Thank you. The number of comments saying “let’s have the government force people (companies) to do X” is alarming.
You're welcome to draw up a table which surgically defines what should be regulated or legislated, and what shouldn't. I'll just drop by later to tell you how alarming your assessment was.
After all who's the government to tell companies not to put asbestos in your walls or lead in your water. I'll be honest, every time someone complains governments shouldn't regulate I wonder if they realize they might be alive because of that.
And that's okay. If consumers didn't like their products then they would stop buying them. iphones don't have replaceable batteries but people keep buying them because they don't see that as important. There are phones with replaceable batteries that consumers can buy if they want them.
You need a mobile phone and you have very few choices. How exactly are you protesting? By shooting yourself in the foot and not getting a phone? By going to boutique manufacturers who can barely supply 1% of the market?
Your reasoning is good on paper but not realistic. I'll say it again, the reason you don't have asbestos in your walls or lead in the air (from fuel) isn't because you voted with your wallet but because governments did their part. That should be evidence enough that your assumption is wildly idealistic.
And you completely avoided their very valid point that the likes of asbestos and lead. Perhaps because you have no counter to it?
I don't understand the point you're trying to make about asbestos and leaded gasoline. I support those regulations because they cover much more important issues. As far as I know nobody's gotten lung cancer from not being able to remove their phone's battery.
In the case of batteries and other electronic components, the amount of e waste is very much becoming a problem that other people are being forced to deal with, and that’s not even considering future generations, whose freedoms I very much argue should also be protected.
“Your rights end where mine begin” is very much a laudable sentiment, but we need to be honest about when things sneak over that line, and not fool ourselves because the negative externality isn’t blatantly obvious.
And that's because the companies making them have almost all the power. The power of the consumers' wallet is essentially zero.
Primarc clothing sometimes comes with scraps of paper 'Help, i am being kept as a slave', but people keep buying it. That tells us they don't see slavery as important.
On the contrary, the fact that they were willing to die to end slavery doesn't tell us anything.
I've never heard of that and couldn't find any reference to it with a internet search.
Edit: found it: https://metro.co.uk/2015/12/11/girl-finds-cry-for-help-note-...
How are they going to do that when they're paid barely subsistence wages in corporate scrip that can't be spent on that?
That's what governments are for, to do stuff the people want but can't do individually.
In my book, allowing you to buy a device without replaceable batteries, a choice that you made freely yourself, is not causing harm.
Saying that “people want it” is not good enough. The majority may also want to silence the minority. That’s why we have rights.