I'm A Mac... And I Have Dirty Little Secret

Are you saying that nobody here knew about this?
Yeah Mac is just a big a bastards as Microsoft.

They just have a knack of spinning it into a hip rebelious image that people seem to want to be part of because they don't have their own personallity.
Mac, MS, same differance. :O
People are just to fudging braindead to know or even want to know.
People want shiney things, they want to by part of the coolkids. They don't care if people are being killed for their trinkets.

[edit on 28-6-2010 by Subjective1]

Originally posted by jokei
Not trying to undermine the weight of the OP here, but there is an ethical third way.

Not really, the problems not the software, it's the hardware

So, whilst I can appreciate the nastiness of this situation - I do feel a little attacked here, it's ok, thick skin and all.

I would like to ask though for all those prosetylising, what magical ethical system are you typing your responses on? Please tell me, because if I do have the option of putting my money where my mouth is, I would.

reply to post by reject


Not an entirely ethical third way, but the operating system is entirely free and doesn't come with the hideous corporate structure of the other two systems.

reply to post by spitefulgod


Cheers for being nice about it, I admitted I missed the point a couple of pages back.

[edit on 28/6/1010 by jokei]

Wow, As if pop culture didn't negatively affect the world enough... Wear fancy expensive clothes [sweat shops], Wear expensive jewelery ["blood diamonds", conflict minerals], Get the latest greatest electronic devices [conflict minerals]. Well at least the herded zombies look good and can keep connected to Facebook. ... But that's just my opinion.

S&F. OP! Great find.

[edit on 28-6-2010 by Solar.Absolution]

It is very sad to hear people say that we can do nothing about this ,
of course we can do something..YOU can do something. Don't use this as an excuse to be apathetic
Be more aware and remember that every little bit helps.
To those who say that these people are uncivilised and would be doing this anyway are not living in reality and obviously do not know anything about the situation. If we did not demand these minerals then they would not be fighting over them. All the people commiting these crimes were not born like this you know. just like you were not born like this.

I am denying your ignorance and hoping you will grow up.

Don't be guilty of owning a computer if you can use it for good.

Originally posted by airspoon
There is a difference between being a soldier and raping women and children. There is a big difference between putting your armed enemy in the cross hairs and putting a child in the cross hairs.

That's where the air-force kicks in!

They easily solve that issue of yours. But given quality CIA psyops propaganda even morally aware soldiers like yourself can be made to think before not killing a child.

Never underestimate the power of hate and anger department, in which these manipulated Africans sadly seem to excel lately.

Anyhow, we're no different at all. We killed more of us in past 100 years then Africans ever did, we are experts in that area. We used weaponry and methods inconceivable to an average African machete thug. Mustard gas, nuclear weapons, DU weapons...
If devil is proud of any place on earth lately, it's US and Europe and not Africa....

[edit on 28/6/2010 by SassyCat]

Why cant we say "Hey, you are living way above your means" you should not be allowed to have kids

Because it's wrong?

Who decides the income thresholds? You? the government?

Legislating reproduction is wrong on so many levels. We are not socially advanced enough to take such an explposive burden on ourselves. NO ONE on this planet is capable of being the one who decides.

I'd like to think I live my life with minimal reliance on "stuff". But my PC is something I have been unable to give up, and probably won't.

Wait a moment, hold on... I think I sense some serious irony here. Am I to understand that anyone is SHOCKED by this? Are you serious?
Empires, no matter wether they be political, financial, military or royal are always built on the blood and the bones of the dead. Every hallowed sacred thing in the western world is tarnished and forged in the remains of dead tribes, cultures raped beyond recognition, raised up from the ashes of something we burned to make room for our ignorance.
Nothing, not the wood in your pencils, nor the petrol in your car, has come to you without loss of someone, or something which might never come again.
When you purchase anything, food, clothes, beer,smokes, remember theres a pretty damned good chance that the item has come from a sweat shop, or a field in the middle of no place you ever heard of, where the farm worker who picked your rice or whatever has a maximum expected age of about forty , whos children live on mere pence a day.
Even if you go to the store, but you dont buy anything, you are still going to benifit from the toils of people who suffer low pay and terrible conditions just to live. The asphalt under your boots is shot through with minerals from all over the place, all of which have to be mined , and most of which are available more cheaply from poorer nations, with lower saftey standards, and pay per miner. Worker death rates in such places are typicaly much higher than in comparable sites in the west as a result.
Every time you eat , drink, drive, walk , even vote , you are enjoying the benifit of exploitation , without which life as it has been lived in the west, would not exist. Period. Even the blessed democracy which the majority of western nations observe, is only possible because of some exploitation of other nations.
So , with that in mind we have two choices it would seem. Accept our current status , as paracites , viruses amongst the sick, or stop living so expensively , force prices down, stop giving a crap about stock markets, and start caring about EVERY person on earth equaly . Changing your computer supplier isnt going to make a blind bit of difference.

