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Mattel, China and Disinfo

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posted on Sep, 22 2007 @ 10:30 AM
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Do you think we are being lead astray and not told the whole truth about problem products coming from China?
Could the US/media/whoever be telling folks what they want to hear to creat animosity between the US and China? For what reasons?

We now hear that Mattel had to apologize to China. Seems like they neglected to mention their responsibility in the recalled toys.

news.yahoo.com...

Mattel previously said many of the toys were recalled because of design problems. It also said certain vendors in China or their subcontractors violated Mattel's rules by failing to use safe paint or to run tests on paint.

On Friday, Debrowski acknowledged that the "vast majority of those products that were recalled were the result of a design flaw in Mattel's design, not through a manufacturing flaw in China's manufacturers."

Lead-tainted toys accounted for only a small percentage of all toys recalled, he added

(emphasis is mine)

www.cbc.ca...
www.iht.com...

This part of the story is getting very little attention, in fact I was surprised no one posted a topic about it here yet.
We are getting alarmed at what China is sending us, especially when it affects our pets and children.
Are we being fooled into thinking it is a problem only with China? Are the mega-corporations hiding behind the media and blaming China for what is partialy their problem, too?



posted on Sep, 22 2007 @ 10:35 AM
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I had considered posting it, but the last few articles I posted showing the other side of any other story gained very little attention. It sort of demoralized me.

I have no doubts the mega-corporations uses the media (which is now a mega-corp in it's own right) to hide their own questionable actions.

This might be related:

China's Hot Stock: Orwell Inc.

What matters the most to corporations is money and the bottom line. Morality has no place in capitalism.



posted on Sep, 22 2007 @ 11:36 AM
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Originally posted by Beachcoma
What matters the most to corporations is money and the bottom line. Morality has no place in capitalism.


True.

Remember in the China stock threads I mentioned a documentary analyzing the psychologi of corporate behavior?

Dug it out, here it is.

To create maximum profit takes a psychopath. A great part of top executives actually fit into the category.

Using the WHO definitions for a psychopath, it requires six behavorial attitudes to be met.

1)Callous unconcern for the feelings of others
2)Incapacity to maintain enduring relationships
3)Reckless disregard for the safety of others
4)Deceitfulness: Repeated lying to and deceiving of others for profit
5)Incapacity to experience guilt
6)Failure to conform to the social norms with respect to lawful behaviors

The corporation fulfills them all.

A psychopath diagnose is the only psychiatric ailment where the patient does not suffer. Only the surroundings do.

The observation is not my own, but from a book: Joel Bakan "The Corporation: The Pathological Pursuit of Profit and Power".

A 3-part TV documentary has been made over it as well, a Canadian production by Mark Achbar's and Jennifer Abbott's, "The Corporation".

Why corporations can get away with it, is because they are persons. The benchmark is justified, because they are NOT entities, they are individuals equal in rights to the flesh'n-blood kind.

Comes down to the 14th amendment, initially added to state the rights of freed slaves.

However between 1890 and 1910 307 cases were brought to the Supreme Court dealing with the 14th amendment. Out of the 307 only 19 cases were made by African Americans. The 288 came from corporate lawyers seeking "equal" rights for their corporate entities.

That's the presedence.
--------

To get back on topic: worst case I know of is this one.

A case from Panama killing at least 100 children through tainted glycol used in cough medicine.

The story is here.

From China to Panama, a Trail of Poisoned Medicine

Only this NYT article gave it attention in American mainstream media. Maybe because it was not pets and not our children.
www.nytimes.com...

Let me say I'm sure similar and just as horrific cases occure inside China. We just don't hear about them, because they're seldom reported in local media. The NYT article gives some hints about the problem domestic.

The reason for this tainting of goods as well as image, is to be found in a huge unregulated market ridden by corruption from state level downwards.

Also the mentality must be taken into account. A mentality which I still -after living almost a decade in that part of the world- just don't get. They don't give a damn about the welfare and lives of others.

But they care alot about reputation. So it's a combination of greed, corruption and a lack of regulation that causes it.

As for the greed, the ordering companies do have a part responsibility.



posted on Sep, 22 2007 @ 01:35 PM
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Mattel previously said many of the toys were recalled because of design problems. It also said certain vendors in China or their subcontractors violated Mattel's rules by failing to use safe paint or to run tests on paint.


