The real cost of Christmas shopping.

[[KMA]Avenger]

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-storie ... -22017223/

I just heard about this from a friend of mine and couldn't believe it so i had a look for myself and there it was. the article is from 2010 but is still going on and probably much worse now than last year.
Chinese workers as we all know work for peanuts, but they are also fined heavily for going to the toilet without permission and work up to 140+ hours overtime a month, as well as other acts of absolute slavery Chinese workers have to endure, which we are all familiar with.


I for one am going to try and ovoid as much as i can-buying anything for Christmas (and now on) that has "Made in china" written on it. i've also drafted a letter which i will be sending out to many of the top brands, no doubt i'll get some BS PR response, but i don't care, i'm going to make my feelings known on the matter.



So what do you guys think of this, or anything related?

[Legendary Apophis]

Problem is, finding Made in UK/Japan/France/Italy/USA/Spain/Germany/etc... stuff for Christmas. I am also reluctant to buy Made in China stuff but it's sooo commonly spread in various categories of goods, from toys to cloths to technology. Nowadays tech isn't even made in Japan anymore!
Most of cloths are made in the following countries (with cheap workforce):
China
Vietnam
Pakistan
Bangladesh
Indonesia

And bit less frequently:
Turkey
Tunisia
Morocco
India

However, cloths made in Europe, even eastern countries like Hungary, are usually expensive stuff (Armani brand for example, who also produces some in the cheap workforce countries, but has a worth mentioning % produced in Italy)

[MEZZANINE]

They said on the news that the average UK spend on Xmas per household is £650, thats the real cost to me because it will all be on credit lol



As for where all the crap comes from, we used to have the British Bulldog sticker on things made in the UK, that was banned by the EU as racist. Apparently we're not allowed to support our own workers or help the environment by buying locally made products. Better to use slave labour and ship it half way round the world burning oil


IMO all imports should be taxed to the point where they cost the same as locally made products, luxuries and gifts would actually be appreciated again, and we could ditch the mass produced disposable junk.

[[KMA]Avenger]

Unfortunately Jim, that's the cost of western policies such as, globalism, carbon taxes and corporate lobbyists paying off the politicians to remove regulations.

Regardless, it makes me think back to Victorian England. history text books taught me at school (when i could be bothered to be at school) that Queen Victoria was one of our most popular monarchs in British history, nothing could be further from the truth. there were quite a few attempts on her life, she was hated and often hissed at in public because she put every man woman and child into forced labour in sweat shops with little to no care whatsoever...history repeats itself.

You can avoid that label all you want, but at some point and I imagine at a lot of points you will have no idea where the ingredients or parts or materials for that product came from. Its not something you can realistically avoid completely.

Don't get me wrong. i'm under no delusion i can avoid it completely, whether knowing or unknowingly.

[RepliMagni]

Russian components...American components....all made in Taiwan! (gotta love Armageddon)

We get fined if we go to the toilet or even stand up without permission at formals

Of course China has a horrendous record on human rights, especially child labour. Why do you think we outsource everything to them? Nice cheap labour force, who even if they rebelled couldn't do much damage.

[Legendary Apophis]

It's a direct application of classicist and neoclassicist theories, that globalization, the international division of David Ricardo, I'm sure so of you heard about it?