Is it just me, or is the "China is killing your pet, your teeth, your car tires (etc)" campaign

[Nikki Stone1]

actually something planned. I know, tinfoil hat, but I've needed a lot more tinfoil since this administration took hold. It just seems odd to me that we've heard nothing about Chinese product quality until now, and now it is EN MASSE. Every other week, there's something new.

One wonders if this is a campaign of sorts.

:tinfoilhat:

[murielm99]

1. They have been killing

and sickening their own people with their products, too. They have surplus population, so they don't seem to care.

I don't think they are doing that. They care about their standing in the world, especially with the Olympics coming up. This is a good time to pressure them for quality.

We don't need all this stuff from China. We are capable of making our own products. What is it going to take for our country to see that?

[Nikki Stone1]

2. I had forgotten about the Olympics.

This IS the time to pressure them. Now it makes sense.

[SoCalDem]

15. But hey.. They "promised" to have drinkable/safe water in a 3.9 kilometer

range of the main venues.. what more could you ask :eyes:

[terisan]

3. It was a problem ready to explode and the pet deaths triggered the other stories.

[originalpckelly]

4. They have no respect for the environment either.

Remember that benzene spill they tried to cover up?

[donsu]

5. our chemical companies cover up spills, etc. every day

nt

[Edweird]

19. I might be mistaken, but I seem to recall this being a particularly large spill.

Waaaayyy bigger than the incidents here in the states.

[aquart]

6. And the purpose of it would be what, dear?

[Nikki Stone1]

11. Dunno, snookums.

The pattern is there. The purpose is up for grabs.

[kestrel91316]

13. They are our biggest competitor. Maybe the spooks have been given

the task of damaging their reputation so that they will lose some of their economic power?

Actually, though, I think it is more a case of them REALLY and truly making tainted product for profit, and getting caught.

[iamahaingttta]

7. It's a by-product of consumer capitalism...

...run amok!

The race to the bottom inevitably leads to short cuts and lousy quality control. It's only going to get worse until the average American consumer figures out that they're being used by the profit-making machine. That's the more important "conspiracy" to be concerned about. Then someday, we'll be able to live our lives without so much cheap plastic crap that we don't need anyway...

[Johonny]

8. faster, better, cheaper

You generally can achieve all three of these things.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

9. Playing to people's fears is a good way of selling lotsa toothpaste and pet food.

And, the media, bless their souls, is in the business of doing just that.

[Richard Steele]

10. I don't think it's "planned", per se....

I think it's our craptacular US media seizing
an opportunity to play "real journalist" for
a change.

They sure haven't been investigating the problems
in THIS country with the same vigor for quite awhile,
and they've finally started to notice that WE have
lost faith in them. So they're DESPERATE to find some
"real reporting" to do, but they can't do it on any
subjects that will offend their corporate masters.

So, it's off to China! They get to report, we get some
real & useful news, and the US Media Owners don't get
their dirty little toes stepped on- everybody wins!

[leftofthedial]

12. it is a true story

not a bush lie

[depakid]

14. Not planned- just the inevitable product of "free" market fundamentalism

Where business entities aren't regulated responsibly, this sort of this is bound to happen.

Adam Smith knew this- and classical economists like David Ricardo would have gone apoplectic about globalization and expatriating capital in return for shoddy goods and services.

History shows very clearly what the lack of regulations accomplishes- adulterated food, precarious speculation on margin, and fraudulent marketing- to name just a few.

Of course, fundamentalists won't be swayed by reason- no matter how obvious and/or egregious the consequences. As long as it's not their oxen being gored, that is.

[madrchsod]

16. when ever i buy something i check to see where it`s made

if it`s china. then i verbalize the i have to check and see if it`s made in china cause of all the poison they put in their products...

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

17. I don't think it's coordinated.

I think there's underlying sinophobia though. If memory serves me correctly, there've been some rather dramatic recalls of American tires and American food in the past few years, involving people actually being killed, and nobody talked about boycotting all American products.

[catmandu57]

18. I think it's just pure and simple greed

Getting by as cheaply as possible and to hell with the consequences.