Hundreds Threaten Suicide At Microsoft Supplier Plant In China

This is bonkers !
I attempted suicide once, but i wanted to do somethin a bit different than pills or wrist slashin so I attempted crucifixion !
You just cant get the last nail in though !!!!

Originally posted by rebellender

Originally posted by Chewingonmushrooms
reply to post by JJRichey

 

One would think, but that fruit vendor in Tunasia did the same thing and started a spring most will not soon forget. These chinese workers work for pennies (sometimes 16 hours a day 7 days a week) and in terrible conditions so that they might be able to buy some rice. They are slaves, no ways around that. Unfortunately some believe that because you receive a wage then that means you couldn't be a slave which isn't true.

edit on 11-1-2012 by Chewingonmushrooms because: (no reason given)

I think your reply is stereotypical to 20yrs ago but I'm not sure it applies to today. China has accomplished a lot and the world really has no Idea because China has kept MSM out of the mix.
By no means am I arguing with you, I just have to wonder how much of what we know about China is true:::good or bad...
Here in the good old USA people would jump all over $8hr + double shift = $128 strait time right now I will stick my hand up at that....and I am white....where would the ACLU or the Union Boss be then? not dialing my phone to get the story

If this line of thinking is valid 20 years ago but not now, how is it that we still buy their products so cheaply? Why are our jobs getting outsourced to places like China? Why is Microsoft building XBOX's in China and not the USA? Better craftmenship?

And are you seriously comparing 8$ an hour job to a chinese factory worker's wages?

But you are right that they are very secretive about their affairs. Much better for all those that buy their products to not know what happens behind the scenes, for PR purposes of course.

Originally posted by DankKing420
reply to post by wutz4tom

 

how can they enforce a contract that would mean if they broke it they are dead

people make me laugh. good for the workers to stand up though they have it hard enough as it is. suicide is pretty extreme imho

Would we be talking about it they were just threatening to hold their breath?

It was a brilliant move IMHO, it gave the problem what it needed, exposure.

Originally posted by vogon42
Based on microsofts current business model.....

They will probably just issue a patch for it.

Yea but not before it has to go through the approval process. Not to mention that it costs game developers 10,000 per patch...and takes months to approve...

Originally posted by LightSpeedDriver

Don't get me wrong, I love my ipod touch but if I had known it was made under conditions that are now coming to light, I would have avoided it like the plague.

I see you just joined late last year so you can be forgiven for not seeing the many threads that have been posted about the terrible conditions Apple's chinese suppliers make their people work in. Apple has been dragged over hot coals many times in the last few years over this issue.

Originally posted by DelMar

Originally posted by allintoaccount
I blame the shareholders/owners of foxconn, I hope they are proud of themselves.
A huge number of people are working for these parasites just to sit there accumulating wealth while even in the uk millions are working and still below the poverty line. Millions claim benefits to top up their wages. If I was those in china I would burn the factory down and then commit suicide.

Why not blame yourself instead or is every item that you interact with made in a happy factory located in fairytale land. Sure, burn the place down and they'll build another on top of your ashes.

I think stories like can help to improve conditions for workers in foreign countries. They get treated worse than cattle, rise up and demand higher wages and safer working conditions. Big employers like Foxconn don't want the negative press and negotiate. The process will continue until the workers feel they are being treated fairly.

Mass suicide is way too drastic but, I can't say that I've worked in conditions like they do.

Why blame myself? I do not own shares , I do not prosper out of causing misery, I do not prosper out of poverty , I do not get people in debt, I do not take lightly the suffering of others.
I may end up with consumer crap however, waste not want not.
and what do you do when all the union officials are bribed?
I do blame myself though because its all my fault.

Originally posted by FreeSpeaker

Playstations, Xbox's would cost a hell of a lot more and I'm sure the demanding western consumers would be in a rage and crying hysterically that they cannot aford the new Iphone.

wrong. their profit margin would be less. there comes a point of diminishing returns.

maybe not for applebots who shell out $800 for a glorified cell phone, but for most mentally stable consumers a point comes were they would not pay a penny more for a product regardless of manufacturing costs.

According to an in-depth analysis of Foxconn done last year by Wired magazine, there were already 17 suicides at Foxconn up to that point. The Wired article spells out why:

www.wired.com...

