PlaymoFriends
General => News => Topic started by: LHAAP on April 09, 2008, 19:34:57
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Good evening PlaymoFriends (Hello to others outside Europe) :wave:
This morning there was a television programme on Danish TV about a boycott of China's coming Olympic Games. In this connection they showed some things (e.g. toys, kitchen equipment, computers and so on), which they said have been made in China - including 7 PLAYMOBIL figures. I got mad and sent an email to them, but haven't received an answer (I doubt I ever will).
I think that they should done some better research. Very bad journalistic standards :doh:
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I think that they should done some better research. Very bad journalistic standards :doh:
Unfortunately, "Very typical journalistic standards" ... :(
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You should let Playmobil know - they could sue the TV company millions for loss of sales.
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did they show playmobil easter-bunnies in this context? :bunny:
best,
socrates
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did they show playmobil easter-bunnies in this context? :bunny:
They showed these figures:
(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h139/lhaap3/PLAYMOBIL---not-made-in-Chi.jpg)
Are the easter bunnies manufactured in China?
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Good evening PlaymoFriends (Hello to others outside Europe) :wave:
Cough cough, I guess non-Europeans count as Playmoacquaintences...???
did they show playmobil easter-bunnies in this context? :bunny:
Are the bunnies made in China?
Is a lot of this anti-China fervor related to racism? I still remember the anti-Japanese kick in America in the 1980s. A lot of this quality slippage we hear reported about should have been the responsibility of the toy company commissioning the product. They wanted cheap and trusted their supplier too much. After the fiasco, investment in quality control is going up, and you're less likely to see this problem on this scale.
The Chinese are as capable of quality products as anyone else is.
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They showed these figures:
I see why you were so upset--even moreso: those klickies have got to be at least 20 years old!!
-Tim
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I see why you were so upset--even moreso: those klickies have got to be at least 20 years old!!
-Tim
You just beat me to it with that comment Tim. In fact, the red figure on the left doesn't even have movable hands!
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Cough cough, I guess non-Europeans count as Playmoacquaintences...???
I see that my greeting could be seen as pointed only to the Europeans. I'm very sorry for that :'( It was not my intention at all and of course the non-Europeans count just as much as the Europeans - no doubt!
When I wrote the greeting I thought of the time difference, and that's why I choosed "Hello".
Once again, I apologise.
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Hello, Timmy ... :wave:
I still remember the anti-Japanese kick in America in the 1980s.
Hmmm ... I still remember the anti-Japanese kick in America in the 1940s ... :hmm:
see attachment
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Spot on, Gordon !!! ... :)9
You just beat me to it with that comment Tim. In fact, the red figure on the left doesn't even have movable hands!
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Is a lot of this anti-China fervor related to racism?
No, it's about the poor record of the Chinese Government over human rights abuses.
The warm up to Bejing 2008 Olympics has stirred everything up. The Olympic torch has been met with storms of protest as it was carried through European capitals - I know about London and Paris, and there were others I can't recall.
I take it that this is the next stage - boycott Chinese products and you're hurting the Chinese Governement. Of course you're not, you're hurting the factory workers, the very people you're trying to help, so such boycotting is misguided.
The fact that they've included 20 year old Playmobil figures that weren't made, assembled or painted in China makes this particular incident double misguided.
They could have includes some micro sets...but not the regular sized figures.
With 80% of the world's toys manufactured in China they've done particularly badly to pick one which we all know isn't.
I still think Playmobil should sue the pants off them. Who knows how much revenue they might lose in sales for such an event?
Lars, can you tell us the channel/programme, so we can also register our disgust at their poor reasearch?
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Hello, all Playmofriends from everywhere ... ;D
This morning there was a television programme on Danish TV ...
This is a quote from the New York Times, "Less than 3 percent of Lego’s production comes from China."
Hmmm ... 3 per cent is 3 per cent! You can't be "a little bit pregnant!"
There doesn't appear to be any Lego on that table ... 8}
Does that mean that the Danes don't "tattle" on themselves? Only on their competition?
