this post was submitted on 05 Mar 2025
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Yeah because it was cheaper labor. The US does not have that level of cheap labor.
It doesn't have that level YET.
That's also not how that works. China can get away with having cheap labor because it also has cheap cost of living. But the cost of living in the US is ridiculously high. These tariffs are only going to make the cost of living go up.
Yet
Possibly however unlikely.
Surely Americans would riot once they can no longer afford a Big Mac.
An hour of labor hasn't bought a big Mac for about a decade iirc.
at some point, eventually, maybe... american's will come to realise chinas economic growth and domination of manufacturing and technology is built on a far more sophisticated suite of policies (good and bad) then they have been brainwashed into believing.
huawei isn't huawei bc they pay their employees less.
you should jump on a plane and check it out, genuinely fun country to travel in and you will learn a lot.
no im not a tankie, taiwan fucking rocks.
That's a dumb argument, labor in the 80s when we started to shift heavily into China was factually orders of magnitude cheaper and they had almost no labor regulations. Now sure they have more protections but that isn't reflective of years gone by.
Labor protections are necessary and good, however China also has more robust social welfare in general, that's less cost out of their pocket meaning their wages don't necessarily have to be as high to have a similar standard of living elsewhere.
Not saying they do, but on the whole they don't have the same level of disparity we have in the US for instance.
That's a point sure but a weird and unrelated one that's strangely boastful of China... Sooo..
What point exactly is it you're trying to make here and why are you trying to make it to me?
It was relevant to the thread I thought? Just something to think about
How is it relevant?
Talking about the relationship of moving manufacturing to China due to the lower costs associated with it, one aspect is because the workers don't need to be paid as much to still be able to live better then the poorest in the US.
Is that not relevant in your opinion? It's just what came to mind when I was reading the thread on my break 🤷♂️
No because American capitalists don't care about human suffering so long as it's not their suffering they do however care a lot about profit margin. If they could make another 5 billion by kicking a family member to death I'm not sure I know of a billionaire that doesn't seem like they'd jump at the chance.
Lol you're not wrong, I wasn't really talking from the point of view of the socio!/psychopaths at the top, just the general economics that made it possible in a way that didn't result in strikes and such therefore disrupting their income.
Thinking back to like the Gilded age with strikes taking place and the military coming in to put it down lol.
The billionaires don't give a shit about the living conditions of us peasants, however they benefit from a social safety net existing as they can get away with underpaying workers for longer without fear of rebellion, whether they realize it or not.