We want to manufacture iPhones on US soil entirely? Well, where are those factories going to be? What children will live in dangerous health conditions in perpetuity because of the pollution that will come with it? Where will all the waste go?
Western nations pride themselves with achievements in environmental, labour and other industry regulations. Extending them further down the supply chain would maximize their positive effects.
When an American goes abroad to abuse children we round up a storm about the despicability of one person — and then throw them in prison.
When a global corporation does it, we roil in the injustice with various huffing and puffing, and then go on with our lives.
Sent from my iPhone (TM)
The comment wasn’t to say it is okay, it was to highlight that to enjoy a certain level of comfort in the modern world, we need to do some pretty bad things. And most people don’t even realize what they are until it hits their backyard.
Also, let me frame it this way, given that you’re not okay with pollution sufferings of people in China, would you be okay if the same factory was set up next to your house, given that even the most factories operating under safe standards still emit enough pollution to have long term effects on humans? Virtue signaling on the internet is easy, real world is hard.
I disagree. We can do without, but some "have not yet". And big biz is really good in exploiting that. I simply refuse to go with the fatalistic "we need to".
Hang on for a thought experiment... Say we only tax "bad behavior" defined as: polluting, resource usage (land, water, etc.), resource hoarding (excessive wealth), products/services that are deemed unhealthy/immoral. And we do not tax good behavior: income from labor, having a house, buying healthy food, etc. If we do this fair and square (for persons and businesses alike) the market will find solutions. Currently the market's optimized towards bad behavior, and we are starting to see the results of that.