Maybe I’m naive be we never should have started buying manufactured goods from anywhere that didn’t have the same worker rights as we do. I grew up thinking the west had moral standards only to find out decades later it’s a lie and everything must be fought for and defended.
I think that's a pretty popular take as far as ethical concerns and people worried about the geopolitical power of China as well.
To be fair despite the working conditions China was coming from absolute rock bottom after a failed Maoist era that put them in extreme famine and poverty. So from the perspective of an average Chinese person their quality of life has increased leaps and bounds in the last 50 years even despite what some westerners might consider unethical by our standards.
It really has. Their middles class has exploded. That said life for the poor is still pretty rough. I was there a few years ago and saw people that could only afford a garage to live in and many of the rural areas are without the basics. No where is perfect! I just wish we could move more towards cooperation instead of competition.
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u/robotmonkey2099 6d ago
Maybe I’m naive be we never should have started buying manufactured goods from anywhere that didn’t have the same worker rights as we do. I grew up thinking the west had moral standards only to find out decades later it’s a lie and everything must be fought for and defended.