Mattel has some serious karma issues.. Mattel has been at the forefront of being the biggest group that sues people like crazy!!
I do not support Mattel products anymore.. Sorry Barbie!!

Mattel is ruled by teams of lawyers, who will seek the blood of anyone they can suck!! That includes everyone in the USA..
Thanks for sharing this info with us here.. Mattel is a very bad company.
I rember back in a time, where it was Mattel who made the gun stock for the M16 in Veit Nam.. Guns and toys.. Hmmm makes you wonder.



posted on Sep, 22 2007 @ 01:59 PM
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reply to post by Beachcoma
 


Anyone who says morality has no place in capitalism clearly doesn't have good business sense. Unethical behavior hurts profits and the experiences of Enron, Worldcom, and many now bankrupt or nearly bankrupt mortgage lenders can serve as proof of that. Although it is true that some corporations have gotten ahead through unethical behavior, it is very foolish for anybody to base their business model on immoral practices. The chances are high that the customers will punish you if you do.



posted on Sep, 22 2007 @ 02:04 PM
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reply to post by uberarcanist
 


I'm just mentioning what I observe to be the case in this world. Read khunmoon's post, the points he brought up are quite valid for most mega-corporations.

Enron, Worldcom, etc. are just the fools that got caught.



posted on Sep, 22 2007 @ 02:18 PM
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Originally posted by DontTreadOnMe
Are we being fooled into thinking it is a problem only with China? Are the mega-corporations hiding behind the media and blaming China for what is partialy their problem, too?


I highly agree. The MSM and the corporate hands do seem to be focusing a lot on China's products. I saw the report about Mattel on the idiot box yesterday. When I heard that most of the recalls were due to manufacturing errors in part by Mattel, that just confimed it even more that there was, and still is sometype of smear campaign going on against China. i have to say though, this still does not get China out of the hole because there were some products tainted with lead anyway...

[edit on 023030p://5515 by souls]



posted on Sep, 22 2007 @ 02:23 PM
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It's the new boogeyman. China holds alot of US currency. The NWO, Bilderberger, CFR types want the dollar to crash. So they use the complicit corporate media to raise hell against China, pass a bunch of new laws and tarriffs and regulations against Chinese goods because the Sheeple demand it (the joy of "Democracy") the Chinese begin to suffer because of US fiscal irrepsonsibility, they exercise the nuclear option and tank the dollar while teaming up with the Saudi's, Russians, and Indians and replace the dollar with the Euro. In an effort to save the US from the severe depreesion they suddenly find themselves in they implement the NAU, combining the economy of Canada, Mexico, and the US using the Amero which is mysteriously linked to the Euro through the Unified Central Banking Sysytem and then you have the, I dont know, "Worldo" or something and the Unified Earth Government with all the PNAC, CFR, Bilderberg, Rockafeller types sitting on top of the entire planet.

Trying to post the links but I am a bit computer retarded. Will come back I guess..

Let the derision and insults begin!



posted on Sep, 22 2007 @ 02:32 PM
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Originally posted by DontTreadOnMe

We now hear that Mattel had to apologize to China. Seems like they neglected to mention their responsibility in the recalled toys.


....Seems like they forgot to apologize to US for selling our children poison toys!!

I seriously suspect that they thought they could cut their bottom line ( give the CEO a bonus), and use the catchall, "It's all China's fault" excuse when caught!!

Now I have an 'apology' for mr. Mattel......" Sorry, bub, NO MORE MATTEL IN MY HOUSE!"



posted on Sep, 22 2007 @ 02:43 PM
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reply to post by Beachcoma
 


Well, I think it could well be the case of a few bad apples spoiling the whole bunch. Think about it: the vast majority of consumer products are safe when used properly. Though, I will agree that there are a lot of firms out there going unpunished, which is why we need to be vigilant and hold everyone accountable.



posted on Sep, 22 2007 @ 03:01 PM
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Originally posted by uberarcanist
Think about it: the vast majority of consumer products are safe when used properly.


Ah, yes. But morality doesn't just involve whether the products are safe or not. In fact, in regards to the thread topic, it isn't just about Mattel making unsafe products, it is more about Mattel designing unsafe products and putting the blame on their Chinese manufacturers.

Sure, they rectified the situation it seems with this apology. But knowing how mega-corporations work, one has to wonder if on the Chinese side, the manufacturers threatened not to produce their cheap-toys for them unless they own up. That most definitely would have hurt the bottom line.

