Forum Post: Occupiers, where is the outrage about Apple killings?
Posted 12 years ago on Jan. 26, 2012, 2:36 a.m. EST by Truth2power
(1)
from Englewood, NJ
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
Apple subcontracts manufacturing to Foxconn that has the worst working conditions and kills children and workers. Apple is directly responsible and knows this. I ask why the Occuupy movement is not making a bonfire of Apple products and burning them and then boycotting them? Is it because what matters to Occupy movement is only white people, chinese children and workers dont count. Or the Occupy people too busy downloading cool apps.
Seems Apple doesn't want to bring any of it's profits back to the U.S. because they would have to pay tax.
But, from the article: "Congress already tested the repatriation tax holiday in 2004, but it did little to create jobs, according to Treasury Department analysis. The report found the companies that reaped the most from the holiday actually cut jobs from 2005-2006 and used the money instead to buy back stock."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/19/apple-us-tax-law_n_1362934.html?1332171832&ref=business
Article in NY Times, today, "In China, Human Costs Are Built Into an Ipad."
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/26/business/ieconomy-apples-ipad-and-the-human-costs-for-workers-in-china.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper
Trouble is everything in the world is made this way. Everything. Heck, a few years back I needed a new coffeepot and decided to buy one made in America. I literally couldn't find one. It's only gotten worse since.
I just ate an apple. Gee I hope it was already dead before I ate it
And how our trade policies have helped such in other countries as well instead of refusing to do business when conditions like these exist.
i knew there was something wrong with apple, i felt it in my bones, There apple sits at the top of the stock market, richer than they have ever been. this is more evidence that "a person can rarely become rich without defrauding another human being". Add this article as suppport to my statement in another post.
Dont get me wrong I like and want an apple iphone, they chose not to sell it to me and my cell provider, not the other way around.
Perhaps the fault should lie with the communists that run china.
If you want to be taken seriously, you should already hate Apple. The majority hates Apple, which is why no cares about protesting them. Apple will soon die out.
The majority hates Apple? The majority of PC users?
I know, it is pitiful. Some people actually like Apple! It gives me the shivers.
The truth is that a technologically-oriented future is bound to failure and conflict.
If we can form unions then why can't the people working in the other country?
I try to buy just what I need, no more. Because I know that most of what I could buy is made in China by people working in horrible conditions...
Try your best not to buy! Don't support Slavery...I know it's hard considering they give you no choice..
You have to try though...
That's right Nick...buy just what you absolutely need and try to be aware of where it comes from. You can't avoid China made products entirely ( not easily anyway) and it's shocking how many things come from there- like parts inside your washing machine- but my husband and I really make an effort to avoid as many we can. It is possible to buy Fair Trade Chinese made goods as well. Some of things that we employ in our daily consumerism is to buy food from local farmers, locally owned shoppes to support american workers and small business, shop online for fair trade items, buy used/vintage items/furniture and like you said, only buy what we absolutely need. It's made a huge difference in how we feel about ourselves too. If you're shopping online and the retailer doesn't disclose where the item is made, call and ask them or don't buy it. Sara Bongiori wrote a book called, ' A year without Made in China"..her true story about avoiding Chinese made products.
you can check out SERRV, Global Exchange, Fair Trade and other like minded blogs, websites to help you shop with more value and integrity. I believe that most folks are so accustomed to buying cheap goods that they have forgotten how much value they would get for a dollar in previous years. Products today are made to be disposable within a short time so that consumers are forced to buy more and more. this keeps the markets alive. I am using my grandfather's garden tools that he bought from a hardware store in 1961/made in America and they look like they are only a year old and I use them about 200 days a year. If I go to Hdepot and buy the same tools, they would break in one season and hence, my money in my opinion was wasted. Until 6 years ago I was watching TV on a small Zenith that my brother gave me in 1979 for my 18th birthday. Do you think that TV would last that long today? Heck that TV was even in an apt. fire and the case was all melted and I had to paint it but it still worked like a charm. hahahah There is tons of nice antique furniture out there is priced right in line with modern junk and it's an investment!! My daily philosophy in everything that I buy and do is: IS IT NECESSARY?
Very good Gillian...Now if I could get my wife to cooperate a bit more...
Yeah, apparently, Sara B had this issue with her hubby too. My husband is not nearly as conscientious as I am and it really angers me sometimes that he's self righteous one minute and then acts like a gluttonous republican the next. We can't force change, only inspire it and at least I know that I'm doing the right thing in the meantime. Good luck with your shopping. Are you familiar with ' freecycle' http://www.freecycle.org/
I continue to promote the concept of buying second hand products, either through Craigs List (be careful) or local thrift stores. The corporate profits, wherever the product was manufactured, have already been reaped, and you are usually helping a local business or charity.
Cool..We have second hand shops here also..Consignments and the like.. You can get some really good cloths there for the kids!