Interesting thought ... eh?
All the best my friends,
Richard
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NOTE:
Does that mean that the Danes don't "tattle" on themselves? Only on their competition?
However, let's not forget that a Dane brought us this report! ... :wow:
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There doesn't appear to be any Lego on that table ... 8}
Does that mean that the Danes don't "tattle" on themselves? Only on their competition?
Hello Richard :)
I don't think Danes know that there are toys (anything), which are NOT produced in China. I talked to a friend about the TV programme yesterday and told him TV2 (Name of the TV company) had made a mistake. He didn't believe and kept saying: "Are you sure that it isn't made in China".
Interestingly enough, the sequence with the "China table" is no longer available at their website, as it was until yesterday evening :o
PS: There wasn't any LEGO on the table - Do they still think all LEGO is made in DK ???
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Lars, can you tell us the channel/programme, so we can also register our disgust at their poor reasearch?
The programme was shown on TV2. The exact programme is called "Go'morgen Danmark" which means "Good morning Denmark". TV2's website can be found at www.tv2.dk. Unfortunately the website is only written in Danish, but I can help you find the sending form and translate the text.
On this site (http://omtv2.tv2.dk/index.php?id=24) you'll find the sending form, where you have to fill in the lines.
A translation and a guide to fill in the lines correctly:
1. Vælg afdeling: means "Choose department:". Just go for the "TV2".
2. Indsenders navn: means "Sender's name:". I guess you know what to type in there ;)
3. Indsenders email means "Sender's email:".
4. Skriv en sigende overskrift: means "Write a meaning headline:".
5. Skriv din tekst: means "Write your text:".
After you have filled in all the lines and written your text, press the button "Send".
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Hello, LHAAP ... :wave:
PS: There wasn't any LEGO on the table - Do they still think all LEGO is made in DK ???
There may be a very good possibility that almost everyone probably thinks that ALL of Lego is made in a nice little Danish town called Billund (http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/11/20/news/lego.php)... ;)
All the best,
Richard
see attachment
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Thanks, Lars ... :wow:
After you have filled in all the lines and written your text, press the button "Send".
I have sent in my comment, which was about the same as the one I posted here!
All the best,
Richard
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when i speak about china (as i have done in other threads) my disgust has nothing to do with race. :(
like martin, i have a hard time dealing with a government that kills people for free-thinking. :'(
the same ocurred a decade ago with indonesia and the sinister suharto regime.
back then there were boycots and nike was criticized on having huge plants in indonesia, with child labour and political prisioners.
... and then something happened - people became aware of the problem with east-timor (an ancient portuguese colony that got independent for a few years before being invaded by indonesia).
east timor was able to free itself from indonesia and that was the definitive push to the fall of suharto bloody dictatorship. :)
i guess that the tibet / china situation is very similar and people believe that a free tibet could open a breach in the moral strenght of china's bloody government. :hmm:
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The easter bunny sets are made in China. Playmobil informed me that they have tried to manufacture sets that are time intensive to assemble over there. That includes the micro sets too. They will e-mail you a list of the sets in question if you e-mail the Playmobil US site about it. That's how I got the information.
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No, it's about the poor record of the Chinese Government over human rights abuses.
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I take it that this is the next stage - boycott Chinese products and you're hurting the Chinese Governement. Of course you're not, you're hurting the factory workers, the very people you're trying to help, so such boycotting is misguided.
Basically, people on the forum who propose we as collectors impose informal trade sanctions against China are using the forum for political advocacy.
Also, judging from threads I've read, many advocates overstate conditions in China, depicting it as a gulag and death camp. The conditions of France's unemployable Algerian immigrants and Germany's large swathes of Turkish unemployment are not so far removed from the plight of China's low-income labor force (and it is the rural farmers who are not benefitting from China's boom--the factory workers who people advocate we stonewall are the ones moving up in life).
