October 8, 2007

• With this whole thing about China putting lead on toys and in toothpaste its really made me realize just how much stuff China makes for America. This keyboard I type on and the mouse I use were both made in China. Same with the monitor. My very fingers that I type with? That's right, China, which is really interesting since the rest of me is Italian. Still, it is astounding all of the things made in China. Its also disheartening. I realize that all of these Chinese products are going to take years off of my life. I know what you are thinking "Mike, you are really overreacting on this, its not like you have been eating or chewing on all of these inanimate objects." Welllllll, actually...................See, I've got this oral fixation of sorts. I'm always chewing on things, anything really I can put in my mouth. Ok, maybe not the mouse, keyboard or monitor. Ok, well at least not most of the monitor. But the fingers? I'm always chewing on my nails. And the pens at my desk at work? In my mouth all of the time. The little mini Cubs batting helmet? In the mouth it goes. The stress relievers and little toys (such as a top and mini Slinkey) at my desk are in my mouth when not on the desk. Shit, even the toothpicks I have were made in China. I put so much shit in my mouth, one would think I was teething. This also helps to explain the poor condition of my teeth, not the chewing on everything but the chewing on lead. Now don't get me wrong, I have changed a lot and have stopped putting random things in my mouth, since I assume that they are all made in China and therefore are tainted with lead. But I still would not be the least bit surprised to find out that I have lead poisoning.

  I know that most of the overly patriotic, flag waiving Republicans out there probably want to boycott China made products just because they are not made in America, Well, first of all, good luck finding anything not made in China. And should you find something not made in China, good luck finding something made in America. Shit, even that afro I wore for Halloween one year was made in China. But, boycotting all non American products is not that simple. Take the China situation for example. In a weird way, the whole American economy is dependent on these products being made in China. Of course, the Chinese economy relies entirely on us as well. And before the Republicans go on saying "fuck the Chinese, who gives a shit about them?" consider this. As is my understanding, China has the power to turn America into a third world country virtually overnight. I know that is a powerful statement and I really wish I could be better at explaining it, but to simplify it for me and you, China owns a good portion of America. We are for the most part, in debt to them. If they call in those debts, we are toast. Now again, I want to stress that I'm not explaining it as well as a real economist could, but that is the bottom line of it. That being said, because so many products are made in China, if they did that to us, we would not have the means to have our products made there and therefore, the entire Chinese economy would come crashing down. On the other hand, if we all of a sudden stopped having our products made in China, they can call in those debts and turn America into a third world country. And if they didn't do that, the cost of all of our products would increase so much that our economy would crash on its own. So, America and China are basically reliant on each other and need each other for survival. We have each other by the balls, so that pretty much ensures that there won't be any change.

  That being said, with the numerous human rights violations going on in China and the fact that China is a BIG supporter of the genocide in Darfur, how can we turn a blind eye or bury our heads in the sand. At some point, I believe we have a moral obligation to toe that ever so delicate line between doing what is best for America and what is morally right. This is where international diplomacy and politics comes in. The tough part is that we don't exactly have any leverage, its not like we can very well pull all of our products from China. Also, its not like the human rights violations in China are a top priority for us, we have so many other more pressing issues to deal with. But, this is where the people and corporations of America come in. I firmly believe that they are the ones that can influence change. Of course, I have no idea how we could do that. Its such a tough situation with no easy solution, compounded by the fact that not enough people know or care about the situation.

  • 11:00 pm
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