Chinese-manufactured Halloween decoration contains handwritten plea for help from Chinese worker

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A woman said to write like a man.
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The thread title says it all, folks.

http://shine.yahoo.com/work-money/l...lp-found-halloween-decorations-202400773.html

Letter from Chinese Laborer Pleading for Help Found in Halloween Decorations

By Jessica Ferri -- December 28, 2012

Julie Keith was unpacking some of last year's Halloween decorations when she stumbled upon an upsetting letter wedged into the packaging....

... The letter reads: "Sir, if you occasionally buy this product, please kindly resend this letter to the World Human Right Organization. Thousands people here who are under the persecution of the Chinese Communist Party Government will thank and remember you forever."

...

So much for globalism.


.
 

Gretad08

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That's tremendously sad. I can't fathom being unable to escape this type of tragic life, and feeling the need to send "help" letters to the outside world.
 

Silver King

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Except, without globalism...would this plea have even come out at all?
That, and it sounds like some prank bullshit that anyone, from any country, could try to pull off:

OMG! I'm being held against my will in a factory while working twenty hours per day. Please send help ASAP!!!


 

veinglory

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Except that it lines up with what is known about that site, which would be a remarkable coincidence.

A reminder, IMHO, of the cost of dirt cheap products.
 

Zoombie

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Frankly, I wish that we could use this immense inter-connectivity to put the screws on these assholes.

We have immense power, as consumers. We should use it.
 

Kaiser-Kun

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That, and it sounds like some prank bullshit that anyone, from any country, could try to pull off:

OMG! I'm being held against my will in a factory while working twenty hours per day. Please send help ASAP!!!

...So here's the story, all about how my life was flipped-turned upside down, and I'd like to take a minute, just sit right there, I'll tell you how I became the prince of a town called Bel Air...
 

benbradley

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Frankly, I wish that we could use this immense inter-connectivity to put the screws on these assholes.

We have immense power, as consumers. We should use it.
The "we" who are more than vaguely aware of worker conditions are a small minority, and with all the noise made over the decades about Nike, Walmart and Apple, it's as if the vast majority are intentionally turning a blind eye so they can have their goodies.

http://www.walmartmovie.com/

http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/17/opinion/nova-apple-foxconn/index.html

http://www.businessinsider.com/what...e-dealt-with-its-chinese-labor-scandal-2012-3
 

kuwisdelu

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Frankly, I wish that we could use this immense inter-connectivity to put the screws on these assholes.

We have immense power, as consumers. We should use it.

The "we" who are more than vaguely aware of worker conditions are a small minority, and with all the noise made over the decades about Nike, Walmart and Apple, it's as if the vast majority are intentionally turning a blind eye so they can have their goodies.

http://www.walmartmovie.com/

http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/17/opinion/nova-apple-foxconn/index.html

http://www.businessinsider.com/what...e-dealt-with-its-chinese-labor-scandal-2012-3

The problem is it's pretty much everyone. All of their major competitors use the exact same factories. It's just that some of them get more publicity about it than others.

You have to get very, very creative to try to avoid them. You can't buy a computer from any major manufacturer without some component coming from Foxconn.

(And no, building your own isn't any better if you still use an Intel or AMD processor.)

Good luck.
 

clintl

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What's needed are some laws holding companies accountable for the labor practices of their suppliers. This is not an overwhelming additional burden. Companies routinely impose specifications on their suppliers, and inspect their suppliers' factories for compliance. Such additional requirements could easily be added to what they already do.

Threatening to toss a few CEOs in prison over this would be a very effective way to clean it up.
 

benbradley

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The problem is it's pretty much everyone. All of their major competitors use the exact same factories. It's just that some of them get more publicity about it than others.

You have to get very, very creative to try to avoid them. You can't buy a computer from any major manufacturer without some component coming from Foxconn.

(And no, building your own isn't any better if you still use an Intel or AMD processor.)

Good luck.
Here's some interesting things on the Raspberry Pi:
http://www.raspberrypi.org/archives/509
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raspberry_Pi#Launch

Not everyone has taken the sell-high-volume-as-cheap-as-possible route - here's the owner of Snapper mowers:
http://www.fastcompany.com/54763/man-who-said-no-wal-mart
 

Zoombie

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What's needed are some laws holding companies accountable for the labor practices of their suppliers. This is not an overwhelming additional burden. Companies routinely impose specifications on their suppliers, and inspect their suppliers' factories for compliance. Such additional requirements could easily be added to what they already do.

Threatening to toss a few CEOs in prison over this would be a very effective way to clean it up.

I approve of all these things.