ya know, it really sucks to have to admit this...but Ross Perot was right about globalism.

Apple sucks. Their products suck.

/glad jobs finally died, was about time.

imontheinternet: Weaver95: ya know, it really sucks to have to admit this...but Ross Perot was right about globalism.

this

Globalism has just made a more efficient world-wide caste system. The labor pool is diluted by countries that allow slave wages and horrible treatment of workers. The wealthiest companies profit on human suffering, while a short-sighted, debt-based consumerism fuels demand in the first world.

Labor is worth less and less all across the world in a race to the bottom, while debt destroys the middle classes of developed countries. The elite caste, as always, reaps the benefits.

that's the short term. in the long term, things will even out. the manufacturing countries will have more money and the playing field will start to balance, and bla bla bla. that's why america sucks now, it's starting to become a loser. which is good for the world, and will be good for america long term.

this is what is important about globalization: we will not have another world war. by making all of the big countries mutually dependent upon one another, you have eradicated any incentive for total war.

too bad there are losers. at least world war III will not happen.

imontheinternet: pute kisses like a man: this is what is important about globalization: we will not have another world war. by making all of the big countries mutually dependent upon one another, you have eradicated any incentive for total war.

too bad there are losers. at least world war III will not happen.

Great call, Dr. Gatling.

What globalization ensures is that when one part of the world fails, like let's say Europe, the rest of the world is brought down with it. When every nation becomes poor and desperate within the same few years' time, guess what the result will be.

Globalization has only made the exploitation of the poor by the rich more efficient and wide-spread, while tying every nation to the same sinking ship of debt and corruption.

the rich exploit the poor. that happened before globalization and will happen regardless of where the exploiter and exploited exist.

globalization, specifically, is the breaking down of trade barriers. the better a country does, the more it wants to break down trade barriers. that is why the US has been a proponent of breaking down barriers to trade. and will continue to be.

however, it is beneficial to other nations to lower their barriers to trade. while america wants to enter other nation's markets, one of the biggest markets on earth is america. everyone wants to have market access to the US. that's the trade, you let us we'll let you in. that's globalization.

the only way to stem the tide of globalization is to raise barriers to trade. for one, that would violate international treaties. for two, protectionism has historically been a damaging route for america to take.

the worst thing we could do to our economy is raise barriers to trade. we need continued access to those nations with which we do business, just like we need continued access to cheap products.

as an aside, smoot-hawley was a failure, likely prolonged the depression and spurred WWII.

everytime you make a protectionist move, you give a mediocre industry a boast, while a legitimate industry suffers.

for example, Bush wanted to make a steel refining a bigger deal in the US. what happens, the steel industry gets government money. it is too inefficient an industry to exist without government money.

who suffers? new orleans ports. 90% of the steel entering america went through the port of new orleans. (oh yeah, and the US screwed us out of chicory too. US sued France for some MFN violations, and as a countervailing measure they put a 25% tariff on france's export of chicory. 90% of chicory in america is consumed in louisiana... good luck finding a decent cafe au lait. the US hates this little civilian state - i think they're still pissed we refused their common law)

globalization is about finding what you're good at. industries that are inefficient die. that's how it works. not too many people are making hand cobbled shoes wholesale. while that gives me a sad, it's a fact that I've learned to deal with.

Now, I agree that the way business is done currently sucks and cannot continue as it is:

ideally, the global trading partners will seriously address their current practices. this includes having minimum labor standards, human rights mandates, etc. this is not going to be resolved by bycotting products, this will be resolved by continued involvement and an active desire to change the purpose of the WTO/GATT and various PTAs (preferential trade agreemetns), and other international treaties.

for example, the EU. while it has broken down nearly all barriers to trade within Europe, it also mandates certain humanitarian virtues. mixing the commercial with the legal/ethical is the means to having a more humane globalization.

but, globalization itself will not stop. and so what, countries hit slumps and have depressions. it's not the apocalypse. just wait a couple of years and we'll be in a new bubble, and couple years later, in another depression.

/ sorry, can't edit this, I've got to catch a bus or I'm stuck at work another hour. I got carried away and I've got to run, I know it's a cop out, sorry for spelling/grammar/illogical statements/poor structure. i should probably delete all this, but. wtf.

I was wondering where the next big anti-Apple propaganda campaign was going to come from. Last fall's "new iPhone is exactly the same as the old one" campaign failed miserably when record numbers of people bought the 4s. When I heard that Apple was going to announce record profits on January 24, I even knew when the next big manufactured problem would suddenly develop. But what would it be?

Now we know. The paid shills and brainwashed douchebags are crowing about labor conditions in Chinese factories, while carefully failing to mention that many other manufacturers use the exact same companies, and get their product built by the exact same workers.

If you people really care about these workers, you'll put pressure on all the companies that do business with the Chinese, rather than parroting pre-fabricated opinions about one particular company.

Yeah, like that'll happen.