Originally posted by TrueBrit
Wait a moment, hold on... I think I sense some serious irony here. Am I to understand that anyone is SHOCKED by this? Are you serious?
Empires, no matter wether they be political, financial, military or royal are always built on the blood and the bones of the dead. Every hallowed sacred thing in the western world is tarnished and forged in the remains of dead tribes, cultures raped beyond recognition, raised up from the ashes of something we burned to make room for our ignorance.

Not saying we should be apathetically waiting and accept this, but people here are living in utopia. As long as there are human beings, there will dishonesty and poverty, regardless of race. The ruling power is on top of the food chain and exploits the weaker beings. Now the West is the ruling power, but Aztecs, Mongolians, Persians, Egyptians were not different. In fact, it doesn't even require a 'ruling power' for poverty and exploitation to exist. Look at China, they are the new slave drivers in Africa.

Originally posted by Conal
It is very sad to hear people say that we can do nothing about this ,
of course we can do something..YOU can do something. Don't use this as an excuse to be apathetic

It's an issue that is self perpetuating in many ways, for example we wouldn't be discussing it on the interwebs using our technologys.

What you can do is not take more than you need, keep that laptop until it's actually no use any more, not because it's not pretty.

There will always be this sort of nastiness, any way you will be happy to know you too can be involved with every purchase! - It's human nature, should we evolve past it? Should we pass up an opportunity to have other people get all shot up and do the mining?? - Me personally I'm far too lazy to mine my own minerals.

Originally posted by jokei
Not trying to undermine the weight of the OP here, but there is an ethical third way.

Wrong!

The software has nothing to do with hardware used.

Your argument is like saying that oranges are bad so I only drink soda and dont use fruit.

If you want to avoid the products that are bad, do so buy buying HARDWARE from reputable companies.
(This coming from a linux users)

To the main topic though, I seem to have been ahead of the pack here as I have a problem with every company on that list.

This is what our systems use.

Computer cases from small startup company(amazing product, built like tanks and very light.)
Nvidia video cards
ASUS motherboards
AMD processors
Seagate harddrives
Hannspree monitors
Razor and Logitech peripherals.
Linux or pirated windows for OS

This is a very serious issue and we must speak with our wallets on this. These companies have lost several million dollars from the groups I am involved with, and so they should.

I'm pretty sure the rapes and murders are not directly related to the metals we make our comouters out of. It's the Congo! Rapes and murders are going to happen there no matter what is going on. If these people had no jobs in the mines over there, everyone would have a lot more time to do what?????????? Yeah, rpare and murder. Trivial matter, the metals, the rapes and murders should be addressed by international intervention, just to the point of fixing the prob. then get out. No sticking around trying to make a new government or getting oil or trying to dictate foreign policy, just make the fix and hit the bricks. But then, we could never do that before so....the problem will just remain, I'm sure.

Originally posted by Phenomium
I'm pretty sure the rapes and murders are not directly related to the metals we make our comouters out of. It's the Congo! Rapes and murders are going to happen there no matter what is going on.

That's like an arsonist saying "even if I didn't set the building on fire it still would have eventually caught on fire anyway"

It sounds as if you just don't want to accept the truth and prefer looking at the people of Congo as savages.

I just find it amazing how Africa is the richest country, in minerals, in the world yet they are the poorest! Congo alone is thought to have 24 trillion dollars worth of minerals. Also a friend of mine has been granted political asylum and he's from Congo, the things he has told me would blow your mind. For one France, USA, and China are all pretty much trying to take over parts of Africa, slowly but surely. I think the worst thing he told me was how the US hires troops, I can't recall from which parts, from Africa to fight on the front lines of Iraq and such. So when they say only so many casualties of US troops think how many other troops from Africa died. And this is 100% fact. They PAY these governments with our tax dollars to fight our "war" These people make me sick...

I have used every Windows and Mac release for the past decade. I have also tried Linux. My own experience has shown that Linux is without a doubt the WORST operating system for the average user. We've heard all the Linux people shouting how great it is a million times. Here's a message to these people. WE DON'T CARE. If we liked Linux WE WOULD USE IT. Using Linux isn't go to stop us from using electronics with tantalum (etc) either.

With this, I think life itself is a zero sum game - one's progress is another's slavery and suffering. Look at our cheap plastic meaningless products - produced in China by child slave labour! Do we care? No, because they are not our kids doing the producing and more important, it's cheap!

Alas, buying products from China helps fuel their economy which helps raise millions out of deadly subsistence farming.

The best and free'est place to live right now seems to be Africa. Not so much for that raping stuff, but if it is allowed to continue it is a pretty safe bet more basic rights like the right to bear arms or the right to decide what you put inside your body are still allowed unlike many other slave nations on earth.

