4 ms·

I don't understand the psychology of making billions of the backs of the grotesquely underpaid and over-worked masses (Foxconn suicides [1] and illegally mined

by mg1982 12y ago

I don't understand the psychology of making billions of the backs of the grotesquely underpaid and over-worked masses (Foxconn suicides [1] and illegally mined tin [2] for example) and then turning around and saying 'oh, this is too much for one person - here, you have it.' If you want to help people or even just preserve the environment, why not start with what you have direct control and responsibility over in the first place. Fucking billionaires [https://youtu.be/iko4s3CfBi0?t=44s https://youtu.be/iko4s3CfBi0?t=44s] [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foxconn_suicides https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foxconn_suicides [2] http://www.bloomberg.com/bw/articles/2014-02-13/apple-supply-report-acknowledges-its-smartphones-and-tablets-rely-on-smelters-using-illegally-mined-tin http://www.bloomberg.com/bw/articles/2014-02-13/apple-supply...

konmik 12y ago
People will suicide if their families get money for doing that that. Stupid? Sure. There is no slavery on Foxconn plants, anyone can go away and grow some rice peacefully.
- _cipher_ 12y ago
  > There is no slavery on Foxconn plants[..] While it's not slavery in the traditional way, it sure is when you pay workers virtually nothing for a product that's overpriced. Think a situtation where you'd be an administrator for Amazon and you're getting $10/day just because you live in <x> country, while your other _only_ option is to - as you said - "go away and grow some rice". While this is a completely legal action, would you say that it's also ethical? But no, whenever a f*cked up situation is not near our own precious asses, it doesn't matter. They can go out and grow some rice.
  - konmik 12y ago
    If the average salary in my country would be $1 I would be happy to get that $10 from Amazon. I live in a country where average salary is about $500, I know what I'm talking about. And yes, if things will become really bad I will prefer to live in the village with my mother and grow potatoes rather than committing a suicide. :D
  - mcphage 12y ago
    The workers who manufacture the iPhones aren't Apple employees. They're Foxconn employees, and Apple doesn't really have much control over how much they get paid. I mean sure, they could say "here's an extra Billion, make sure that the workers who build the iPhones get these"; I'm sure Foxconn would take it, but who knows where it would go from there.
ceejayoz 12y ago
You really should read the link you're citing. > The suicide rate at Foxconn during 2010 remained lower than that of the general Chinese population at the time,[6] as well as all 50 states of the United States (U.S.).[37]
S_A_P 12y ago
OK I will play. Current geopolitical climate being what it is, the labor market wont work they way that you would like. An ideal world is a great target, but not current reality. Say what you want about Bill Gates or Tim Cook or any other billionaire giving away their wealth, but curing disease, building basic infrastructure and solving hunger are great ways to fix the world so that such horrid conditions cease to exist in the labor market. When that happens, the "slave labor" that you (and any reasonable person) dont like wont exist and the world will be more "fair". The world isnt going to fix itself...

by mg1982 12y ago

konmik 12y ago

People will suicide if their families get money for doing that that. Stupid? Sure. There is no slavery on Foxconn plants, anyone can go away and grow some rice peacefully.

_cipher_ 12y ago
> There is no slavery on Foxconn plants[..] While it's not slavery in the traditional way, it sure is when you pay workers virtually nothing for a product that's overpriced. Think a situtation where you'd be an administrator for Amazon and you're getting $10/day just because you live in <x> country, while your other _only_ option is to - as you said - "go away and grow some rice". While this is a completely legal action, would you say that it's also ethical? But no, whenever a f*cked up situation is not near our own precious asses, it doesn't matter. They can go out and grow some rice.
- konmik 12y ago
  If the average salary in my country would be $1 I would be happy to get that $10 from Amazon. I live in a country where average salary is about $500, I know what I'm talking about. And yes, if things will become really bad I will prefer to live in the village with my mother and grow potatoes rather than committing a suicide. :D
- mcphage 12y ago
  The workers who manufacture the iPhones aren't Apple employees. They're Foxconn employees, and Apple doesn't really have much control over how much they get paid. I mean sure, they could say "here's an extra Billion, make sure that the workers who build the iPhones get these"; I'm sure Foxconn would take it, but who knows where it would go from there.

ceejayoz 12y ago

You really should read the link you're citing. > The suicide rate at Foxconn during 2010 remained lower than that of the general Chinese population at the time,[6] as well as all 50 states of the United States (U.S.).[37]

S_A_P 12y ago

OK I will play. Current geopolitical climate being what it is, the labor market wont work they way that you would like. An ideal world is a great target, but not current reality. Say what you want about Bill Gates or Tim Cook or any other billionaire giving away their wealth, but curing disease, building basic infrastructure and solving hunger are great ways to fix the world so that such horrid conditions cease to exist in the labor market. When that happens, the "slave labor" that you (and any reasonable person) dont like wont exist and the world will be more "fair". The world isnt going to fix itself...