11 ms·

>It's one thing to kill yourself at home, and another to kill yourself at work. And on the other hand they have huge dorms for workers which could skew the sta

>It's one thing to kill yourself at home, and another to kill yourself at work. And on the other hand they have huge dorms for workers which could skew the statistics in the other direction (off work counted as work). If the suicide rate is 10% of the general population rate then it's fair to say that it would take a lot of "skewing" for it to be significantly higher than the average. And that's sort of the point - when you hire 1 million low skilled employees you are bound to hire mentally unstable people - the kind that commits suicide over a relationship breakup, an argument, etc. So while it's possible that work conditions "triggered" the suicide they likely weren't "normal" individuals and it doesn't say much about working conditions at Foxconn - the suicide rate would have to be much higher than the average to claim that Foxconn is a deathtrap in which a normal person would commit suicide.

batista 15y ago
And that's sort of the point - when you hire 1 million low skilled employees you are bound to hire mentally unstable people - the kind that commits suicide over a relationship breakup, an argument, etc. I think this is a little biased, if not "racist" (class-ist?). I also take offense at the "they likely weren't 'normal' individuals". Who said that highly skilled people are less "mentally unstable"? If anything, they can be much more fickle and prone to self-questioning over minor shit. In any way, the workers at those places weren't much lower of higher skilled than the majority of the Chinese population --which includes expansive masses of no degree holders, factory and retail workers and farmers. (Let me unleash the anecdotal: Howard Hughes, Godel, Turing, Nash, the list of highly skilled guys turning cuckoo is huge. Not to mention highly skilled Asperger sufferers and the like).
- moonchrome 15y ago
  >Who said that highly skilled people are less "mentally unstable"? What I meant to say is that you do a lot less screening/bulk hire with low skilled workers so it's not going to affect the statistics/you're even more likely that you will be close to the averages than if you were doing interviewing/management.

batista 15y ago

And that's sort of the point - when you hire 1 million low skilled employees you are bound to hire mentally unstable people - the kind that commits suicide over a relationship breakup, an argument, etc. I think this is a little biased, if not "racist" (class-ist?). I also take offense at the "they likely weren't 'normal' individuals". Who said that highly skilled people are less "mentally unstable"? If anything, they can be much more fickle and prone to self-questioning over minor shit. In any way, the workers at those places weren't much lower of higher skilled than the majority of the Chinese population --which includes expansive masses of no degree holders, factory and retail workers and farmers. (Let me unleash the anecdotal: Howard Hughes, Godel, Turing, Nash, the list of highly skilled guys turning cuckoo is huge. Not to mention highly skilled Asperger sufferers and the like).

moonchrome 15y ago
>Who said that highly skilled people are less "mentally unstable"? What I meant to say is that you do a lot less screening/bulk hire with low skilled workers so it's not going to affect the statistics/you're even more likely that you will be close to the averages than if you were doing interviewing/management.