Edit: grammar

[edit on 22-9-2007 by Beachcoma]



posted on Sep, 22 2007 @ 03:35 PM
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reply to post by uberarcanist
 

Yes, and while we need to be vigilant and hold those responsible, we also need to hold ourselves responisible so far as we can to keep ourselves and those close to us safe.

It has definitely been shown that we cannot allow the government to keep us safe, they have shown they cannot. We can no longer assume they can keep us safe.
We need to take back our lives, as much as we can, as often as we can.

Mattel, the EPA, China, the ACLU and the MSM have their own agendas and they are not necessarily ours.


edit, speelling, gramar



[edit on 22-9-2007 by DontTreadOnMe]



posted on Sep, 22 2007 @ 03:52 PM
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reply to post by Beachcoma
 


Yeah, it definitely smells fishy. But I wouldn't generalize this incident to claim that morals don't have a place in capitalism.



posted on Sep, 22 2007 @ 04:18 PM
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Originally posted by uberarcanist
But I wouldn't generalize this incident to claim that morals don't have a place in capitalism.


You're right. Perhaps I was too harsh in my initial reaction. You have to agree though, that with a lot of major corporations morals do not factor into the money-making equation. It's like once a corporation reaches a certain critical mass, they start doing things that are ethically questionable even if they initially started out fine. A good example would be Google and their decision to censor search results in China. That's morally grey at best.

I'm still wondering what prompted Mattel to come forward with this news. And I highly doubt it has anything to do with ethics.

[edit on 22-9-2007 by Beachcoma]



posted on Sep, 22 2007 @ 04:24 PM
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Call me stupid but I believe a billion dollar corporation like Mattel actually HAS a Q/A department. This type of corporate oversight of potentially life threatening goods is beyond negligence. More on par with a more sinister nefarious action plan.



posted on Sep, 22 2007 @ 04:53 PM
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Well we need to understand the way of thinking of our major corporations, Mattel for instance is a well known house name, it will not be in their best interest to rub the American consumer the wrong way.

So they will used the scapegoat strategy they will blame the source rather than take the blame themselves from what is nothing more than a security oversight, but one that will not set right with parents around the nation and around the world.



posted on Sep, 22 2007 @ 05:05 PM
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Originally posted by Beachcoma
I'm still wondering what prompted Mattel to come forward with this news. And highly doubt it has anything to do with ethics.

MAybe this explains the reason, or at least part of it

He suggested Mattel may want to prevent China from imposing more taxes or regulations.

"China's embarrassment in all this could lead to that, and I think they were trying to head that off with this apology," Johnson said.

Peter Navarro, a business professor at the University of California, Irvine, and the author of "The Coming China Wars," also suggested Mattel was trying to avoid punitive measures.

"Mattel is worried that the Chinese government is going to make it difficult for them to produce, put their costs up and hurt their stock price," Navarro said.

news.yahoo.com...

As an aside, I've been wanting the read that book, The Coming China Wars
Maybe now I will finally do it



posted on Sep, 22 2007 @ 05:11 PM
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reply to post by DontTreadOnMe
 


Interesting. That bit wasn't in the article I read on BBC. In fact the BBC article was quite brief.

Mattel apology over toy recalls

This just goes to show that for every piece of news that comes out, we should also read the article on other news sources.



posted on Sep, 22 2007 @ 05:17 PM
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What an example of the War of Deception, fueled by nothing than interest, profit margins and the cheap way to produce.

So now Mattel is kissing up to China, I am the only one seeing what our corporate America has become.


Is this what China wants to have corporate America that deals in their country bend at the knee.



posted on Sep, 22 2007 @ 07:21 PM
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US firm recalls China-made cots


US baby furniture supplier Simplicity is recalling about one million Chinese-made cots that have been linked to at least two infant deaths.

The adjustable side of the cot can detach, creating a dangerous gap that may trap a baby, said the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

Please visit the link provided for the complete story.


Another story where a China-made product is being recalled, not because it's made in China, but BECAUSE OF DESIGN FLAW.

Infants dying, we don't have to speculate who the public will blame. Not Wal-Mart or Simplicity, the manufacture.

Is an Anti-China campaign dawning?

[edit on 22-9-2007 by khunmoon]




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