Cheap Chinese jackets at what cost ultimately?

[Smithy]

One thing which makes me absolutely livid and was in the Aussie news today, wet markets in China are opening again and starting to operate as they did pre CV and selling bats and other exotic animals as food and "medicine".

You think they would have learnt a thing or two after this colossal balls up.

 

[stanier]

One thing which makes me absolutely livid and was in the Aussie news today, wet markets in China are opening again and starting to operate as they did pre CV and selling bats and other exotic animals as food and "medicine".

You think they would have learnt a thing or two after this colossal balls up.

Is this true? If yes, this beyond appalling. Our politicians need to grow a pair and pursue a wtf is going on strategy and ditch the dancing round handbag one we currently have. And start with pursuing some explanation and compensation for what these practices have unleashed on all of us.

 

[Smithy]

Here's the link Chris and the story is dated today. Appalling given what's happened and is still going on right now.

https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/h...9/news-story/104a81601ff7b94fec6dae3e158ad0a1

 

[Micawber]

If that is a reliable report then my feelings are unrepeatable.

 

[stanier]

I am utterly, utterly shocked and dumb founded. And believe me, they aren't the right words. If I force myself to look past those caged dogs destined for someones table and try to tell myself that different cultures shouldn't judge each other by their own standards, the whole thing is an absolute jaw dropping disgusting disgrace.

Can someone please tell me what the difference is between a scientifically produced weapon of mass destruction and a negligent, dumb arsed, backwardly uncivilized produced weapon of mass destruction? I think the answer is: the first you risk getting bombed, the second you get away with.

 

[Brettafett]

Yes, this is beyond disgusting... Its going to come back and 'bite' them again.
Its a massive problem, but not easy to eradicate. Its a cultural thing (no offence intended to anyone please). Similar issues in South Africa with poaching and the like.
This is all a certain group of people know, its how they operate and make a living and in many cases its all they've known for generations and really believe its ok. I blame the leaders and governments for allowing it and in so many cases not only turning a blind eye, but even being a part of it. We as a species have a lot to answer for....

 

[ButteMT61]

One big reason we lost industry here aside from cheap labor is the fact that many of these countries don't have an EPA like we do, or a very weak iteration of one.
We have "cleaned up America" by sending the pollution to developing nations.
Two birds, one stone. Cheap labor, and no laws to speak of regarding pollution and the costs to lessen it.
We are so full of shit here. "Clean" my ass. We just outsourced our pollution and workforce.

 

[Nickb123]

Don't forget the Wuhan chemical weapons laboratory down the street from where this is said to have started...the conspiracy-mind in me.

ETA the theory has been largely debunked, but still...very odd.

 

[ButteMT61]

Don't forget the Wuhan chemical weapons laboratory down the street from where this is said to have started...the conspiracy-mind in me.

ETA the theory has been largely debunked, but still...very odd.

NO conspriracy - the doc that saw it and tried to warn was killed early-on and not been mentioned that I've seen since...

 

[Smithy]

I know too that they've identified patient zero, and low and behold if it wasn't someone from that wet market in Wuhan.

Sooner or later people want to write to their MP, congressman/woman, etc, etc and say how right royally pissed off and outraged you are with this and that as a tax payer you want your government to do something about putting pressure on the Chinese to cut this immoral and unhygienic crap out. And not just the usual insipid diplomatic statements which amount to nothing more than a slap with a wet bus ticket, but to actually do something to put real pressure on them to make sure this stops.

Otherwise in another few years we'll be in the same shit again. This is non-negotiable. It has to stop.

 

[Rutger]

Meanwhile, CO2 emissions are going down at a much higher rate than ever thought possible.

 

[Smithy]

Meanwhile, CO2 emissions are going down at a much higher rate than ever thought possible.

Just imagine how fantastically low they'd be if there were no humans around.

 

[Brettafett]

Aint that the truth.
I am even wanting to go to venice when this lifts, to see the clear water in the canals. Never before seen, in my generation at least.
Irony is, its like this is a wake-up call, a second chance... But what will do once things lift, go right back doing what was done before.
If history teaches us one thing, its that history tends to repeat itself.

 

[Flightengineer]

Aint that the truth.
I am even wanting to go to venice when this lifts, to see the clear water in the canals. Never before seen, in my generation at least.
Irony is, its like this is a wake-up call, a second chance... But what will do once things lift, go right back doing what was done before.
If history teaches us one thing, its that history tends to repeat itself.

If only by this wake-up time we still will have money for trip somewhere.

 

[Smithy]

Aint that the truth.
I am even wanting to go to venice when this lifts, to see the clear water in the canals. Never before seen, in my generation at least.
Irony is, its like this is a wake-up call, a second chance... But what will do once things lift, go right back doing what was done before.
If history teaches us one thing, its that history tends to repeat itself.

You do have to wonder if it's Mother Nature's way of saying "Stop being a pack of unruly pricks and start behaving yourselves."

One thing which might tip this towards the way of change is if the toll from this will turn out to be as bad as some experts are touting, not just the human toil but the economic and societal tolls as well.

If they turn out to be bad (well it's kind of bad already but you know what I mean) then there's no way that people will be able to brush this under the rug and pretend it's back to business as usual.

We'll eventually find out but I think this might turn out to be of such magnitude that when the dust settles we might see significant change.

For example, there's no way countries will let China keep the status quo with those wet markets if hundreds of thousands, perhaps appallingly, millions have died.

This really is such a monumental fuck up, that people/governments just won't be able to let it go without changes.

 

[adfrost]

Just imagine how fantastically low they'd be if there were no humans around.

Believe it or not, there IS a middle ground.

 

[Smithy]

Believe it or not, there IS a middle ground.

Hi Adfrost, my post was really meant as a tongue in cheek response to Rutger's comment. He tends to try to act a bit sanctimonious, and come across a bit "holier than thou" about some things.

 

[ausreenactor]

Meanwhile, CO2 emissions are going down at a much higher rate than ever thought possible.

Pollution is down across the Globe.

 

[kirova]

personally, since many years ago, I have made a point of avoiding made-in-China as much as possible*, as I have family members who were prosecuted/killed by the CCP, and in more recent years, my hometown has been ruined by them (I am originally from Hong Kong).

there is nothing that I could do to even put the slightest dent in that regime, but the least that I could do is to send less of my money their way.

*realistically there are no alternatives for some things, then I will group them into needs and wants, for wants, I will just forgo them (and life has been fine), for needs, I will delay buying a replacement/upgrade for as long as possible. ie my current smart phone is almost 5 years old, turns out I don't need to upgrade my phone every 12 months, phone calls, emails, youtube and social media still works fine on it.

when this sh!t-show is finally over, hopefully more people will think long and hard before they spend their next dollar, and countries will consider not putting all of their eggs into the one basket.

 

[kirova]

I don't think that you could find a phone or computer that was not made, at least in part, in China these days. Unfortunately we have become very reliant on them for our modern products. I would think that nearly all of us use Chinese goods in some form in our daily life at home and at work.

at least for computers, yeah you can't go 100% China-free, but if you do your research, you can still minimize the money you spend with them.

I recently built a new PC last X'mas, and $$$ wise, about 80% of the parts were not made in China, and I re-used my existing mouse/keyboard/monitor as well.

as far as jackets goes, as nice and value for money the Bronsons and Bob Dongs are, sorry, I just cannot bring myself to buying one, I still have many other jackets anyway.