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Apple’s longtime supplier accused of using forced labor in China

washingtonpost.com

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Re: Apple’s longtime supplier accused of using forced labor in China

#161

Post by alisonkisk »

bstar77 wrote: post #42
daenz wrote: post #9

"forced labor" It's slavery...modern day slavery. Why are we mincing words? We stand on our soap boxes and preach about historical injustices and how we need to repair them. Well here is your chance to prevent a future historical injustice, and all it takes is for you to take a stand, instead of quietly consuming the products and leaving it for future generations to atone for methods by which those products were prod…

"Forced" is the word the article uses. We don't know if that's accurate or hyperbolic. I think issues like these are worth scrutiny and intense investigation, but I'm not going to pull my pitch fork out just yet. It's so easy to sit in my desk chair, read an article like this and have an armchair outrage moment.

pulling out your wallet without thinking is as bad as pulling out a pitchfork. Perhaps worse, since you are holding the global poor to a higher burden of proof than the billionaire elites.

Re: Apple’s longtime supplier accused of using forced labor in China

#162

Post by lemonspat »

mgh2 wrote: post #133
daenz wrote: post #9

"forced labor" It's slavery...modern day slavery. Why are we mincing words? We stand on our soap boxes and preach about historical injustices and how we need to repair them. Well here is your chance to prevent a future historical injustice, and all it takes is for you to take a stand, instead of quietly consuming the products and leaving it for future generations to atone for methods by which those products were prod…

Apple fans don’t seem to care, as long as they are getting their magic, nothing else matters...

As an iOS user, I care. Tim Cook needs to investigate and respond publicly to this immediately

Re: Apple’s longtime supplier accused of using forced labor in China

#163

Post by lern_too_spel »

adrr wrote: post #155
LatteLazy wrote: post #12

I'm amazed the world isn't taking more action on China. Its quite sad really, 20 years ago, any one of the headlines from this year would have prompted sanctions and denunciations...

Against the largest consumer/retail market in world? Not going to happen at the country level and risk reciprocal economic restrictions. Only way to get china to change is have people vote with their wallets and refuse to buy Chinese made stuff but at the end of the day people just don't care and just want cheap stuff. If you gave someone a choice between $100 IPhone made by slave child labor and $1000 IPhone that wa…

The $1000 iPhone is made with slave labor. There are Korean and Taiwanese phones that are not made with slave labor.

Re: Apple’s longtime supplier accused of using forced labor in China

#164

Post by hombre_fatal »

mgh2 wrote: post #133
daenz wrote: post #9

"forced labor" It's slavery...modern day slavery. Why are we mincing words? We stand on our soap boxes and preach about historical injustices and how we need to repair them. Well here is your chance to prevent a future historical injustice, and all it takes is for you to take a stand, instead of quietly consuming the products and leaving it for future generations to atone for methods by which those products were prod…

Apple fans don’t seem to care, as long as they are getting their magic, nothing else matters...

Eh, nobody, including yourself, maybe except the Jainists, are willing to do without the creature comforts of their lifestyle, not just Apple users. Look at all the things you own and use, some of them built in the same Foxconn factory no doubt.

We can look the squalor of factory-farmed animals right in the eye while biting into our ham sandwich and say "damn, someone should really do something about that." Or, perhaps more commonly, "I'm entitled to this, actually."

So why would we budge over a little forced labor on the other side of the world? Or pollution? Or anything else?

We care about things right up to the point where we have to lift a finger. Though, aside, for this reason I think legislation is one of the only solutions short of waiting for a cultural awakening that probably won't ever come.

Re: Apple’s longtime supplier accused of using forced labor in China

#165

Post by mrweasel »

duxup wrote: post #128
mrweasel wrote: post #122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What I don’t understand is why companies want to be associated with these suppliers. Honestly the cost difference can’t be that big. Also why isn’t it news? It feels like something that should have journalists camping outside Tim Cooks office. While I question his motives, it’s kinda weird that Trump of all people seems to be the only one who is openly critical of China.

If it were in the US you'd certainly see it in the news. In China and other places just getting close to a factory can at times be difficult and crappy working conditions are sadly just assumed to be a fact :( Trump's criticism of China I don't think intersects anywhere close to caring about the treatment of Chinese citizens... or anyone really. Just a random anecdote, I'm American and work in the US. Trump personall…

But Apple is in the US. What surprises me is that the US media isn’t pounding on Apple for using suppliers with force labor.

Sorry about the acquisition, if it had been a movie it would have been almost funny: This is great for job, btw you’re fired.

Re: Apple’s longtime supplier accused of using forced labor in China

#166

Post by Simulacra »

I am sad to say this does not shock, or even surprise me. What is also failing to shock me is how much the world absolves Apple of their responsibility, and near-total government inaction against China. Has any major western nation penalized China for it's barbarism?

Re: Apple’s longtime supplier accused of using forced labor in China

#167

Post by UnpossibleJim »

jordan_curve wrote: post #53
daenz wrote: post #9

"forced labor" It's slavery...modern day slavery. Why are we mincing words? We stand on our soap boxes and preach about historical injustices and how we need to repair them. Well here is your chance to prevent a future historical injustice, and all it takes is for you to take a stand, instead of quietly consuming the products and leaving it for future generations to atone for methods by which those products were prod…

It’s not slavery. They’re similar atrocities though. It would be weird to refer to the people in Auchwitz-II as slaves.

I'm no necessarily disagreeing with you, as far as saying "it would be weird to refer to the people in Auschwitz-II as slaves", but may I ask why? I can't come up with a reason, really. They were dehumanized, worked to death, treated as property and less. Would calling them slaves be giving the Nazis too much credit, at that point?

Re: Apple’s longtime supplier accused of using forced labor in China

#168

Post by alisonkisk »

adrr wrote: post #155
LatteLazy wrote: post #12

I'm amazed the world isn't taking more action on China. Its quite sad really, 20 years ago, any one of the headlines from this year would have prompted sanctions and denunciations...

Against the largest consumer/retail market in world? Not going to happen at the country level and risk reciprocal economic restrictions. Only way to get china to change is have people vote with their wallets and refuse to buy Chinese made stuff but at the end of the day people just don't care and just want cheap stuff. If you gave someone a choice between $100 IPhone made by slave child labor and $1000 IPhone that wa…

But we're actually buying $1000 slave iPhones with Apple shareholders getting the workers' wages.

Re: Apple’s longtime supplier accused of using forced labor in China

#169

Post by sthnblllII »

Dumblydorr wrote: post #72

Does Apple care more about perceptions of privacy or perceptions of using slave labor?

If they just made their computers in the US like they used to they could have both, but that would mean giving up the lucrative arrangement of only paying Chinese wages but charging US prices.

Re: Apple’s longtime supplier accused of using forced labor in China

#170

Post by onlyrealcuzzo »

mgh2 wrote: post #133
daenz wrote: post #9

"forced labor" It's slavery...modern day slavery. Why are we mincing words? We stand on our soap boxes and preach about historical injustices and how we need to repair them. Well here is your chance to prevent a future historical injustice, and all it takes is for you to take a stand, instead of quietly consuming the products and leaving it for future generations to atone for methods by which those products were prod…

Apple fans don’t seem to care, as long as they are getting their magic, nothing else matters...

Apple is Foxconn's biggest customer. But why not call out PlayStation and Nintendo and Amazon and???

The fact is - Apple fans aren't unique. Not many people care about this issue, unfortunately.

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