Child labor in factories producing Samsung devices

[Phynaz]

http://www.chinalaborwatch.org/pro/proshow-175.html

Work conditions described as "well below" those of Apple supplier Foxcon factories.

I'm interested to see if this will cause the furor that was attached to Apple.





I spent a while debating whether or not to lock this thread, or to move it to Politics and News.

While there's an element of "well you didn't lock the iPhone ones, so if you lock this one, it's not fair", the iPhone ones were being discussed in the news everywhere and were definitely being debated in popular culture at the time. Alternatively, this thread doesn't seem to be surprising to very many and the last page of threads are all about politics and not about technical discussion.

I'm going to lock on the basis that the discussion has moved off-topic.

As always, people who disagree with me are more than welcome to Private Message me (or TheStu or both) and point out the flaws in my reasoning and this decision may reconsidered if you make a good enough case.

Moderator PM

 

[ChAoTiCpInOy]

I'm interested to see if this will cause the furor that was attached to Apple.

As am I.

 

[zsdersw]

I'm interested to see if this will ... Do you think we hurt its feelings too much?

 

[cheezy321]

If it doesn't, do you think we should feel sorry for Apple being picked on so harshly? Do you think we hurt its feelings too much?

What do you think about Samsung factories? We already know what you think of Apple...

 

[zsdersw]

What do you think about Samsung factories? We already know what you think of Apple...

I don't know. The article in the OP is about the factories of one of Samsung's suppliers, not Samsung's own factories.

I'm disgusted by any instance of poor/hazardous working conditions.

 

[Phynaz]

I don't know. The article in the OP is about the factories of one of Samsung's suppliers, not Samsung's own factories.

I'm disgusted by any instance of poor/hazardous working conditions.

Did you make this distinction during the Foxconn flare up?

 

[zsdersw]

Did you make this distinction during the Foxconn flare up?

I didn't make any posts about the Foxconn situation.

 

[ChAoTiCpInOy]

If it doesn't, do you think we should feel sorry for Apple being picked on so harshly? Do you think we hurt its feelings too much?

No. But you should understand that its not just apple.

 

[ChAoTiCpInOy]

http://www.kernelmag.com/features/report/3028/samsung-power-corruption-and-lies/

 

[zsdersw]

No. But you should understand that its not just apple.

Never said or believed that it was.

 

[zsdersw]

http://www.kernelmag.com/features/report/3028/samsung-power-corruption-and-lies/

 

[Phynaz]

http://www.kernelmag.com/features/report/3028/samsung-power-corruption-and-lies/

Dude, come on, that has nothing at all to do with the topic.

 

[Phynaz]

I didn't make any posts about the Foxconn situation.

Fair enough.

 

[jhansman]

I'm waiting for you all to toss your phones (and every other piece of electronics you own) in the garbage when you find out that less than ideal working conditions exist for the workers who fabricated them. China/Taiwan/Indonesia are not the U.S., and expecting companies who operate in these countries to behave as we would is simply ludicrous. Wake up folks, it's the 21st century and you are in the first world.

 

[ChAoTiCpInOy]

Dude, come on, that has nothing at all to do with the topic.

Yeah I realize that now.

 

[Zaap]

I'm waiting for you all to toss your phones (and every other piece of electronics you own) in the garbage when you find out that less than ideal working conditions exist for the workers who fabricated them. China/Taiwan/Indonesia are not the U.S., and expecting companies who operate in these countries to behave as we would is simply ludicrous. Wake up folks, it's the 21st century and you are in the first world.

annnnd... /Thread.

But something tells me, nope, it won't end there. All the people who were excusing the Apple/Foxconn flap will now behave just as badly over Samsung... and somehow think they're making a point about how bad it was for people to pick on Apple/Foxconn.

 

[stormkroe]

On the extreme other end, in Alberta $30/hour gets me spoiled oil-field 20 year olds that need 2 coffee breaks a day and drop their tools at 5pm on the dot. At least with GPS on most phones they can find their butts with both hands.
/rant

 

[Phynaz]

I'm waiting for you all to toss your phones (and every other piece of electronics you own) in the garbage when you find out that less than ideal working conditions exist for the workers who fabricated them. China/Taiwan/Indonesia are not the U.S., and expecting companies who operate in these countries to behave as we would is simply ludicrous. Wake up folks, it's the 21st century and you are in the first world.

So child labor is okay with you.

 

[Ravynmagi]

So child labor is okay with you.

You think you've never bought anything that was produced by child labor? Probably not. Does that mean you are okay with child labor too? Sorry, I think that is kind of a stupid question.

 

[Dumac]

So child labor is okay with you.

I'm just a kid who wants you to know the truth about child labor laws.

They're silly and outdated. In the good old days kids as young as five could work as they pleased from textile factories to iron smelts...

Yippee! Hooray!

But today, the age-old right of children to work is under attack. From the Philippines to Bangladesh, in China and India, and South America too.

 

[Zaap]

So child labor is okay with you.

So you're still beating your wife?

 

[elitejp]

Its ok with me. Like others have said this aint talking about america. And for most of these kids this is a real step up from where they would be without this job. No one is pulling these kids out of school and forcing them to get a paying job. These kids werent going to school anyways and the govt cant get them in a classroom because they dont want to be there. (Kinda like the no kid left behind policy in america. The govt tries to help every kid get good education but rather the kids just slack off even more.) China makes provision for kids in poverty to go to school at a free or reduced cost but the kids still dont go. Tibetans are a perfect example of this. They would rather watch the flocks than get an education. Its their culture, not yours, but theirs. Dont understand why people think they should tell others how to live their life. And like ive written before on this topic, since its a common theme, if you think the Samsung factory, or the Nike factory, or the gucci factory or whatever factory is a bad place to work in just compare it to a local (chinese) factory and you will see that these oversees firms are a prized place to work for. I dont know this because i read it in a newspaper, I know it because I have lived with these people for over ten years. So whatever ten minute research the editor put into the article to sensationalize their work and try and draw more hits on their site is not going to make me believe differently than what ive seen day in day out. Choose what you want to believe but these articles get old really fast.

 

[Phynaz]

^ Didn't bother to read the linked report.

 

[Phynaz]

So you're still beating your wife?

What?

 

[TheStu]

What?

If you could only answer that question with Yes or No, how would you answer that question.