A Year Without "Made in China"

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  • June 11, 2011 at 2:39 pm #27099
    Anonymous
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    Unfortunately, due to some of our labor laws, US corporations have found it more profitable to produce overseas, especially China. Manufacturing, which used to make up the largest part of our economy, is now one of the smallest. I, too, remember the words "Made in Taiwan" and "Made in Japan" on a lot of products during my childhood and I agree with ggamboa (I'm sorry, I do not know your name) that our economies are dependent upon each other. I think I can understand where some of the paranoia may come from, the current recession, and I think it has made some of us a little more aware of where things are made. If we buy American, we are supporting American companies and for every $1 we put into manufacturing, our economy grows by $1.40. I must admit that is is refreshing to see US flags that are made in America!

    June 11, 2011 at 2:43 pm #27100
    Anonymous
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    I forgot - there is a great scene in the movie "Tucker" where Jeff Bridges (who plays Preston Tucker, an innovative car manufacturer after WW II that the Big Three are trying to shut down) where he warns us that if we are not careful, we will be buying our cars and electronics from our former enemy!! The students usually miss that line and I re-run the movie and point it out. Did his prediction come true?

    June 29, 2011 at 4:17 pm #27101
    Anonymous
    Guest

    Yes, I would say that Tuckers prediction has come true for the most part. Even if you buy an American car, most if not all the electronic components are foreign made with the majority made in asia. If is not just cars but appliances, Televisions, cell phones, computers the list goes on. How is the U S economy going to compete with this economic power house. One way is to stop buying products made in China, but where can you find these products.

    July 9, 2011 at 7:52 am #27102
    Anonymous
    Guest

    I agree with the first post -- I found Bongiorni's attitude a bit silly and rather frighteningly hostile. To say "I want China out" or "We can stop bringing China through the front door. We can hold up our hands and say no, thank you, we have had enough" strikes me as simplistic and excessively nationalistic. Yes, it is unfortunate that so many manufacturing jobs have left the US, with their solid wages and relatively low skill requirements. However, the global economy is not structured in a way that will bring those particular jobs back to the US, and it is often US companies that have prospered as a result. As the first poster points out, it is US demand that has brought those goods from China, and American consumers continue to prefer to pay low prices and buy Asian-made goods. I'm not suggesting that there aren't problems with this (China's human rights record, product safety oversight, balance of trade issues, etc., etc.) or that there's anything wrong with urging people to buy American-made goods. But Bongiorni's stance, at least as expressed in this short excerpt, seemed lacking in subtlety at the very least (I'm certainly willing to believe she exaggerated her attitude to make a more compelling story).

    July 9, 2011 at 4:40 pm #4655
    Rob_Hugo@PortNW
    Keymaster

    A very humorous and witty read, yet Sara Bongiorni's "A Year Without 'Made in China'" all but reflects the reality of today's world. Seldom will we encounter a tangible consumer/retail item without the words, "Made in China." Her depiction is all but true: if we were to remove every item in our home that was made in China, our home would be mostly empty & barren. No clothes, no toys, no Christmas ornaments...forget about anything we bought from Wal-Mart, Target, and...JCrew & Nordstrom? OMG! Nevertheless, (if you don't know by now...I always discuss/look at different views of an issue) the paranoia depicted by Sara Borgiorni is just silly. I remember growing up in the 70's & 80's, and the words, "Made in Hong Kong", "Made in Taiwan", and "Made in Japan" sparked paranoia among people. People especially thought that the US economy would be taken over by Japan. On the contrary, the US still remained the # 1 economy. Yes, I know, China today is much different. The PRC is a much larger country, and it has already taken back Hong Kong, and Americans today do rely on China for tangible consumer goods, which most Americans themselves have too much pride to make with their own hands(toy squirt guns? ornaments? glass balls filled w/water & glitter?) Still, amidst the concerns of China's supplying the majority of tangible retail items in one's home, one needs to ask him/herself, "To Whom does China sell those tangible retail items?" The point is, China is DEPENDENT on the US for providing those consumers. Some businesses have the philosophy that the customer/consumer is the king....that the demand of customers/consumers is the one that calls the shots. Well, in our case with China & Sara Bongiorni, Bongiorni's family depended on the Chinese for supplying those tangible retail items, yet the Chinese are DEPENDENT on American DEMAND for purchasing those goods. In today's world, China's economy depends on America just as much as America's economy depends on China, and the future will continue to endure this...to a LARGER extent.

    July 9, 2011 at 4:40 pm #27103
    Anonymous
    Guest

    Normal 0 false false false EN-US ZH-CN X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} Many Americans hate to see many things labeled as “Made in China”, when they do shopping, yet most of the time, they do not have other options not to buy them. They really can not control it. I have a colleague at my school. Quite often, she says that products labeled with made in China are not good. But from mine observation, all the clothes she wears are made in China. Why? Because the price is good. She is taking the advantage. I hope she can be quiet in the future.

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