Go live in the land of the free - Africa - then, and see how much you enjoy it.

Soldiers fight. You were a soldier. Are you uncivilized? Why did you fight? To protect your home? And you don't think most of these "heathen" soldiers started off protecting themselves? Of course they did.

How predictable. I suggest you try again with an argument that hasn't been used over 9000 times on this website.

Actually, Microsoft owns Apple. Therefore, the I'm a PC adds are a joke on many fronts.

Cocaine is a hell of a drug.

One person can't right the wrongs in the world, several thousand can't, etc. Everytime something like this is posted, you can't do anything about it.

Baloney. There have been plenty of well known and successful political activism moments that have been more or less started by a few people inside their living rooms. Get enough support and then you push for legislation that prohibits conflict materials. Or create a stamp or certification that guarantees products are conflict mineral free (similar to efficiency standards like 80 PLUS). If there was a such a thing then I would definitely only buy products with this assurance. It's great most people in the world don't have your opinion because if they did then we would still be in the stone age.


[edit on 28/6/2010 by C0bzz]

Thank you for the post.I will do my best to personally boycott all of these companies.S&F
What saddens me, is just how much media blackout there is regarding this horrific subject.As well as how easily I am distracted by TPTB,as I am so guilty of just "not giving a $#!t",,(not being funny,but reflective!)Ive got my laptop, cable,celly,car in the driveway,my kids doin ok(for a teenage girl!),,,hell lifes good.
I feel powerless, to tell the truth,,,we are 100,000 strong on this site and havent done a damn thing but run our mouths.Even reading the replies.No ONE GIVES A DAMN(with the execption of a select few)Almost every post was not at all related to the CONGO and the suffering there.all of you just want to voice your opinions,from your glutony,to company profits,to mud slinging,,thats cool and all,,,,,however,,,,,IMO,,,,,some of you need to take a look in the mirror,,,embrace the epiphany

There are countless reasons we can feel guilty about living in the society like ours. We consume a lot, and somewhere in the "supply chain" there are bound to be injustice and exploitation. To single out electronics manufacturers as malefactors is complete pointless in that regard. There are tragedies in this world that we must try to end, but to start with boycott of Blackberries is really @ss-backward.

reply to post by Mdv2


Mdv2 , I couldnt agree with you more, theres no need for apathy if we want change. I think what I was getting at is that there is no need for shock and suprise .
What is required is user action. Write to your representatives, in whatever state or nation in which you might happen to live, and have them push for a cleaner act from the technology market.
I think also what I would like to say is that where ancient races are concerned, its all very well saying that they also caused harm in order to accelerate thier progress, and yes of course that is true. But this is the 21st century, and the people of this earth are more connected than at any other time, believe it or not. We have an oppertunity here to ensure that at some point in our lives we see a day where each man woman or child , regardless of social status, has the same rights and responsibilities, and the same advantages. I am talking about a balancing. A reseting of the worlds political and financial situation , making inequality a crime against humanity, and forcing the rich to accept being merely comfortable, and helping the previously poor adapt to things like not having to walk twenty miles to find water, or save for a month before eating a good meal.
I want to see a world with no centre of power, with no leaders born to thier roles, with no business men running nations, with only moral integrity and steadfast belief in fairness to guide them, not some addiction to money , fast cars, and private helicopters.

Originally posted by Happyfeet
If you want to avoid the products that are bad, do so buy buying HARDWARE from reputable companies.
(This coming from a linux users)

To the main topic though, I seem to have been ahead of the pack here as I have a problem with every company on that list.

This is what our systems use.

Computer cases from small startup company(amazing product, built like tanks and very light.)
Nvidia video cards
ASUS motherboards
AMD processors
Seagate harddrives
Hannspree monitors
Razor and Logitech peripherals.
Linux or pirated windows for OS

I'm very confident that you have no idea what goes into those products, be that the materials (or miserable minerals for the thread) or the technology those company's use to run - for instance who makes the main boards for the photocopiers they use?

So just because you know a bunch of manufacturers and you can name drop the latest and greatest linux does not give credibility to your claim they are reputable. And while we are here should we actually define 'reputable'? - Is it more like your comfortable buying these products because you may or may not of heard something? Or do you actually have the knowledge Logitech peripherals are made with wishes and kisses...

edit.. missed out a rather important 'not' lol

[edit on 28/6/2010 by Now_Then]

Computer cases from small startup company(amazing product, built like tanks and very light.)
Nvidia video cards
ASUS motherboards
AMD processors
Seagate harddrives
Hannspree monitors
Razor and Logitech peripherals.
Linux or pirated windows for OS

Samsung probably puts components in all those. My old Nvidia graphics card used Samsung memory as does my new ATi graphics card.

[edit on 28/6/2010 by C0bzz]