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Originally Posted by Ray Vega  First off , let's get one thing straight. Taiwan is not where the cheap horns are coming from. They're coming from The Peoples Republic of China.
The short of this very long and extremely complicated issue is this:
China is a Communist country that has a long list of human rights violations and has been tied to supporting many groups around the world that can only be considered terrorist organizations.
The Chinese workers that for the most part manufacture everything from trumpets to Barbie Dolls to plastic garbage containers...to possibly everything that we consume in the US, are underpaid and in many cases work in unhealthy work environments. They don't have the rights to challenge their system. You go to jail for questioning the system. Let's not overlook the fact that in many cases, children are forced into labor as well as prison inmates. Our purchases of items from China are basically bankrolling an extremely dangerous form of government.
Corporate America makes a bundle selling cheap Chinese products for way more then they're worth.....trumpets included. The bottom line is $'s. Profit comes before human rights and basic decency.
They might be making decent horns, but I refuse out of principal to purchase any instrument from China. |
Right on the money here with the exception of pointing the finger of blame at the "entity" Corporate America. Corporate America is basically "us," is it not? Savvy business people make money off of Chinese goods because the American public likes buying stuff, there's nothing wrong with that. If the public prefers paying $10 for a Chinese Barfie vs. $50 for an "American made" version who's to argue?
But of course you're correct about the oppressive, basically hostile country Commie China is, and the way we turn a blind eye to it simply because we get things cheap is an ethical issue certainly worth facing up to. It's up to each of us to make the "ethical" choices of whether to buy Chinese or not. Unfortunately so much is made in China it is practically impossible not to buy their products living the modern lifestyle we Americans enjoy-- half the time we never know where our material world toys originate and for better or worse could care less as long as the price is right.
Taiwan (the good China!) is making some fine instruments-- coming up like Yamaha did a few decades ago. The new XO line from Jupiter for example is very good (and a bargain to boot).