Public pressure on the US client companies can work wonders in changing their priorities. As Margaret Mead said, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."

Also, here is a direct link to an embedded link from the above Wired story. It's written by a Chinese reporter who worked for 28 days undercover at Foxconn. It tells of the pathetic "lives" of these workers:

www.engadget.com...

Originally posted by randomname

wrong. their profit margin would be less. there comes a point of diminishing returns.

maybe not for applebots who shell out $800 for a glorified cell phone, but for most mentally stable consumers a point comes were they would not pay a penny more for a product regardless of manufacturing costs.

And just how big of a portion of western consumers fall into the "mentally stable" category?

Video games are now larger than Hollywood now. I don't care if the price went up $300 dollars, the next gen systems would sell out dispite all the complaining and raging sure to happen with a large price increase.

Working conditions so bad suicide nets are needed says a lot about the chinese working conditions. Maybe what this earth needs is a plague like the Stand to reset everything.

Originally posted by JJRichey
Would they really commit suicide over wages? Seems pretty counter-productive to me.

You generally only see this type of threat, among people who have no other form of leverage that they can use.

The propagandist lies uttered by the corporate spokespeople in the article are disgusting. Microsoft is an evil company and always has been.

Slave labor is the new norm.

Originally posted by Chewingonmushrooms

Originally posted by rebellender

Originally posted by Chewingonmushrooms
reply to post by JJRichey

 

One would think, but that fruit vendor in Tunasia did the same thing and started a spring most will not soon forget. These chinese workers work for pennies (sometimes 16 hours a day 7 days a week) and in terrible conditions so that they might be able to buy some rice. They are slaves, no ways around that. Unfortunately some believe that because you receive a wage then that means you couldn't be a slave which isn't true.

edit on 11-1-2012 by Chewingonmushrooms because: (no reason given)

I think your reply is stereotypical to 20yrs ago but I'm not sure it applies to today. China has accomplished a lot and the world really has no Idea because China has kept MSM out of the mix.
By no means am I arguing with you, I just have to wonder how much of what we know about China is true:::good or bad...
Here in the good old USA people would jump all over $8hr + double shift = $128 strait time right now I will stick my hand up at that....and I am white....where would the ACLU or the Union Boss be then? not dialing my phone to get the story

If this line of thinking is valid 20 years ago but not now, how is it that we still buy their products so cheaply? Why are our jobs getting outsourced to places like China? Why is Microsoft building XBOX's in China and not the USA? Better craftmenship?

And are you seriously comparing 8$ an hour job to a chinese factory worker's wages?

But you are right that they are very secretive about their affairs. Much better for all those that buy their products to not know what happens behind the scenes, for PR purposes of course.

edit on 11-1-2012 by Chewingonmushrooms because: (no reason given)

Yeah I am and dont make into some argument either...you can say all you want about buying cheap chinese,,,Truth is if you are so into human rights you wouldnt have brought up Chinese human rights and the USA selling it at Walmart...Truth is you bring up human rights and cheap stuff and I dont see you leaving $100 bills into the save Chinese workers...you want to dime out your own ideology fine with me but leave my posts out of it...I told you strait up I didnt want to argue with you.

I got nothing and I took no OBAMA money as there was no bail out for me....Yeah, strait up I say $8 in New York City is right on Par with the 25 cents in Metro China any day of the week...while you are at it why dont you stop by some of the Agricultural Fields across the Fruited Plane and tell Mr. Latino and his 3,4, 5,and 8 year old children he has working with him that you also refuse to buy Veggies. I am sure he will thank you very little for supporting his family...He will be easy to spot, he is the one with the Green Card and the wife with dirty hands

China builds X-Boxes because you dont give your kid a $ 1000 a week allowance. How you Union Boyss doing on your Unemployment anyway???? yeah I thought so...Have a great evening. Me? wish I had a hamberger right now. You know like on TV with all the trimmins and sauce dripping off...Char-broiled

Originally posted by Pervius
Those Chinese workers should make an Xbox knockoff that WORKS and put Microsoft out of business.

Why hasn't China made its own gaming system yet?

