Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Stereo Nice rack….

LOL .........................I won't ask what you were expecting.

Would it help if I mentioned that Chinese crap like those stands cost the importer like $25? Selling direct from the land of forced labor and the home of the slave must equate to big profits for that wonderful chap I always see on AVS.
I wonder how he has time to post with those Ferraris sitting in front of his mansion.

Sorry, Mark. But I don't think you know what you are talking about. I didn't realize you were against a businessman making a profit. Sounds anti-capitalistic to me.

To be honest, not really. Of couse if you know that to be factual in regaurds to AVS products, I would very much apperciate knowing where you found that information.

There's a difference between state-capitalism and free enterprise.
The entire free world is losing mfg jobs to Asia, China in particular, due to the ridiculously obscene exploitation of the Chinese peasant and an utter disregard for the environment.
I am certainly not an "environmentalist", but it seems like clean air, clean water and healthy citizens should be somewhere on the gov'ts agenda.

Well you're speaking in generalities now. Your previous post was specifically about Mark, his company and its products. Unless you've personally inspected the stand in question, know the conditions at Mark's factory, and know what he pays his employees, you are basing your unfounded and unsubstantiated criticisms, and offensive implications of "slavery," on assumptions rather than on facts aren't you?

What do you call that umption stuff that comes out of your ass? Oh yeah, assumption.

Y'all crack me up.

I am, in fact, assuming that the stand is made in China. I am also assuming that at $100, the seller is still turning a profit. I am also assuming that it was produced in typical Chinese factories by typical Chinese workers.

I do not know the exact place of manufacture for that specific stand, the living and working conditions of the particular fellas involved in producing it, or the impact to the environment caused by the mineral extraction, fuel consumption, etc..., involved in its mfg.

Regardless, I'm pretty sure that my generalizations are likely correct - how else could it be sold at a profit for $100?

The stand I bought (also from China and similarly constructed) cost me $58 after a 10% mark up from wholesale. It likely cost the importer/wholesaler $25-40.

I erred in that purchase, in that the purchase did not properly reflect my values.

It's like how everybody thinks voting is important in general, but as specific individuals nobody thinks their single vote is important. Who is more correct, the voter who thinks about the implications of voting in general terms, or the one who thinks more specifically about the irrelevance of his single vote?

It seems our values and ideals frequently conflict with our circumstances. We pay lip service to our values, but compromise them when circumstances make adherence to those values difficult.

How about the Danish cartoon fiasco? People seem to be having a hard time reconciling events with their value system because it leads to a judgement which they find unpalatable.

>>How about the Danish cartoon fiasco? People seem to be having a hard time reconciling events with their value system because it leads to a judgement which they find unpalatable.

This one seems to be blown way out of proportion. Half the people are arguing about right of free speech, which should be preserved, but IMO there is an implied responsibility to avoid being offensive unless there is a REALLY REALLY good reason.

There is no legal problem with publishing those cartoons, but if they are clearly offensive to a significant segment of the population then maybe we should exercise a bit of judgement.

Having said that, publishing offensive cartoons does not give ANYONE the right to burn down buildings in retaliation. I don't have a problem with protests and only have a small problem with filing lawsuits to stop further publication, but that's where it has to end.

I do have a problem with the Danish cleric who padded out the cartoon collection with a few unpublished, but highly offensive cartoons before shopping them around the various Muslim centers. That was pure rabble-rousing and IMO not justified at all. I consider that not much different from "yelling FIRE in a crowded theater".

See how convoluted it is? Lots of ifs, buts and other qualifiers in that post.