I live in a retirement community, and we have an incredible second hand shop with better stuff than I can afford new! Furniture, appliances, clothes, artwork, antiquest, collectibles, etc. etc. I take visitors there as part of their "tour" ! We waste sooo much in this country. We should all be learning lessons from this downturn in the economy, such as the fact that more and more stuff just makes us less free -- you have to protect it, insure it, maintain it, and yet how often do you actually enjoy it?
I have never owned any of Apple's products because of their proprietary programs and their failure to live up to their over-priced hype. Those snooty Stepford Apple stores. And now their manufacturing and PROUD off-shoring practices just confirms it and seals the deal.
JUST SAY NO to Apple!!
Apple computers are the best. I would never want to work with another brand.
Even if they were "blood computers"? Don't be an I-bot.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foxconn
40% of all consumer electronic companies (including the one that probably made you're computer) get products made at Foxconn factories.
So either boycott those companies as well, or get off your high horse.
While I'm pissing on you while standing on my high horse I'm challenging you to join in and demand that computers and their components be made in America, where they originated. And where Americans need jobs. This business of chasing the cheapest labor cost is rotten, evil to the core. Stupid, too, when you consider what goes into our missiles, and who knows what else. Apple asked for this!
Why are you concentrating on Apple. They were not the first to do this, they are not the only ones to do this, and they are not the last who will do this. Microsoft and many other companies do the exact same thing.
If you want to fight this way of doing things, you'll have to stop using products from all these companies, not only Apple. And, this is only a list of companies using Foxconn for assembly. Other companies like AMD use other assembly businesses which also have factories in China and elsewhere around the world.
I think it's time you use a pen and paper. Please, don't reply to this post, or it will mean that you're supporting what you want to fight against ;-)
Because Apple asked for it by feigning elite and above the rest. And I hate that kind of hypocrisy and fraud. Especially when Quicktime pops up and jams my system cuz it suddenly decides it needs attention. Why does it do that???
This isn't my thread, I just added to it. You obviously have a vested interest. Sorry. Don't mean to step on your shit. Go mess with the originator.
Beautiful list!
I fucking HATE APPLE!!
Well, Iv'e used Apple computers for 16 years and they have been the most reliable machines I have used. What else can I say? I don't know any other brand that can compete with their product. What am I supposed to use if not Apple?
Computers made in America. I truly believe your preference is aesthetically based. Believe me I've tried Apples, I've tried to like them. I can never get them to do things my PCs can do, [possibly] just not the same way. Not impressed, and their proprietary BS is intolerable. They were supposed to integrate back in the 90s, but they didn't.
Does evil mean nothing to you? Would you marry a Con just because she was hot??
The Stepford store, the lies, the evil!!??
Just Say NO to Apple! She played you, man!
I work on my machines all the time. I earn my living with them. My preference is not based on esthetics. Not even close. This is a bonus, but it's of no real importance.
I use Apple's because after 16 years of daily use and being connected to the Internet 24/7 and I have never had one single virus even if I don't use anti-virus software. I use Apple because it's build on top of Unix which means the operating system is rock solid. I use Apple because of Time Machine, auto defragmentation, simple networking, AppleScript, etc... I use Apple because I never have to spend time configuring my system or formating my hard drive because of virus infections and other problems. I use Apple because of the awesome trackpads on the new laptops. I use Apple because OSX is awesome and a real time saver.
I use Apple because I have to get real work done, and this is the computer that is the most reliable and offers me the most power. It just works, and works really well. Day after day after day after day. It's extremely robust. The last time I rebooted was three months ago. My machines are on 24/7.
For me to switch to another system, I would have to be presented with one that can compete. Windows is not even close, and I don't have time to play around with Linux settings. For what I need to do, Apple is by far the best choice.
If Windows is the best solution for you, I suggest you use that system. If Linux is the best, use that. Use whatever system works for you. Personally, I like to buy Apple computers because it's money very well spent. (Note: I have a Windows box and Linux box here, but I never use them. They collect dust. Even my wife refuses to use them and always uses my Mac which is annoying as hell since I have a lot of work to do on it. She used to be a Windows fan before using Mac OSX.)
To each is own. Apple is far from being the source of American's problems. They are just a company like so many other. I think we should worry about government corruption instead.
My PC prefers "aesthetics." So does Answers.com.
Viruses seem to be more "prevalent" in the political arena. You can get the other stuff on a PC, too. You just have to try, maybe harder.
Like our leaders, we can get them to do whatever we want if [we] demand!
I hear what your saying, [ I've heard it for decades ], and every time I've tried an A it was shit. My girlfriend got the latest and greatest, billed as completely intuitive I-pod, BULL SHIT!!! Even the I-bot-Snobs at the I-Stepford-store couldn't answer the I-questions we had, or make it do (or not do) simple things. Shitty camera! Auto delete? What's with the "Is"???
