The Vegan Marxist
22nd May 2010, 01:16
California-based toy maker Mattel, Inc. recalled 20 million Chinese-manufactured toys on Aug. 14, 2007. This was Mattel's second recall that summer. The first was of 1.5 million Fisher-Price toys.
Ruling-class reactions to the recalls were blustery and indignant. Newspaper headlines warned parents away from buying toys made in China.
Mattel's Chairman and CEO Robert Eckert initially blamed China for the recalls. Canadian, U.S. and European capitalist politicians threatened action if China's government did not improve product safety immediately.
In July, two U.S. senators proposed legislation banning Chinese made products without safety certification. In August, Democratic senator Dick Durbin said, "We can't wait any longer for China to crack down on its lax safety standards. This needs to stop now before more children and more families are put at risk."
The reality of the situation, however, is very different from its portrayal in the capitalist press.
Toy recalls are not unusual. In fact, product recalls in general are not that unusual. The same day that Mattel announced its recall, Nokia recalled 46 million batteries installed in its cell phones. In August 2006, Dell recalled over 4 million batteries installed in its notebook computers.
According to a September 2007 article published by the Asian Pacific Foundation of Canada, the first instance of a toy recall recorded by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission was in 1974. Since that time, 680 toys have been recalled, the majority in the last 20 years.
Recalls originate in either design or manufacturing flaws. The same APFC article points out that, of the 550 recalls since 1988, 76.4 percent were due to design flaws as opposed to manufacturing flaws. Design flaws are directly attributable to the toy corporation, not the country in which the toy is manufactured.
The great majority of the Mattel toys recalled in August were taken off the shelves due to a design flaw - a flaw with absolutely no correlation to where they were produced.
Mattel was forced to admit this on Sept. 21, 2007. The corporation issued an apology to the Chinese people, also admitting that it was "overly inclusive" with its recalls and many of the toys recalled were not a risk at all.
Furthermore, Mattel actually owns the plants that produce its most popular toys. Starting in the late 1980s, Mattel moved toward owning and operating its plants in countries like China, rather than subcontracting. About 50 percent of the company's revenue comes from products made in company-run factories.
Recalls stemming from lead paint have been increasing. Of the 54 toy recalls due to manufacturing flaws in the last 20 years, 31 were due to lead paint. About half were toys made in China; the remainder were made in Australia, Hong Kong, (while still under British colonial rule), India, South Korea, Mexico, and Taiwan (a virtual U.S. garrison state, despite the fact that it is historically part of China).
The intended effect of the massive anti-China propaganda has been to build an image of China as a monolithic manufacturing colossus that cares only about cutting costs, and not human safety.
In a poll conducted by Canada's Embassy magazine, 75 percent of respondents had an unfavorable view of Chinese-made goods. According to a Zogby poll, nearly 80 percent were apprehensive about buying Chinese-made goods; 63 percent said that they were likely to join a boycott, if called, until the Chinese government improved its regulation of manufacturers. The capitalist-directed vilification of China has certainly been effective.
The attacks on China are not based on the ruling class's concern for children or product safety. American capitalists like the fact that China exports toys at low cost to them and has made reforms that have opened up a cheap labor market.
China has become a center for the word's toy-making industry, exporting $7.5 billion worth of toys last year and accounting for nearly 87 percent of the toys imported by the United States, according to China's Commerce Ministry.
But the imperialists do not want to compete with China, nor do they want it to surprise them in economic growth or dominance. The imperialists ultimately want to completely gut the remaining socialist vestiges of China's revolution and reopen China to unfettered imperialist exploitation. Weakening China's influence and image is a key component of this campaign.
It is not surprising that the major organizations responsible for generating information about China's factory and manufacturing conditions are on the U.S. government's payroll. China Labor Watch and the China Labor Bulletin are financed by the CIA-connected National Endowment for Democracy.
The group Students and Scholars Against Corporate Misbehavior, which often originates the critiques of Chinese manufacturing, is connected with AFL-CIO's Solidarity Center. The Solidarity Center has supported numerous reactionary movements around the world under the cover of official union affiliation. Around 75 percent of its budget comes from U.S. government funds.
