I'm not talking about work or working standards or conditions, I'm talking about work ethics. Those traits in an individual that motivate him or her to do a good job, take responsibility, and do what they say they are going to do. On their own initiative and because they feel it's the right thing to do, not because they feel they have to or they won't get rewarded.
And in this respect, the Chinese as a whole are ahead of Americans. Actually, that's not correct at all. Ethics isn't a race. The Chinese have the personal work ethics they have, period. It's the US that is slipping behind them in this regard.
While the US is sliding down into a morass of complaining, whining, polarization, blaming, and stagnation due to incompetence--- particularly in the case of the government--- countries like China, Korea, Viet Nam, India (sort of) are doing what we did after WWII. Accelerating like mad.
You are correct in one thing--- China is not the only place you can have cheap shirts made. Korea, Viet Nam, Sri Lanka, India, South Africa, Malaysia, Mexico, Central America, to name a few. And you will find that the same conditions that exist for the folks that do these jobs in China exist in those places, too. As I said, WalMart is an equal opportunity threatener.
BTW, the your smug assumption that the Chinese learned everything about technology from Americans or whoever is ignorant beyond belief.
And don't forget, WE learned everything about rockets and swept wings from the Germans. We weren't smart enough to figure this out on our own at that point. In fact the only way we could make it work was to drag the Germans over here to do it for us. Human history is filled with examples of people in one area learning things from people in another area by virtue of exploration in the old days to commercial trade today.
And frankly, who cares how the Chinese got their start in magnesium manufacturing? The fact is that they did and today they lead the world in it in terms of technical innovation. BTW, there are no foreign managers, scientists, metallurgists, or anybody else "western" in that facility. We were there. We checked. So if someone helped them get started, they're accelerating on their own now. And that's all that matters.
Now none of us are so naive as to think that we will change your mind. You will carry on in ignorance of what is going on in that part of the world. Fine. What you believe has no relevance whatsoever to what people are actually doing. You can wear your German shirts (probably with Chinese buttons) and your American jackets (probably with Chinese zippers) all you like. If it makes you feel good that's fine and it helps out the Chinese button and zipper people, too.
What clinging to outdated, ignorant notions about other countries and their people does, however, is pull the US down just a wee tiny bit more in our competitive position in the world.
Fortunately, not everyone or every company in the US is a blind as you are to reality.
Sometime in the later 1980s, the CEO of Boeing made a big deal about how we were going to make a strong effort to become a "global" company. At the time we all said, "That's nice," and went on about our business. All we had to do was walk down the flightlines and look at the paint jobs on the planes to know we already were a global company.
But that's not what the CEO meant. What he meant-- and it's only been relatively recently that I think we've all realized it--- is that we were going to become a global company. We were going to get involved with research and technologies and other leading-edge companies around the world in an ongoing, partnership sort of way.
It was a pretty visionary thought at the time, and while I think most of the rank and file didn't pay much attention to it, however it's happened, it's happened. And that's why we were in China at the magnesium research and manufacturing facility and why we were at the biofuel feedstock farms and why we were at the algae biofuel farms and on and on and on.
And it's not just China. We're in Korea and India and South Africa and Eastern Europe, and Russia, and Australia, and of course Japan.
Why? Because even back in the late 80s, people at this company were recognizing that other people in other countries knew more about some things than we did. And were way more advanced at doing some things than we were. Including China.
So you can put your head in the sand and continue to believe the stereotypes and the ignorant propaganda and the silly assumptions or you can partner with people in other countries who are as good as or better than we are at certain things and move ahead on a global scale. Which, I am glad to say, is what the company I work for has done. In February we're off to support our company's growing technology partnerships with Brazil, for example.
It's been interesting and in a selfish way rather encouraging reading your comments and beliefs about China because it has illustrated, for me anyway, how far we have come in our global relationships. It's a before and after sort of thing.
Your beliefs represent the "before," when Americans--- including me--- knew almost nothing about China and so bought into every piece of propaganda that came down the pike (I'm sure there are still people in Idaho who are convinced that Chinese troops are massed across the border in the forests of Canada awaiting the order to invade, the "black helicopter" people).
What I see in China on our working trips today is the "after," the reality of a country that is totally different than what we used to imagine it to be. It blew me away, on the first project I directed over there some four years ago or so. Every stereotype I had in my head was wrong. But it took going there to convince me.
Like I said earlier, I wouldn't want to live there. I don't care much for the geography or the climate. But if I was in a position to have something made, particularly something high-tech, complicated, and exacting, I'd want to have it made there. Or South Korea.
...thanks....the definition says what i said in less words. I guess i aint a two word guy when fifty would work better. I did mention that the motivating factors would be diferent in each geographical location