I'm married to a Chinese woman and have been to China many times. China has a vibrant, upwardly mobile urban population like any so-called Western country (Japan is a "Western" country, right?). It is the farmers who are getting the shaft. The state owns their land, so they can't use their property to secure bank loans. Without capital, they have few means to invest in business ventures or otherwise improve their lot. Worse, corruption in the provinces, less publicized than urban problems where an increasingly prosperous population has more clout, makes the lot of farmers even harder.
I see the anti-Chinese bashing on the forum as racism because my experiences have taught me that whites have a general distrust of Asians, who we have a tradition of regarding in a derogatory fashion--ie. images of old Shanghai with its pidgin-yapping Chinese servants; we have a general perception of associating Asia with lower quality (until the 1980s, Japan was also regarded as a source for cheap junk).
Even the reference to WWII Richard light-heartedly mentioned is somewhat telling (even though I realize he intended it as a joke)--we also fought the Germans in WWII, but most of that old animosity has run its course--why? Because we're all the same ethnic group. We think of ourselves as a single culture. Whereas the Asians are "foreigners" and easily identified by their physical appearance.
For its political ends, American congress is getting its money-worth out of the recent toy-scare from China. Labor unions, who regard China as a competitor, also have an interest in stirring anti-Chinese sentiments. That, coupled again with the likely fact that whites regard Asians as outsiders, makes the temptation to China-bash very enticing.
Anyway, this is clearly me standing on a soapbox, but--
If we intend to use the forum for political advocacy, we have to assume those with counter-political views will push back with their own messages.
-Tim
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Hello, Timmy ... :wave:
If we intend to use the forum for political advocacy, we have to assume those with counter-political views will push back with their own messages.
I sincerely hope that no one is intentionally "using the forum for political advocacy" ...
When Sylvia created Playmofriends, she created a firm set of guidelines (http://www.playmofriends.com/forum/index.php?action=rules) for all of us to follow.
Most of us know (many through experience) that controversial topics, such as politics and religion, can have an extremely negative impact on a forum.
From time to time, it would probably be a good idea for all of us to revisit the Playmofriends guidelines (http://www.playmofriends.com/forum/index.php?action=rules).
Number 4. seems particularly relevant to this topic's discussion:
4. Members come to PlaymoFriends primarily to relax, socialize, and enjoy their hobby in the company of people who share their interest. Therefore, we ask that, in general, you refrain from discussing politics, religion, or other controversial topics. Should such a topic naturally arise, we must insist that only respectful, polite comments be posted and that extra consideration is taken to avoid insulting or rude posts. Hurtful behavior will not be tolerated, for the good of all.
IMHO ... I think that everyone, thus far, has made only "respectful, polite comments." However, to avoid the possibility of any negative escalation, I would like to suggest, that perhaps we should refocus our discussion on our little smiling Klickys ... ;)
All the best,
Richard
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Basically, people on the forum who propose we as collectors impose informal trade sanctions against China are using the forum for political advocacy.
We may be talking at cross purposes here. I'm not proposing informal trade sanctions against China, and I don't think Lars or Cachalote are either.
I'm suggesting that that was the purpose of the TV proramme segment Lars reported on. I didn't see the programme, so I could be wrong, but that seems a logical conclusion from the information provided. It may be that they were reporting on lead in toys or something else. What annoyed Lars, and myself, was that Playmobil figures NOT made in China were included as examples of toys made in China.
My comments were intended to demonstrate how silly such an anti-Chinese sentiment is, and doubly so when the toys aren't even made in China in the first place. I can't see how you jumped to accusations of racism, and re-reading the thread I still can't.
I think we're all on the same side of the discussion. The Chinese state (owing land which should be owned by the farmers) is the problem, and the corruption in the system as you mention, not the people.
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You're totally right there, Martin.
I'm not against China (or any other nation). I'm only against bad journalists, who don't do their job good enough.
In this Danish programme we are talking about here, they talked about whether you should stop buying Chinese or continue. They came to the conclusion that it was up to each consumer, what they would do.
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To be fair, I think in all the countries in which we, the bloggers, live, many inmigrants from poorer countries are overexploited, more so if they are undocumented. And also, in all of them, there is unemployment, worst affecting the minorities, of course. :-\