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Unintended Results From U.S. Hardware Dumps In Asia
Izeickl writes: "The BBC has a thought provoking story about old hardware being dumped in parts of Asia. The report 'details a group of villages in south-eastern China where computers from America are picked apart and strewn along rivers and fields.' the article also states 'The report suggested that as much as 80% of the America's electronic waste collected to be recycled is shipped out of the country.'"
Some old linux disks are getting sent over with all that computer hardware. Then all they would need is a reliable source of electricity and a net connection and they could be sending the US *THEIR* trash in 20 years.
I Am My Own Worst Enemy
I think I'm experiencing what we Europeans call an Ugly American moment.
It'll pass.
Good, for you europeans and our 'Ugly American' attitudes, are you so naieve that you think that China cares about its citizens ? Do you think that a bunch of communist hard liners arent getting rich as hell off this dumping ? Do you belive that the US wouldnt dump it on their own soil if China wasnt WILLING ?
I love european attitudes, we save, nearly single handedly europe, not once but twice, in the last 100 years, AND protect it for another 40 years from russia, you dont think Stalin wanted it ALL, and your peoples charm was stopping him from having it all ?
The US, like the UK, is always up for the 'Good Fight', with the way the euortrash is acting nowadays, it saddens me we lost so many family members in WWII protecting the very people that turn on us, shoulda let Hitler or Stalin have the whole mess, You know the funny thing , if that woulda happened your euro ass wouldnt be on the INTERNET right now calling us 'Ugly Americans' genius boy.
Sig went tro...aahemmm.....fishing........
Actually it does absole the US, Think for a moment, whose job is it to protect Chnina's citizends, from what you are saying its the US's to some degree....horeshit....
Caveat Emptor.
WRONG, we HAVE evidence if it is HANDLED IMPROPERLY IT IS DANGEROUS !, THAT my friend is a REGULATORY ISSUE , and as such an internal issue for China.
The US has for many years, longer than anywhere else, been recycling and reclaiming materials from electronics, and safley I might add. NOW things are different now, and it is more profitable to SELL these materials to be recycled elsewhere, the Chineese are fucking bidding for it and winning, willing to PAY more for it, why ? SIMPLE, WITHOUT the stringent saftey checks in place recyclingit is more profiatble, human lives are a commodity , in asia they are cheaper, that sucks but its the truth.
And why the hell should the US ratify something not in their best interests ?
Like that looney hate crime online shit bill in that would violate our constitution ?
Sig went tro...aahemmm.....fishing........
It is only thought provoking if you are like most americans that have never travelled outside the US to see these kinds of things first hand.
Just because you don't see it doesn't mean it's new or newsworthy.
You come across as rather self-aggrandizing as well as patronizing.
First, if you know this is occurring all along and think it's a problem, I would imagine that you would be happy to see this get publicity in order that perhaps some corrective action might be taken. Instead you take the opportunity to point out that you personally knew about the "disposal of computer" problem beforehand, so everyone should have already been aware of it.
Anything that a large part of the population doesn't already know may well be considered newsworthy. Perhaps you should have said that it is sad that this *is* newsworthy.
Secondly, a visit to a particular less-developed countries does not automatically confer knowledge of various environmental disasters in all other countries. Your post really had the tone of "all eco-disasters in third world countries are alike". Each problem may have a separate cause and sure as anything has a different solution. Certainly, different disasters are worth different stories. I'd hate to think a single "Western goods cause echo-disaster" story is all one needs to know on the entire subject.
Lastly, the Americans may be famous for their insularity, but I'd bet money that the BBC was mostly addressing this to Europeans that were unaware of the problem. I know from personal experience that they could certainly have addressed this particular issue to Canadians.
Thank-you for providing a near-perfect illustration of how the USA has come to be despised by nations around the world.
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