Designed by Apple in California, Assembled (by Slaves) in China
If you have read other posts you may know that I am not a fan of the introduction of Apple products in public institutions like universities (for the only reason that I do not believe tax-payer monies should be spent on boutique brands). And while I have to grudgingly admire the success of the company, especially its incredibly successful marketing, I have to admit that I am probably more open than most to critical stories about the company and its products. And I will be the first to admit that it is unfair to single out Apple in the above headline because the subject matter of this post in reality is a much wider problem and affects many Western corporations.
What caught my eye today was a story that Foxconn workers were ‘upping’ the pressure on management of the Chinese manufacturing company and threatening mass suicide if their demands over working conditions were not met:
‘Mass suicide’ protest at Apple manufacturer Foxconn factory
Malcolm Moore, Daily Telegraph (Jan. 11, 2012)
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/9006988/Mass-suicide-protest-at-Apple-manufacturer-Foxconn-factory.html
This is not a joke (or an Onion article). Foxconn has become infamous for having to install nets around its factories in order to dissuade its workers from publicly committing suicide to protest unbearable working conditions. This is a fact that I mention to my students as much as I can because it is indicative of the realities of North American technology consumption: our corporations ‘design’ the products, which are then manufactured and assembled in mostly Asian countries where labour is cheap, where labour laws are weak or–more commonly–virtually non-existent, and where rules governing pollution or working conditions are overseen by a authoritarian government (meaning they are really, really bad).
As I said, it is unfair to single out Apple because it is rare to find anything ‘tech’ related today that is manufactured in Western nations and by Western citizens. But Apple stands out because it is considered as a premiere brand and the cult of Apple/SteveJobs is so strong that often its adherents are completely clueless as to how the company operates. I see this constantly where I work as many assume that Apple products are somehow different from the product category in which they come from. Macs, according to Apple Logic, are not PCs, even though the guts of a Mac are the very same components which show up in competitors’ products. In many cases, as with the Apple A5 chip that is found in the iPad 2 and the iPhone 4S, components are actually manufactured by competitors (with respect to the A5, it is made by Samsung). Again, why this is not recognized is all due to the strength of Apple’s pervasive marketing but it still does not paper over the fact (for those paying attention anyway) that Western companies–and by extension the emotional branding and satisfaction that we often derive from a inexpensive tech gadgets–are completely dependent upon the exploitation of people and resources in distant lands. And with a company like Apple that is sitting on a mountain of cash (stashed in overseas bank accounts so as to not have to pay taxes in the U.S.) and which enjoys a seemingly ‘untarnishable’ reputation, it is sad that so many are so misinformed about the actual circumstances surrounding the company’s operations.
Can anyone say, ‘commodity fetishism’?
Where Greece’s Money Actually Goes
This is just an update to a previous post indicating where Greece’s debt comes from… at least in part. And, again, it is not (or not only) lazy Greek tax-evaders that contributes to the country’s debt but the ‘need’ for Greek tax-payers to support Greek and Western banks (through loans/debt) so that they can support French, German, and U.S. arms manufacturers. I mean, how else is Germany, France or the U.S. going to maintain the illusion that they have robust economies? Sadly, Western nations could not survive without the Ponzischem-o-nomics of governments, the financial sector, and arms manufacturing.
See Zero Hedge’s article and the German original at Zeit Online.
peace.
Summer feels like it is finally here
Ahhh… summer. It feels like it is finally here… and it’s only June. But all the rain that we have received in Southern Alberta has done some good things for local vegetation; including the collection of lilies in my front yard.
I can’t really take any credit for their appearance since, other than weeding, they are almost care-free and seem to do very well where they are placed with lots of intense morning sun.
These plants are derived from some that were given to me by both of my sisters. Alas, the flowers do 
not last very long so in a couple of weeks they will lose much of their colour. Still they are nice while they last.
Enjoy.
Whoa… it’s been a while.
After about a month of intense marking, course preparation, assisting students, essay re-writing for a hard deadline, visiting family members, collection of research materials, learning guitar/bass track recording, neck muscle spasms (due to marking), more marking (almost finished)… I finally get back to posting something here.
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