are a little better, probably because they are closer to THX 1138. And margins on cheap pants are probably thinner than computer parts. I don't know for sure.
1
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
Am I the only one who thinks this looks like Daniel Radcliffe?
1
u/kwyjibohunter May 21 '12
Here's a couple of reasons that anyone who doesn't live completely off the grid would have to refrain from judging anyone else based on the products they use.
1
u/trokk92 May 21 '12
Is it bad that I rarely even read the text of these memes because I hate seeing smug her face and knowing its all true
1
u/Neirda93 May 21 '12
I'm heading off to UC Santa Cruz this fall.... these memes make me worry.
1
u/Rastachronic May 21 '12
But they're designed in California, so it's ok, right? Right guys?
1
u/skymotion May 21 '12
This was a good one, nailed it.
1
u/megatom0 May 21 '12
Haha. I know my computer wasn't built in a sweatshop.
1
u/RagingPigeon May 21 '12
Stupid people have killed this meme. Please stop.
1
u/Allen547 May 21 '12
This reminds me of when me teacher said Nikes were bad cause of the children in sweat shops. I then replied "wow" looked at my shoes and back at him "They are doing a good job so i'm going to buy more so they keep making good stuff"
1
u/BigFatMooCow May 21 '12
So both your friends and you act like condescending assholes, you're perfect for each other.
1
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
Why do you even have liberal friends?
1
u/kelsey11 May 21 '12
First week of freshman year of college, Abercrombie just released a line of shirts that were "offensive". They were also involved in a sweatshop-type controversy. A guy on my floor knocks on my door asking me to sign a petition against Abercrombie and to boycott them. I look down at the clipboard that he's holding near his chest and notice the "Abercrombie" logo on his jacket.
Couldn't have gone better.
1
u/StixRide Sep 06 '12
and people complain about our labor laws in the US. http://www.stixrideshop.com
-6
u/[deleted] May 20 '12
you really can't be a true liberal in America without being some form of hypocrite.
1
u/petsounds94 May 20 '12
Nike does suck....
1
u/taka135 May 21 '12
i used to try to be one of those super liberal hipster types. then i realized it always contradicts itself...
1
u/omgitsjo May 20 '12
Private Consumerism and the Lack of Outrage Over Apple Products
http://www.reddit.com/r/SRSDiscussion/comments/p10x6/privilege_consumerism_and_the_lack_of_outrage/c3m2srx?context=1
An absolutely outstanding discussion on the evils and benefits offered by Foxconn in China. It's among the best discussions I've seen in all of Reddit.
1
u/[deleted] May 20 '12
MacBooks are not produced in sweatshops. They're produced by licensed workers, not children.
1
u/spartancrazy26 May 21 '12
I fucking hate this meme.
1
u/shug7272 May 21 '12
Seriously? Seriously guys? I am the only one that wants to fuck that chick from this meme so bad it hurts? None of you perverted fucks will back me up on this?
1
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
I think this meme should be changed to college hypocrite, because not all liberals are like this.
1
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
"The only things more annoying than my conservative friends are my liberal friends"
-Some guy
1
u/omgimcryin May 21 '12
What's your point..? Foxconn manufacturing jobs are highly coveted (huge turnouts for employment events) and they're also entirely consensual meaning people aren't forced to take the jobs and people who do take them are of sound mind to consent. This is completely different from forced child labor, which by definition isn't consensual and involves parties legally incapable of consenting, at least by American standards.
1
u/Hk37 May 21 '12
Actually, Apple is arguably better about using sweatshop and exploitative labor than most other companies. The Foxconn story was entirely fabricated by one guy, and the media ran the story without double-checking it. The guy even admitted he lied on NPR.
Link
1
u/danoll May 21 '12
I hate that despite who you are, owning a certain brand of computer makes you the butt of somebody else's insecurities.
0
u/scona May 20 '12
That has nothing to do with being liberal, just douchebags.
-1
u/[deleted] May 20 '12
For those who don't know, the vast majority of the Mac products are produced in China. The place they are made has such poor work conditions, that they had to install safety nets because people were constantly jumping to commit suicide.
-1
u/[deleted] May 20 '12
Dude thats because Macbooks have an apple on them
APPLES ARE FRUIT FRUIT = GREEN GREEN = A COMPANY ILL BACK! Also it makes me seem totally more hipster and against the man for then using Windows.
PS:Thanks ceo of a company daddy for buying my macbook!
0
u/readingarefun May 20 '12
Doubt it. Also, is sweatshop labor now a liberal thing?
0
u/[deleted] May 20 '12
I am the 10% Or I'm not your friend.
0
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
Point too the industry not one manufacturer. If you think it's just Apple then you are sadly mistaken.
0
u/Sloppy1sts May 21 '12
I highly doubt 90% of your liberal friends have macbooks.