Foxconn, Apple’s manufacturer of things you likely own and Chinese despair, was last week’s corporate target on The Daily Show (sorry we missed it until now). It’s funny! But then it alternates between funny and Oh wait, this is true and awful. But then funny again! You need to watch this.
It’s nothing you haven’t heard before — Foxconn work conditions are awful and we should all feel a little guilty for using iPhones — but it’s nothing we shouldn’t be reminded of regularly.
Abe
Sunday, January 22, 2012 at 11:10 AMThats a clever way to spread the word out!
So funny!!!
Gebze
Sunday, January 22, 2012 at 11:49 AMgood on him for doing this
Antipodean
Sunday, January 22, 2012 at 11:52 AMI wonder how much extra it actually would cost to build these types of electronics in countries like the US or even here? Would it really be that much more? You could use robots to do most of the really menial stuff like the soldering in the Siri game! Also have to wonder if Foxconn is using robots or whether it is actually cheaper to use slaves, I mean workers!
smurfydog
Sunday, January 22, 2012 at 3:21 PMLabor costs are so cheap it’s cheaper to assemble by hand.
A very interesting look at workers in Shenzhen can be heard on This American Life here http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/454/mr-daisey-and-the-apple-factory
Ozoneocean
Sunday, January 22, 2012 at 7:52 PMYeah, with poorer regulatory conditions and labour costs, it’s cheaper and easier to use slaves. Hey, it fuelled the Roman Empire, made America great and helped the Nazis so well in WW2, but as we know from those examples there are deferred hidden costs that eventually have to be paid.
BrightNobleWoman
Monday, January 23, 2012 at 9:08 AMWhat Chinese workers need is an Industrial Revolution. It’s been done before, but it worked.
Also how do the wages compare to buying power?
Aliasalpha
Monday, January 23, 2012 at 7:08 PMDoes it matter? Its not like they can SEE their families starving in abject poverty, its almost like its not happening at all!
Benny
Monday, January 23, 2012 at 10:08 AMHaha, ‘Well at 35 hours straight, it does add up.’
Iain
Monday, January 23, 2012 at 8:28 PMIs it weird or ironic that the video won’t play on an iPad.