iPod gulags (Chinese slave labor)

WorldNetDaily ^ | 6/23/06 | Joseph Farah

[dawn53]

You got me beat on that one then, LOL.

[jude24]

What they also don't tell you is what $100/mo. buys in China. I have heard that for $500/mo., you can get a luxury apartment that would cost ten times that in Manhattan. If the ratio holds true, $100/mo. might be equivalent to a an
American salary of $12k or possibly even $24k in terms of buying power.

[DeweyCA]

Why is it that we see no screaming headlines about the conditions of "iPod City" in the U.S. corporate establishment press?

Because Apple is owned and run by big-time Liberals like Steve Jobs, and now Al Gore. The MSM do not want to make them look bad by making this nes known. If Tom DeLay or any other prominent Pubbie ran this company, the MSM would be screaming about it more than they were about Kathy Lee Gifford's outsourced company's policies.

[claudiustg]

---An iPod is the most worthless, trivial, mind-numbing toy in the marketplace. Does that give you a clue?---

I think you're the one that needs a clue ther Amos. What doe Andy think about iPods?

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

As an aside, I've heard that, due to the extremely low distortion level of the digitally produced audio, which prompts users to crank up the volume, that many users have been reporting hearing damage (tinnitus, etc.). Don't know if this is true.

[mgstarr]

Yes all iPods should be made in America by happy and fat unionized workers. Sadly each unit would cost about $2k and increase every year.

And the point of the article is what? Should we not have iPods or any other modern technology device that has to be made overseas to be priced competitively?
Farah has absolutely no clue. I've been to similar factories in China and the workers (mostly female) are thrilled to have these jobs so they can earn more than they otherwise could in their villages. They save the money and then go back to buy land of their own and get married.

Oh wait, Go Pat Go.......

[wagglebee]

It's likely that your shirt and pants and shoes are made by someone living and working in similar or worse circumstances.

And for this reason I disagree with singling out Apple, it is the American economy that permits this and as you said, it is a problem with a huge number of consumer products.

[wagglebee]

See what I wrote in #27.

[JimRed]

As far as music goes I don't listen to anything written after 1791 anyway, that's the year Mozard died.

Gee, I stopped listening to music in 1971. That's when I discovered talk radio!

;^)

[dead]

I'm sure these Chinese workers would be much happier if the likes of Joe Farah succeeded and the Ipod factory was closed down.

That way, instead of having housing and food, plus fifty dollars a month, they could live in a storm drain and scour the dumps for food.

[cowboyway]

where we're OK with the worst kind of oppression, as long as we can't see it taking place.

Actually it's:

where we're OK with the worst kind of oppression, as long as we can't see it taking place can turn a tidy profit.

[GrandEagle]

What is happening to the American conscience and psyche that allows this kind of abuse?
Nothing is "happening". It is the same as it has always been. These things will go on until enough people throw it in the face of enough people and it becomes politically correct to address it.
Same thing as with slavery in this country. There were always those who were opposed to the practice, some of those even owned slaves.
Most people in "polite" society just didn't mention it because they liked the cheap goods that slavery provided.

A bit funny when you think about it, we have "environmentalist" here in the Mobile area who would like nothing better than for all the facilities (and the jobs they bring) to leave here. They don't mind if the go to a completely unregulated place like Mexico, they just don't want it here. In reality they are not really environmentalist then are they?
Same with slavery, most don't really mind it - they just don't want it here, and don't want to be reminded that they are supporting it.

Klinton was the Chinese best friend.

Cordially,
GE

[cowboyway]

that's the year Mozard died

Who's Mozard?

[martin_fierro]

Thanks, but I've been here already

[mgstarr]

Ummmm please explain what the problem is with consumer products.

[billbears]

Do you know where your iPod was made? Do you know by whom?

No. I don't care. If the product does what the manufacturer claims it does and it fits my needs then it doesn't matter does it?

Here's what the Sunday Mail found:
The laborers are housed in dormitories of 100 people each;
visitors from the outside world are not permitted;
workers toil for 15 hours a day;
employees make $50 a month – not even a quarter of the price of one unit;
the iPod nano is made in a five-story factory secured by police officers.

Toil?!? Joe, Joe, Joe...everytime I think you've gone off the deep end, you take it one more step. What's the average income in the local market Joe? Should they paid 'American' wages? What do you think that would do to the economy overnight Joe? From the manufacturer of the iPods in China

"In Shenzhen, our workers can earn at least 580 yuan ($72.50) a month, which is the minimum salary level fixed by the local government. Starting from this July, the basic salary will be adjusted to 700 yuan ($87.50) in line with the government's new standards," James Lee, senior vice president of Foxconn Technology, told China Daily. "It's hard to understand for many westerners but it's true that many of our workers are willing to work overtime to make more money. We don't force them to work overtime and won't allow them to work overtime for more than 20 hours a week," Lee said. The practices comply with the Electronic Industry Code of Conduct, which sets out basic labor and environmental standards for IT contractors, he explained.

The local labor department authority told China Daily that Foxconn is a leading company in the city and it has not received any complaints about it. "I don't think the government will launch a special investigation into Foxconn," the spokesperson said. However, a female worker at the factory said the working conditions were OK, but not everything was satisfactory. "We are just here to make money. Some factories are even worse," she said.

Foxconn Bristles at iPod 'Sweatshop' Charges

Find another dead horse to beat Joe. Your anti-capitalist, pro-union schtick is boring....

[wagglebee]

I mean that many of the products we use are produced in communist China in factories that basically employ slave labor.

[agooga]

The iPod is just a tool (or toy, if you prefer) that stores and plays music-- how does that make it "worthless, trivial and mind-numbing?"

Sheesh...

[enviros_kill]

I refuse to buy Apple stuff out of principle to some degree (can't stand the libs who run it) and because there are MUCH better values in MP3/Video players on the market. I love my Archos GMINI 402 portable multimedia center: 20GB hard drive, built in USB that allows me to capture the photos from everybody's digital camera BEFORE we leave the family reunion and then pipe them into a big screen TV so everybody can enjoy them on the last day of the get together. Wired it directly into my 1998 Avalon head unit for best fidelity with an adapter from Crutchfield ($60) that I custom mounted in the center console. Everything still looks factory. The Archos hooks to your computer USB port just like a flash drive. Can move music, photos and data back and forth without any extra software. Listen to business podcasts and books on trips.

http://www.archos.com/products/pc_centric/gmini_402/index.html?country=global&lang=en

[NaughtiusMaximus]

Invented the steam powered pedal steel. :)