China: Revolution and Counterrevolution by PSL
Ruling-class reactions to the recalls were blustery and indignant. Newspaper headlines warned parents away from buying toys made in China.
Mattel's Chairman and CEO Robert Eckert initially blamed China for the recalls. Canadian, U.S. and European capitalist politicians threatened action if China's government did not improve product safety immediately.
In July, two U.S. senators proposed legislation banning Chinese made products without safety certification. In August, Democratic senator Dick Durbin said, "We can't wait any longer for China to crack down on its lax safety standards. This needs to stop now before more children and more families are put at risk."
The reality of the situation, however, is very different from its portrayal in the capitalist press.
Toy recalls are not unusual. In fact, product recalls in general are not that unusual. The same day that Mattel announced its recall, Nokia recalled 46 million batteries installed in its cell phones. In August 2006, Dell recalled over 4 million batteries installed in its notebook computers.
According to a September 2007 article published by the Asian Pacific Foundation of Canada, the first instance of a toy recall recorded by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission was in 1974. Since that time, 680 toys have been recalled, the majority in the last 20 years.
Recalls originate in either design or manufacturing flaws. The same APFC article points out that, of the 550 recalls since 1988, 76.4 percent were due to design flaws as opposed to manufacturing flaws. Design flaws are directly attributable to the toy corporation, not the country in which the toy is manufactured.
The great majority of the Mattel toys recalled in August were taken off the shelves due to a design flaw - a flaw with absolutely no correlation to where they were produced.
Mattel was forced to admit this on Sept. 21, 2007. The corporation issued an apology to the Chinese people, also admitting that it was "overly inclusive" with its recalls and many of the toys recalled were not a risk at all.
Furthermore, Mattel actually owns the plants that produce its most popular toys. Starting in the late 1980s, Mattel moved toward owning and operating its plants in countries like China, rather than subcontracting. About 50 percent of the company's revenue comes from products made in company-run factories.
Recalls stemming from lead paint have been increasing. Of the 54 toy recalls due to manufacturing flaws in the last 20 years, 31 were due to lead paint. About half were toys made in China; the remainder were made in Australia, Hong Kong, (while still under British colonial rule), India, South Korea, Mexico, and Taiwan (a virtual U.S. garrison state, despite the fact that it is historically part of China).
The intended effect of the massive anti-China propaganda has been to build an image of China as a monolithic manufacturing colossus that cares only about cutting costs, and not human safety.
In a poll conducted by Canada's Embassy magazine, 75 percent of respondents had an unfavorable view of Chinese-made goods. According to a Zogby poll, nearly 80 percent were apprehensive about buying Chinese-made goods; 63 percent said that they were likely to join a boycott, if called, until the Chinese government improved its regulation of manufacturers. The capitalist-directed vilification of China has certainly been effective.
The attacks on China are not based on the ruling class's concern for children or product safety. American capitalists like the fact that China exports toys at low cost to them and has made reforms that have opened up a cheap labor market.
China has become a center for the word's toy-making industry, exporting $7.5 billion worth of toys last year and accounting for nearly 87 percent of the toys imported by the United States, according to China's Commerce Ministry.
But the imperialists do not want to compete with China, nor do they want it to surprise them in economic growth or dominance. The imperialists ultimately want to completely gut the remaining socialist vestiges of China's revolution and reopen China to unfettered imperialist exploitation. Weakening China's influence and image is a key component of this campaign.
It is not surprising that the major organizations responsible for generating information about China's factory and manufacturing conditions are on the U.S. government's payroll. China Labor Watch and the China Labor Bulletin are financed by the CIA-connected National Endowment for Democracy.
The group Students and Scholars Against Corporate Misbehavior, which often originates the critiques of Chinese manufacturing, is connected with AFL-CIO's Solidarity Center. The Solidarity Center has supported numerous reactionary movements around the world under the cover of official union affiliation. Around 75 percent of its budget comes from U.S. government funds.
China: Revolution and Counterrevolution by PSL