Digital is the new sweatshops...... People should hang for exploiting others so that they can become bigger than microsoft.... On Tue, Jun 1, 2010 at 12:00 PM, Ovi <kingorigitahi@ovi.com> wrote:
The unfortunate reality is that capitalism is broken. For the growth that capitalism demands, labour and natural resources somewhere must be cheap. Slavery and colonialism fueled the growth in the west and now it is cheap asian workers. The solution is responsible capitalism. Capitalism coupled with guaranteed social services. Health, education, transport, security, housing must be made accesible to the masses by the state. Health, education, and security, must be free and guaranteed, and housing must be subsidized. Evading tax must attract hefty and painful punishment. In this model we will still have cheap labour in the form of those who dont hack it to graduate or start business. But those very people will be protected by the state with an ecosystem of social services. Everyone wins.! So the go getter capitalist has the capacity to build a multinational and the average dude is guaranteed social security. This model actually works in Finland. No other country not even arrogant America matches the infrastructure and social model of Finland. It can be done, the Finish have done it and they are not angels.
King'ori
For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that creates and enhances the freedom of others.
Nelson Mandela ----- Original message -----
<quote> Apple is a huge company and I dare say that they will take action sooner rather than later. </quote> BP is a HUGE company too. They have yet to take any serious action, And the damage keeps getting worse. Corporations have not been known to take responsibility - simply because they can get away with it. <you may be right, i may be crazy, but it just may be a lunatic you're looking for> <moto.b> ------------------------------
On Mon, May 31, 2010 at 3:30 PM, Eva Kimathi <evakimathi@gmail.com> wrote:
That we do not pay the maid 15-40k does not make the incident less tragic. I think that as much as the bottom line counts, human life should be guarded. I think that they try and ensure the companies to whom they outsource are responsible, otherwise they might end up losing in the long-run. Same case with the blood diamonds.
Now that Apple has learned of these occurences, I am curious as to how they will respond. Apple is a huge company and I dare say that they will take action sooner rather than later.
On Mon, May 31, 2010 at 3:22 PM, Rad! <conradakunga@gmail.com> wrote:
I think guys here need to be realistic.
Foxconn are a company to whom production of Apple & other manufacturer's products are outsourced. The reason they were chosen is in addition to technical ability was cost.
Foxconn employees are therefore not Apple employees. In fact all these companies that oursource do not care about the welfare of the actual people doing the work. As far as they are concerned this welfare is the responsibility of Foxconn.
Lots of us outsource things like cleaning of our houses, cooking, security etc. We pay these people (maids, watchmen, washer women, etc) peanuts. We expect them to take care of themselves while not directly washing/cleaning/performing services for us.
Why do we suddenly care for Foxconn employees and ignore the welfare of those right under our noses? Why are we outraged over these conditions and yet we pay that maid 5k a month?
How different is that situation from this?
On Mon, May 31, 2010 at 3:02 PM, aki <aki275@googlemail.com> wrote:
I think you are generalizing the problem. Apple's heavy appetite for its fashionable succesful lineup could be main cause of the deaths. There are many who earn the same wages in that plant and for someone to commit suicide, you must take way their passion/ability to live by degrading them to that of a robot level despair in life. Saying we seek cheaper equipment is not true. How cheap are Apple products compared to others? Also look at the profitability of Apple sales, from 50% to 89% depending on the segment.
Apple's revenues are running into billions while the worker at the factory is getting paid a miserable US cents 0.3 per hour for skilled labour? For any of the devices to pass quality control and where any human inspection is necessary, that wage is too low. No wonder the west dominates on wealth distribution.
BTW, when did you ever hear of someone jumping off the safaricom building? The Queen Bee is not that ruthless.... :-)
Me thots.
On Mon, May 31, 2010 at 2:35 PM, Philip Musyoki <pmusyoki@gmail.com> wrote:
I think the deplorable conditions at Foxconn can be attributable to poor management and working conditions. I think people will tend to pick on Apple more as a symbol of their frustrations than as a cause. People who commit suicide will commit suicide whether assembling an iPad, and HP computer or a Safaricom solar mobile phone.
The main cause is the drive for cheap manufacturing, pushing all manufacturing jobs to China. The likes of Foxconn seek cheap labour, which they underpay for, and create unacceptable working conditions. I guess we are all as guilty as Foxconn, Apple, HP and the like. We seek cheaper equipment without caring their impact on those who toil to make them and the conditions they work in.
And at USD 130 a month.
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-- Sent from my Voice Recognition Watch© -------------------------------------------------------------------- God is not an excuse for lack of discipline -------------------------------------------------------------------- Our greatest fear is not that we are inadequate,but that we are powerful beyond measure.It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us.There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.As we let our own light shine, we consciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our fear,our presence automatically liberates others.