Beverly Mann | June 23, 2016 2:43 pm
I was about to write a post about a Supreme Court opinion issued today, but made the mistake of checking my emails first–and saw this:
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Hi Beverly, you have a chance to see this message from Tuesday?
The cruelty is difficult to fathom — thousands of dogs and countless cats crammed into tiny cages without food or water until they’re beaten, slaughtered and eaten as part of an annual “festival” in Yulin.
Many of these animals are stolen pets still wearing their collars. Imagining my pets in this situation makes me sick.
Animal lovers like you and our Humane Society International operatives in China are the only hope for poor creatures like these. Beverly, please donate to help end the Yulin dog meat festival and other cruelties to animals.
– Wayne Pacelle, President & CEO
——- Forwarded message ——-
From: Humane Society of the United States
Sent: Tuesday, June 21, 2016 1:11 PM
To: Wayne Pacelle
Subject: These dogs take their final journey today
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View this message on our website.
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I tried but was unable to also capture the photos that are part of the email message, but the pictures are on the website here.
Why not just boycott products we know are made in China? I just a few days ago replaced my phone, an LG, with a Samsung. Both companies are Korean–I’m especially glad that Samsung is–and I assume their products are made entirely there. A large boycott of tech products made in China–Apple, for example–could make this f***ing Yulin festival the last.
Now I’ll draft that post about today’s big-news Supreme Court opinion, although I’m no longer much in the mood.
Really … I can’t stand this.
I agree with your general perspective regarding this Yulin dog eating festival. As far as a boycott goes I think it would be wise for all Americans to stop buying products manufactured with primarily exploited labor. But that brings up a wider issue. Many other countries attract corporate business in the very same manner. “Build your factory here and we can supply really low paid workers.” “We can let you profit from the exploitation of our citizens.” It’s not just China. It’s too many other countries in Asia, Central America, and South America. Even the middle east is joining the crowd. And they’re all competing to go the low wage route. And they all have social conditions and peculiarities that we might abhor. So what’s a body to do?
I try hard to buy “Made in the U.S.A.”, but it is difficult to do. Not so much because of price differences, but because of the absence of products that are now made here. Try sneakers. Electronics are only a part of the issue. What used to be made in Japan not long ago started being made in Korea and now is made in China. I’d check the place of manufacture on that Samsung before assuming that it is still Korean made. Keep in mind that Apple products are made in China, but by a Korean company, Foxconn, which is a Korean enterprise. Worse yet, some products made in the U.S.A. stopped being competitive on quality compared to both Asian and European makes. I’m not saying corporate American cars are still junk, but even many of them are not made in the U.S.A. And the cars that are made here are just as likely to be corporate Japanese or Korean anyway.
It seems to me that corporate America is the real culprit in this issue of where products are made and the effect of chasing exploitation wages all over the globe. One solution. A heavy tariff on all exploitation products. Legislation with real teeth to prosecute abusers. Don’t hold your breath until that happens. Our Congress was mostly made in the U.S.A., but is the product of corporate America. They serve their masters at our expense, but they were chosen be real Americans with an inclination to sacrifice their own economic self interests in favor of fear and prejudice.
Much as I despise exploitation pay and treatment, I think there’s a difference between that and rounding up and torturing, starving and killing dogs. The workers, I know, feel that that is their best of very bad options, but at least they know what they’re doing and can leave, and I’ve read that many do.
And while it may be possible, via tariffs, as you suggest, to change the labor equation, that won’t affect the dog meat trade. Nothing will, unless the Chinese government ends it, which it could but won’t unless failing to do so effects their economy.
As for Foxcomm, all I can say is: Geeeeez. It’s a Korean company, not a Chinese one? I’m feeling sick to my stomach. In other words, if you buy a smartphone or, probably, any tech thing—computer, router, modem, TV, anything—no matter the brand, it’s probably made in China.
God.
There is already Chinese opposition attempting to stop this festival. I think domestic pressure is more likely to effect change than a general boycott of Chinese products, the vast majority of which are made nearly a thousand miles away from Yulin.
As I said to Jack, I don’t think anything but economic pressure will cause a change. But it’s heartening that there is now enough domestic pressure about this to make enough waves that people in this country know of it.
I was focusing on the suggested boycott, not the reason to boycott. You’re not wrong from our perspective, but keep in mind that the Hindus of the world see beef eaters as barbarians. In France they eat horse meat. In much of the middle east they exhibit yet worse atrocities, such as stoning women to death, killing family members as a way to restore “honor”, and perform cliteral cutting on young girls.
My point is that the world is mostly barbaric in the social interactions of people. It’s what humans do. Remember, there is nothing humane about most human behavior. In fact the word humane is a bit of an oxymoron. So why pick on a bunch of dog eaters, as disgusting as their behavior may be?
The five countries with the most state sponsored executions in 2015:
China, Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, United States
A few other countries filter into the top six now and again: Sudan, Iraq, Somalia, North Korea but the U.S has been in the top five every year except one since 2006. And then still was top six.
http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/death-penalty-international-perspective
I am more than sympathetic to boycotts based on the Dog Festival. But if you want to ID the true ‘Axis of Evil’ it is State Sponsored Murder. And on that metric the U.S. is running with some pretty sorry dogs indeed.
After all on this particular metric we are repeatedly failing the test: “At least we are not North Korea”. Ooooops.
Let all of us become super humane hero’s and help to assist in changing the mind set from eating dogs to eating hot dogs… We all must be able to put our long term interest in the health of our democracy ahead of our particular short term concerns. Are we stuck in the pyric paradigm model of greed that has short term gains that cause long term harm to others? Can our congress and senate do this anymore? can we have a president that takes money from big banks and foreign terrorist countries and tell us they are looking out for our best interest? Where is the humanity in that?
Bruce, the STATE cannot impose the Death Penalty. That MUST come from the jury.
Warren:
The judge can decide the jury’s findings are just an opinion and they can do whatever they want to do.
A judge cannot impose the death penalty.
At present, Samsung Electronics is running six mobile phone manufacturing facilities in the six countries of Vietnam, China, India, Brazil, Indonesia, and Korea. The two plants in Vietnam have a combined annual production capacity of 240 million units.Jan 28, 2015
You are aware, I hope, that people eat dogs in Korea (Boshingtang), and the method of slaughter is quite cruel.. I don’t make a big judgement about it b/c I think there’s really no difference between killing a dog and killing a pig or a cow. There all mammals.