BMW loses court battle to chinese X5 clone

Hi , Thanks for this great comment this is true I always have the same way to think , and there is the consecuences now, the same happens with Hunday and theirs last models like the Genesis is a mixer copy , interior and dash of the CLS with low quality,truck of the S class,grill of the Mercedes idea, wow I really hate this.
Now the create the new Sonata is a bad similar copy of the VW Passat. German Brands needs to take action agains them but right now.

— pepito66 (View Profile)

Posted on 12/19/2008 1:48:52 PM | | Votes: 1   

This is ridiculous. The Chinese do not copy or clone anything. Not cars, not software, not hardware, not music CDs - nothing!

— TurboSpyder (View Profile)

Posted on 12/19/2008 3:36:23 PM | | Votes: 4   

TurboSpyder, you are ridiculous unless you were trying to be sarcastic. The worst thing is that Chinese do not feel guilty about copying. In fact, they copy everything with poor quality; cars, software, hardware, food, and you name it. They need to be educated better morally.

— TopGear (View Profile)

Posted on 12/19/2008 6:45:52 PM | | Votes: 3   

Top Gear if you can't tell he was being sarcastic YOU are ridiculous.

— 800over (View Profile)

Posted on 12/20/2008 12:09:50 AM | | Votes: 4   

Funny how people on this board talk about IP when 90% of you(if not more) have at least 1 downloaded mp3 on your computer.

Things that make you go hmmm.

In all seriousness, who the hell will buy this crap anyway. They have problems making toothpaste and baby formula.

Take a look at this youtube video(I hope autospies TOS allows me to post external links) which shows a great performance of a Chinese Car in a standard crash test.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5SRyG6UR2A

— kablaam (View Profile)

Posted on 12/21/2008 8:08:17 AM | | Votes: 1   

It's not just the Chinese, Hyundai's aren't made there...

— Agent004 (View Profile)

Posted on 12/22/2008 1:40:48 AM | | Votes: 2   

The Chinese selling knockoffs?, theres a shocker!! I dont know why but out of all the things they do copy and rip off this one really bothers me...maybe its cuz im a car nut. I hope BMW, and Mercedes, both win their cases.

— AudiA6Drvr (View Profile)

Posted on 12/22/2008 2:14:47 PM | | Votes: 1   

Is important to take action agains them, in my owne case I never buy copies from them.

— pepito66 (View Profile)

Posted on 12/19/2008 1:50:16 PM | | Votes: 5   

You are spot on. Dogs, by the way, who are the most loving, loyal, and social beings you'll ever know are farmed, butchered, and eaten by these contemptible, heartless sub-animal chinese. They are now raising St. Bernards en mass for this purpose - horrific.

— America (View Profile)

Posted on 12/19/2008 2:16:16 PM | | Votes: 4   

"Translation of an article published in the Chinese newspaper "Orient Express" on July 16, 1998:

Saint Bernards become food dogs - Mainland China promotes import

Despite the Chinese government’s constant declaration of its extraordinary achievements in environmental and wildlife protection, some government agencies recently are promoting the import of Saint Bernards for food. Chinese experts recently found that for massive captive breeding and killing for meat, the best kind of dogs is the Saint Bernards, which are imported from Switzerland, also called "Big Dumb Dog"

According to the China Central Television in Beijing, the experts pointed out that Saint Bernards are fast growing and disease resistant. The advantages of using them for food dogs are that they eat less than other dogs but breed fast. Because they rest immediately after meals, they grow faster too, on average gaining over one pound per day. Within a month, they could grow to be over 30 pounds. In three to four months, they will be ready for the market.

Beside the obvious advantage of fast growing , Saint Bernard also breed fast. On Average a female gives birth once a year. Litter size usually is around nine to twelve, nearly double that of other breeds. The CCTV reports also stressed that Saint Bernards are kind and friendly in nature. They don not bite people, so the breeders need not worry. "Big Dumb Dogs" are usually trained for rescue purposes in winter. "

Even more...

— Hyundai (View Profile)

Posted on 12/19/2008 9:01:32 PM | | Votes: 7   

Protest over plight of doomed St Bernards
ISSUE 2090 Tuesday 13 February 2001

By David Rennie in Beijing

THE Swiss parliament is to investigate the plight of thousands of St
Bernard dogs being bred in China for their meat.
St Bernards are almost unknown as pets in China. But the "Big Dumb
Dogs", as the Chinese nickname them, are prized by China's "meat
dog" breeders for their gentleness, their rapid breeding and the
ease with which they can be fattened up.
A petition signed by 11,000 St Bernard breeders and owners worldwide
was submitted to the Swiss government by SOS St Bernard
International, a Geneva-based group. The Swiss embassy in Beijing
said yesterday that after such a petition, parliament would normally
ask for an official report.
But this would probably deal only with reports of dogs being
tortured before slaughter to improve meat quality, a diplomat said.
He added: "As for the fact that the dogs are eaten, I think
Switzerland can do nothing about that officially; these are
differences in culture. The more delicate question is how the
animals are killed."
A staff member at a large state-funded dog farm, the Lin Xing
Raising and Propagating Centre in the north-eastern province of
Shanxi, said yesterday that St Bernards were a "business with a good
future" in China. He added: "We started in spring 1998 with 20 dogs
imported from Switzerland. Now we have more than 100 dogs in our
centre.
"They are really easy to breed. We give them a pound of corn meal a
day and some cow offal. The dogs are very large, and their meat is
delicious. It is much more nutritious than normal dog meat." The
centre quoted prices of 60Yuen for a six-month-old St Bernard or up to
?,000 for an adult male, several years' wages for the average
Chinese city-dweller.
A brochure published by the Shenyang Agriculture and Science
Development Institute, in the far northeastern province of Liaoning,
praised the St Bernards' "high farrowing rate", its "fine and tasty"
meat and noted that its "gentle disposition is good for group
breeding". Returns from meat dog farming were four times higher than
from pig farming, the brochure added.
There are no animal cruelty laws in China and domestic animals have
no protection. There is evidence that meat dogs are deliberately
hurt just before slaughter in the belief that adrenalin improves
their meat.