Have you seen the quality of the Ipad ripoffs?

even for $60 delivered, it's as useful as a book and as fast as reading it slowly.

Originally posted by FreeSpeaker
Apple has been dragged over hot coals many times in the last few years over this issue.

Ahh so an apple a day keeps the doctor on call!

plus, whod be silly enough to think it's just foxconn? THat entire place is full of slavery that gets sold to you in small peices so you can have the newest gadget, or the fanciest pants..

Wow this is just creazy O_o, but i can understand them poor people are being made to work like slaves to work in factory's all day for pretty much nothing. imagine working all week for something like $100 if it would even be that...

reply to post by DelMar


Link to made in USA page here.

Made in USA page link here

Always on the lookout for things I need that are made by my fellow citizens. Collected a few links and put them on a webpage.

Will post additional links as discovered.

We can make a difference. Fiesta dishes, made in W virginia. Pyrex glassware, made in USA, sold at Target. Some New Balance shoes are still made here (see link on USA page).

Sometimes there is no choice, but check the tag, buy USA when you can. IMHO....

For the extremist, search made in USA on ebay. Buy used goods at thrift stores and yard sales. Have goods restored, repaired. Made in China is not sustainable. Eventually we will run out of credit, and SHTF.

Originally posted by FreeSpeaker

Before the righteous hate starts against microsoft let me just point out that MS only buys parts from this Chinese company and does not run it. Its chinese owned and governed by chinese laws so please be logical and place the blame on China and not the companies that buy from them.

You can say that these companies shouldn't deal with this company but then all the things like Iphones, Playstations, Xbox's would cost a hell of a lot more and I'm sure the demanding western consumers would be in a rage and crying hysterically that they cannot aford the new Iphone.

Or they could design electronics better? I could see a modular based design for gaming consoles being cost effective(and smart phones? waste of resources). Microsoft contracts out so it won't be held liable for the grave human rights abuse taking place in Chinese manufacturer centers. It is psychopathic to even begin to justify the abuse with the rational "it is legal". Heck slavery was once legal in the South but that doesn't change the fact that it was a completely and totally immoral institution!

Microsoft and the other companies have a hell of a lot more power in this situation. Hell they write the rule book because they could easily go elsewhere. And this has jack to do with "bringing consumers affordable products" and I am coming close to calling you an outright liar. Because I don't know if you haven't noticed, but the price of goods is fairly close to what they cost "before China".

Heck back in the day the Philips CD cost only like $500 at launch, A Super Nintendo cost like $210 etc. You could make the argument "technology got more advanced", so I will end that argument before it is even born. It is now cheaper to manufacturer electronic components due to technological breakthroughs.

This has nothing to do with anything except making the rich richer and the poor poorer. Chinese workers are forced to work in sweat shop conditions so stock owners like Bill Gates and CEO's like Steve Ballmer can collect even more obscene bonus's and dividends.

Originally posted by LightSpeedDriver

Don't get me wrong, I love my ipod touch but if I had known it was made under conditions that are now coming to light, I would have avoided it like the plague.

Then you should start to educate yourself, beyond the so called MSM.

China is the "capitalist" state of the world. It's sort of Ironi, you know, that this so-called communist state, is the only "capitalist" state the world knows. The US doesn't come close.

The Marxist conception of socialism is that of a specific historical phase that will displace capitalism and precede communism.

In other words, socialistic states precedes communism. And all of Europe are socialistic, as well as the United states as well. And all of these states, are increasing state regulations, and decreasing freedom ... i.e. on their way towards communism.

However, communism leads to capitalism ... and that is what Marx didn't foresee.

In China, you have to pay for your hospital care, school. There is nothing free ... and as time goes, everything centers on money ...

Originally posted by korathin

Because I don't know if you haven't noticed, but the price of goods is fairly close to what they cost "before China".

Chinese workers are forced to work in sweat shop conditions so stock owners like Bill Gates and CEO's like Steve Ballmer can collect even more obscene bonus's and dividends.

Correct, it's modern slavery.

And not only that, Guarantee for the products has gone down ... prices the same, cost of production has gone down, the quality has gone down, and the companies have shorter guarantee for their products.

Yeb, Bill Gates and the Holy CEO's, get rich on slavery.