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That's a huge improvement over where we were a few years ago, when Steve Jobs died and I noted all the human misery and pain he caused with his employment of Fo

That's a huge improvement over where we were a few years ago, when Steve Jobs died and I noted all the human misery and pain he caused with his employment of Foxconn sweatshops. My coworker said Jobs' life was worth more than those factory workers. I reminded him that everyone has equal worth and he seemed stunned at my forceful response. Noting that your life has to feel pretty hopeless to jump out the window of the factory you work/live in. I guess being a do-well white boy in Chicago afforded him quite the luxury of deciding the world pecking order. Except I was also a white boy in Chicago calling him out on it. Considering we had multiple 2nd generation immigrant coworkers around us, who should in theory empathize with 3rd world work conditions, I was the only one who spoke up. Probably because the Steve Jobs > all guy was a fairly influential architect. But almost nothing stops me from piping up anyway. Still, judging human worth over intelligence is definitely a bit better than judging based on entrepreneurial capacity as my colleague was. Maybe in a couple more years we'll all agree that humanity has equal worth and dignity. Then all life, and we'll be set.

astrange 10y ago
Foxconn workers are less likely to commit suicide than Chinese in general, not more, which really weakens this argument. Although Steve Jobs made more from investing in Pixar than Apple (I think) so the mental health of Toy Story animators could be an issue?
- BuckRogers 10y ago
  That reads as quite the troll, politically or financially motivated but I'll indulge you. To start off, extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, do you have citations for either of your claims? Your entire argument rested on them yet you didn't produce. Even once you produce those, I disagree with your premise. The comparison should be work-related suicides in other factories in nations with better labor conditions. Fiat factory suicides vs Foxconn would make more sense than the population as a whole. Making more money with Pixar, if true, is not correlation or causation. You can make money, and not drive your employees or sub-contracted to suicide. Exploitation is not a requirement for financial success or otherwise. That was the point.

astrange 10y ago

Foxconn workers are less likely to commit suicide than Chinese in general, not more, which really weakens this argument. Although Steve Jobs made more from investing in Pixar than Apple (I think) so the mental health of Toy Story animators could be an issue?

BuckRogers 10y ago
That reads as quite the troll, politically or financially motivated but I'll indulge you. To start off, extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, do you have citations for either of your claims? Your entire argument rested on them yet you didn't produce. Even once you produce those, I disagree with your premise. The comparison should be work-related suicides in other factories in nations with better labor conditions. Fiat factory suicides vs Foxconn would make more sense than the population as a whole. Making more money with Pixar, if true, is not correlation or causation. You can make money, and not drive your employees or sub-contracted to suicide. Exploitation is not a requirement for financial success or otherwise. That was the point.