Why Stuff From China Is So Cheap • Hacker News Board

Re: Why Stuff From China Is So Cheap

#171

Post by JanezStupar » Mon, Jun 03, 2013, 8:33 AM UTC

city41 wrote: post #116

jonknee wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> A company doing business in Bangladesh has a fixed amount of money they can spend on compensation + safety + etc. That's not true, the safety expenses should be mandated and everyone's prices will increase accordingly. Prices are set according to costs and in the developed world, safety is a required cost. It could happen overnight if the big customers actually required it. Imagine if Walmart suspended billions of…

The problem with that is country borders. If China mandated safety then the factories just move to another country.

Ehh... No.

Because they would have nowhere to move to.

First... China has a humongous work force, which solely on numbers no other country can compete with, you need whole continents to get the same mass of workforce.

Second, in comparison to the rest of the BRIC competitors - Chinese workforce is relatively homogenous, well educated and most importantly of all they have a work ethic (Brazil? Hahahahah).

Third, low price is not the sole reason why stuff is produced in China (Go read why Ipad production is never returning to the US according to Steve Jobs).

Re: Why Stuff From China Is So Cheap

#172

Post by kaybe » Mon, Jun 03, 2013, 10:22 AM UTC

kamakazizuru wrote: post #127

mmagin wrote: post #118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One of the shocking things (to those of us in the developed world) is that in many cases, human life is treated as less valuable in less-developed parts of the world. Not just by other people, but by the person themselves.

bingo! its people themselves - when your option is to starve - or take a potential risk that maybe in the future you'll get sick from the spraypaint. You pick spray paint. People dont realize that not everyone has that many options in the developing world.

Weren't we talking about people who have the option of protecting themselves from the spray paint and choose not to?

Re: Why Stuff From China Is So Cheap

#173

Post by city41 » Mon, Jun 03, 2013, 6:50 PM UTC

icebraining wrote: post #161

city41 wrote: post #149

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is for their own good. Robots are inevitable, better to push them out now and start addressing what they mean for society than pretend they're never coming.

Isn't it better if they have time to transition to more services oriented economy first?

Sure, that would be better. It'd be awesome if they could transition to any type of better economy. But I think given all the circumstances and what is happening, facing and accepting reality is the best way to go. Because the robots are coming, waiting for the country to be ready just isn't going to happen.

Re: Why Stuff From China Is So Cheap

#174

Post by pionar » Tue, Jun 04, 2013, 10:27 PM UTC

Dylan16807 wrote: post #154

pionar wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I find myself falling into this sometimes. I came from a relatively poor area and family (at least by US standards), and sometimes foolishly get the attitude briefly when confronted with poverty of "I got out of that, they should be able too. They're just lazy and/or are happy living that way . Which may be true, but I doubt it. I certainly never was.

So why did you get out and they didn't? Was it luck?

No, but not everyone has the resources (encouraging parents, teachers/community leaders that help, etc.) to do it that I did.

Re: Why Stuff From China Is So Cheap

#175

Post by kamakazizuru » Wed, Jun 05, 2013, 9:57 PM UTC

kaybe wrote: post #172

kamakazizuru wrote: post #127

Earlier quoted context omitted.

bingo! its people themselves - when your option is to starve - or take a potential risk that maybe in the future you'll get sick from the spraypaint. You pick spray paint. People dont realize that not everyone has that many options in the developing world.

Weren't we talking about people who have the option of protecting themselves from the spray paint and choose not to?

No.