All HAT, no cattle.
Bottom line: Apple is evil. Rip-off exploitative EVIL!!
Mileage may vary. My experience points to the contrary. I much prefer spending my money on Apple products. It's your money, so you should spend it on what you like and what you need. I like and need Apple.
Another great thing is the resale value. I just sold my 8 year old Powerbook G4 for 400$. That's a pretty good price for such an old laptop. Strangely, it was still hard to let go. This baby gave me 8 years of great computing experience and never once got hit by a virus. Ah well, my new MacBook Pro is also pretty neat.
Like I said, I've been hearing the same thing from you A-heads for decades, and it's really creepy! Have you ever seen Invasion of the Body Snatchers? That's what you guys sound like. It's like you're possessed. My experience with the damn things is that they are annoying, finicky and don't pan out like all the hype. I would have still given one a try, but not now.
I've worked in the studios and I think it's very suspicious that almost every computer you see on TV and film is a damn A. That's MAJOR I-hype and I-payola!
I-AAE!
If you don't like Apple products, I suggest you don't buy them. We should all spend our money how we see fit. It's a free country. I use Apple computers because they help me get my work done faster and with more joy. I don't mind people who prefer Windows or Linux. I don't understand those who want to create a war between these companies. They are computer companies, not religions. Use whatever you like best.
That's probably because Apple products get the job done in the studio. Studios care about money. They are businesses. They will invest in the best computers for the task. They can buy whatever they like. I don't see a problem.
OK.
But better a "war" over I-fraudulent and I-exploitative computer companies, than some stupid religion.
Frankly, I think we could come up with much better computers and systems than what we're given.
I-AAE!
That's a simplistic statement that goes without saying. Obviously, there's always room for improvement.
If you have good ideas, I suggest you start a computer company. If you build better machines than Apple I'll be your first customer.
Good luck.
Honestly, the only time Iv'e felt exploited by a computer company was with Microsoft products. Apple products have always worked flawlessly for me. Iv'e always got my money's worth and have been able to make a lot of money using their computers. Apple has helped me earn my living.
I really don't see the problem. You're not forced to buy Apple products. If you don't like them, just buy something else. No worries. They're not forcing anything down anybody's throat. People who have Apple products decided to buy them. They're not being exploited.
Yes, but it's simply not done. I don't build computers, but of course, neither did Jobs. I do know what I want and it seems like companies avoid it.
Hmmm....
Worker exploitation!
Not my thread.
No, a lot of us are aware of it. I know Occupiers who have passed out this information in front of Apple stores.
When Steve Jobs died, there was a huge Occupy rally that day. The only event the MSM news covered was Steve Jobs's death. They made him sound like some kind of hero. He was a super villain.
Companies like Apple hide these practices, and the media does not report on them. It is up to us to find out, and to not buy from them.
Steve jobs:
-Saved Apple
-Brought the GUI to the masses.
-Made Pixar and digital animation what it is today.
-revolutionized the smart phone market.
-Started the tablet market.
-Saved the recording industry.
-Drove inovation in consumer electronics for the last few decades.
-started what would become a 400 billion dollar market value company in. his garage.
Yes he was a complete ass most of the time, BUT thats steve, Apple, the tech industry, and the world in general wouldn't be the same without his qualities as a CEO. No im not some ignorant apple fan boy, I've studied the company very well and have read the biography of the company/steve, which is written from a very objective standpoint.
He is a hero as far as inovation, tech, and capitalism are concerned. And as i posted elsewhere in this thread almost all consumer electronics companies manufacture at foxconn, so I expect no reply from you because you are no doubt using a computer made with foxconn parts.
My computer is second-hand.
these occupiers do not really know what is happening in corporate world, looting of america is going on and people losing jobs, but occupiers have faint idea about this and what to do about it
i buy apple, and pc, and computer parts made in china, but also several parts made in taiwan and japan.
i'd rather buy chinese. when i buy chinese i know that somewhere i have paid the salary of some girl who has escaped the grinding poverty of a subsistence farm to work in a prestigious factory and has made her parents proud.
I know we burn all the oil we have wars over
Strangely, the OP focuses on only one of Foxconn's clients. Is this due to ignorance, or a cheap attack on Apple? Here is a list of all of Foxconn's clients: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foxconn
We ask that the OP stop using Windows as well as Mac OSX if he truly wants to support the cause he is raising. We suggest he buy a computer created by a company that does not feature on this list and that he install Linux as the operating system. He should avoid using an Intel chip.
To show his honestly and integrity, we also ask that the OP change the title of his post so that it clearly attacks the source of the problem which is Foxconn, and not only one of its many clients, namely Apple. Otherwise, we cannot take this post seriously, and must consider it a cheap attack on Apple instead of a true worrying of what's happening at Foxconn.
We believe the author understands this problem and are confident he will resolve the misinformation present in his posting.
Excelent Post