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Zardoz
Expert
Joined: Dec 02, 2005
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Location: Oil-addicted Southern Californucopia
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 Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2008 10:48 pm Post subject: Harsh life of the poor in rural China |
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NPR ran this feature today. It offers a glimpse of what life is like for many in the remote areas of rural China. I had no idea AIDS and drugs were so prevalent. As if those people didn't have it bad enough, now they have to deal with this crap.
China's Young Migrants Bring Addictions Home
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eastbay
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Joined: Dec 18, 2004
Posts: 4365
Location: One Mile From the Columbia River
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| Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2008 11:04 pm Post subject: Re: Harsh life of the poor in rural China |
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China pretty much got rid of drug (mostly opium) addiction in the 50's. Their disgusting embrace of capitalism will bring not only drug addiction, but many more creepy surprises.
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BigTex
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Joined: Aug 03, 2006
Posts: 4264
Location: Graceland
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| Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2008 11:12 pm Post subject: Re: Harsh life of the poor in rural China |
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| eastbay wrote: | | China pretty much got rid of drug (mostly opium) addiction in the 50's. Their disgusting embrace of capitalism will bring not only drug addiction, but many more creepy surprises. |
Next thing you know they'll be abusing human rights and making illegal copies of CDs and DVDs.
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SILENTTODD
Intermediate Crude
Joined: May 06, 2006
Posts: 873
Location: Tustin, CA
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| Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2008 12:06 am Post subject: Re: Harsh life of the poor in rural China |
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| BigTex wrote: | | Next thing you know they'll be abusing human rights and making illegal copies of CDs and DVDs. |
GASP!!!
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thylacine
Heavy Crude
Joined: Jan 19, 2006
Posts: 113
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| Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2008 2:55 am Post subject: Re: Harsh life of the poor in rural China |
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| eastbay wrote: | | China pretty much got rid of drug (mostly opium) addiction in the 50's. |
ah yes, the good old days wasn't there also the small matter of 20-30 million dead during the cultural revolution?
I believe the Taliban did a top job reducing opium production pre-2001 in Afghanistan. |
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Concerned
Light Sweet Crude
Joined: Sep 23, 2004
Posts: 1531
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| Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2008 6:35 am Post subject: Re: Harsh life of the poor in rural China |
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| BigTex wrote: | | eastbay wrote: | | China pretty much got rid of drug (mostly opium) addiction in the 50's. Their disgusting embrace of capitalism will bring not only drug addiction, but many more creepy surprises. |
Next thing you know they'll be abusing human rights and making illegal copies of CDs and DVDs. |
Human rights get abused all over the world America included. In fact America has the largest prison population in the world. Land of the "free" eh? 
Illegal copies of music and movies? Have you heard of bit torrent and multi gigabyte plans. I know many people who think it's ok to download the latest film and music by the terabyte.
But let me guess
China --> Bad
Arabs --> Bad
America --> innocent angels full of goodness and sweetness
Your input is deserving of utter disdain and contempt.
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Concerned
Light Sweet Crude
Joined: Sep 23, 2004
Posts: 1531
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| Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2008 6:47 am Post subject: Re: Harsh life of the poor in rural China |
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| thylacine wrote: | | eastbay wrote: | | China pretty much got rid of drug (mostly opium) addiction in the 50's. |
ah yes, the good old days wasn't there also the small matter of 20-30 million dead during the cultural revolution?
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Well after the 30 million dead their population under communism went from about 650 million to 1200 million. So I think the upside population wise under communism more than out weighed the down.
The 30 million dead also happened during a period of extreme drought. Although attempting to make steel in home furnaces turned out to be a great leap backward rather than forward. Similar to the deep ploughing episode under Stalin.
At least under a quasi free market system bad decisions can be isolated to a WorldCom or Enron for example. However the housing bubble and current implosion may test the limits of social cohesion. Lets not forget people starved to death in the great depression.
It's complicated. For example communism did not rise because everyone was flitting around on a 40hr week enjoying cable TV and take out food with a nice house and air con. Same thing with Facism in times of stress people often make bad choices.
It's a pity that most people are just taught Capitalism good, communism bad. Even Ronald Regan admitted that communism did a lot of good things for the peoples of the former USSR. Not that would get much airplay.
