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This is a very western mindset - if a family is starving, they will put children to work EVEN IF you are demanding they be educated. Even if that's the law. The

This is a very western mindset - if a family is starving, they will put children to work EVEN IF you are demanding they be educated. Even if that's the law. They in some cases sell their children to even worse outcomes. This has been shown to happen over and over again. A ton of drug eradication programs have had this fight as well. Their message, don't cultivate - starve. And they wonder why normal people fight them. But go ahead and keep on parachuting in with your demands on people barely scraping by.

fakedang 6y ago
If a family is starving, it's the responsibility of the state to ensure that they do not starve. If the state forces the families to send their kids to factories, then that's a failure of the state. China being China, there's no surprise there. Nobody is asking for the people themselves to starve, or blaming those forced to work in factories. Every one here is calling out the Chinese government for enabling such an environment where it's either starvation or bust, or Apple for effectively funding that environment. Seems like that's a difference you simply can't grasp, or you disingenuously don't want to. It's not a Western mindset btw, it's the policy that has been working in a number of countries including most recently Bangladesh and Indonesia.
- random5634 6y ago
  You really are making clear you have NEVER worked in poverty relief issues or traveled internationally. It's kind of horrifying. Do you realize that 20%+ of children are so badly nourished they are stunted? The impacts this will have on their entire life and development? Not everyone country is your well developed western country where the state provides food to everyone. This is kind of scary to see on HN - programmers should really travel more (I'm a dual citizen with pretty extensive travel AND WORK in much much poorer areas). "Apple for effectively funding that [starvation or bust] environment". Heads up. Apple is one of the FEW western companies to actually cut off chinese suppliers for violating supply chain codes ($ lost, not just lipservice). I have no idea what you are talking about in terms of apple funding child exploitation. You are probably buying chinese made goods including those made with essentially forced labor. Do you not understand the situation in these countries? That US and European countries CONTINUE to sign new trade deals despite horrific labor and other abuses? In all likelihood Apple factories, and even the factories of third party suppliers working for them, are probably one the least likely (not most) factories in china to be employing child labor as a result of apples efforts.

fakedang 6y ago

If a family is starving, it's the responsibility of the state to ensure that they do not starve. If the state forces the families to send their kids to factories, then that's a failure of the state. China being China, there's no surprise there. Nobody is asking for the people themselves to starve, or blaming those forced to work in factories. Every one here is calling out the Chinese government for enabling such an environment where it's either starvation or bust, or Apple for effectively funding that environment. Seems like that's a difference you simply can't grasp, or you disingenuously don't want to. It's not a Western mindset btw, it's the policy that has been working in a number of countries including most recently Bangladesh and Indonesia.

random5634 6y ago
You really are making clear you have NEVER worked in poverty relief issues or traveled internationally. It's kind of horrifying. Do you realize that 20%+ of children are so badly nourished they are stunted? The impacts this will have on their entire life and development? Not everyone country is your well developed western country where the state provides food to everyone. This is kind of scary to see on HN - programmers should really travel more (I'm a dual citizen with pretty extensive travel AND WORK in much much poorer areas). "Apple for effectively funding that [starvation or bust] environment". Heads up. Apple is one of the FEW western companies to actually cut off chinese suppliers for violating supply chain codes ($ lost, not just lipservice). I have no idea what you are talking about in terms of apple funding child exploitation. You are probably buying chinese made goods including those made with essentially forced labor. Do you not understand the situation in these countries? That US and European countries CONTINUE to sign new trade deals despite horrific labor and other abuses? In all likelihood Apple factories, and even the factories of third party suppliers working for them, are probably one the least likely (not most) factories in china to be employing child labor as a result of apples efforts.