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"Once the game is over, the king and the pawn go back in the same box."
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JJ
Heavy Crude
Joined: Aug 07, 2007
Posts: 337
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| Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2008 7:02 am Post subject: Re: Harsh life of the poor in rural China |
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| thylacine wrote: | | eastbay wrote: | | China pretty much got rid of drug (mostly opium) addiction in the 50's. |
ah yes, the good old days wasn't there also the small matter of 20-30 million dead during the cultural revolution?
I believe the Taliban did a top job reducing opium production pre-2001 in Afghanistan. |
fortunately the US has been able to restore it to its previous levels.... |
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Dukkha
Tar Sands
Joined: Dec 14, 2007
Posts: 96
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| Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2008 7:03 am Post subject: Re: Harsh life of the poor in rural China |
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| Concerned wrote: |
China --> Bad
Arabs --> Bad
America --> innocent angels full of goodness and sweetness
Your input is deserving of utter disdain and contempt. |
Please, credit where credit's due: America (and the West generally) has done a bang up job of exporting its oppression, its poverty, and its pollution. China gets beaten hands down on that one. |
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Dukkha
Tar Sands
Joined: Dec 14, 2007
Posts: 96
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| Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2008 7:07 am Post subject: Re: Harsh life of the poor in rural China |
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| JJ wrote: | | thylacine wrote: | | eastbay wrote: | | China pretty much got rid of drug (mostly opium) addiction in the 50's. |
ah yes, the good old days wasn't there also the small matter of 20-30 million dead during the cultural revolution?
I believe the Taliban did a top job reducing opium production pre-2001 in Afghanistan. |
fortunately the US has been able to restore it to its previous levels.... |
How dare you, sir! Her Majesty's finest have done more than their fair share of that. No-one turns a blind eye to opium production quite like the Royal Marines. |
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BigTex
Moderator
Joined: Aug 03, 2006
Posts: 4264
Location: Graceland
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| Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2008 9:35 am Post subject: Re: Harsh life of the poor in rural China |
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| Concerned wrote: | | BigTex wrote: | | eastbay wrote: | | China pretty much got rid of drug (mostly opium) addiction in the 50's. Their disgusting embrace of capitalism will bring not only drug addiction, but many more creepy surprises. |
Next thing you know they'll be abusing human rights and making illegal copies of CDs and DVDs. |
Human rights get abused all over the world America included. In fact America has the largest prison population in the world. Land of the "free" eh?
Illegal copies of music and movies? Have you heard of bit torrent and multi gigabyte plans. I know many people who think it's ok to download the latest film and music by the terabyte.
But let me guess
China --> Bad
Arabs --> Bad
America --> innocent angels full of goodness and sweetness
Your input is deserving of utter disdain and contempt. |
That was your input, not mine. I just made a joke about Eastbay's utopian Communist fantasies.
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Concerned
Light Sweet Crude
Joined: Sep 23, 2004
Posts: 1531
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| Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2008 2:39 pm Post subject: Re: Harsh life of the poor in rural China |
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| Dukkha wrote: | | Concerned wrote: |
China --> Bad
Arabs --> Bad
America --> innocent angels full of goodness and sweetness
Your input is deserving of utter disdain and contempt. |
Please, credit where credit's due: America (and the West generally) has done a bang up job of exporting its oppression, its poverty, and its pollution. China gets beaten hands down on that one. |
Unfortunately true, there have been economists who sickeningly justify exporting pollution for example lead acid batteries to impoverished countries because if those people die it's better as they produce less output of GDP per person.
As usual they know the price of everything but the value of nothing. And also brings to the fore one of my great gripes with the system in that classical economists uniformly regarded free movement of labor just as important as the free movement of capital.
Globalization has removed barriers to capital flows just not the labor front except for a tiny minority. We all know what would happen to the "west" if labor was free to move. All the phony assets and high salaries would capitulate, our neighbourhoods would be flooded with poverty willing to work for food (google Ricardo's Iron Law of Wages he is mostly famous for Comparative Advantage which the average buffoon economist loves to tout) Thankfully our governments push that competitive force away and we get to watch folks live in a slum or die on TV in some far away place and bemoan if only their economy was more market like.
It's galling.
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"Once the game is over, the king and the pawn go back in the same box."
-Italian Proverb |
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