Sick Fucks.

— Hyundai (View Profile)

Posted on 12/19/2008 9:05:22 PM | | Votes: 6   

Press Release
Saint Bernard dogs favorite food dogs in China

On 5th February 2001 we will deposit a petition with approx. 11'000 signatures at the Swiss government in Bern, mainly signed by Saint Bernard dog owners and breeders all over the world.

The signers of this petition, who take care of the image of Saint Bernard dogs and therefore also of the image of Switzerland, expect from the Swiss Government an intervention at the Chinese government. We want a clear feedback on what is happening with the Saint Bernard dogs in China. We also expect from the Chinese government suggestions how to stop this abject business. Saint Bernard dogs are adored all over the world for their historic background as rescue dogs and their gentle character.

We already know that the Chinese breed since 5 years Saint Bernard dogs in an industrial way as reproduction dogs for food dogs. They imported pure breed Saint Bernard dogs from Western countries . The manager of the breeding site in Shanxi (China), whose site is financed by the Chinese government, says very clearly that just now he is breeding pure breed Saint Bernard dogs but he expects with his 90 Saint Bernard dogs to become in a few years the biggest dog meat factory in China. Presently there are 20 industrial Saint Bernard breeding sites all over China. The Chinese breeders say, that in a few years there will as many Saint Bernard dogs in China as cows and sheep. Their slogan is, that breeding Saint Bernard dogs is 4 times more profitable than pigs and 3 times more profitable than chicken. In addition the meat of Saint Bernard dogs seems to be particularly tasty and healthy for the human body.

It also has to be mentioned that animals are slaughtered in a very painful way in China. The aim of slaughtering animals slowly and with extreme pain is to increase the level of adrenaline in the body of the animal.

Can Switzerland watch silently what is happening to Saint Bernard dogs in China and at the same time present to tourists these rescue dogs as a historic symbol of Switzerland? The answer is NO!

The signers of this petition expect a clear answer from the Swiss government.

We can also be reached by phone at the following number: +41 78 77 39 809.

Geneva, 27th January 2001

Sick C&nts.

— Hyundai (View Profile)

Posted on 12/19/2008 9:08:57 PM | | Votes: 4   

Somebody should ship their Central Asian Ovcharka Dog to one of these meat dog factories with fur painted like a St. Bernard.

They will have a visit from a VERY spiteful dog, not your docile and gentle Saint! Needless to say, after the dog gets out of his crate every single one of the meat dog factory workers will be mauled to death by one of the greatest breeds in the world, the Central Asian Ovcharka.

— Hyundai (View Profile)

Posted on 12/19/2008 9:12:38 PM | | Votes: 5   

"They keep the dogs in small cages until it is time for slaughter. When the dogs are big enough, they (the Chinese), believe that if they can increase the adrenaline level in the dog, just before they die, it will create a meat that can increase virility in men. Therefore, they torture the dogs to death. Two of the most popular ways are:1. Confirmed reports that breeders normally killed dogs destined for the butcher by cutting a hole in the paw and bleeding them to death. ``It's true, and it takes them about 10 minutes to die, but this way the meat tastes better.''2. They catch the dog with an iron pinch. The dog is petrified. The shop owners assistant starts to beat the dog’s head with a stick. The dog screams of pain and loses all control and urinates and defecates at the same time. As the dog keeps fighting in his agony, the assistant hits the dog once more strongly with his stick. The dog finally collapses. The owner takes a knife and starts immediately opening the throat of the dog. The assistant pulls out all the organs of the dog and removes the skin from the dog. The reason for this? A dog who is scared produces adrenaline, the meat of the dog slaughtered that way is very good for men's virility."

SICK FVCKS!

— Hyundai (View Profile)

Posted on 12/19/2008 9:24:11 PM | | Votes: 5   

They also hunt and raise cats for dinner.

— truthpursuit (View Profile)

Posted on 12/20/2008 3:42:59 PM | | Votes: 3   

LOL, Violating IP makes the chinese govt inhumane.

Compared to everything else that they do(or don't do) it makes them look like saints.

Makes me love America that much more!!!!!

— kablaam (View Profile)

Posted on 12/21/2008 8:11:38 AM | | Votes: 0   

BMW needs to take more effective actions agains them and Mercedes too. I am don't forget Huanday this the """"New Genesis and Sonata """""" lol lol lol is a mixer or shake of the german brands.

— pepito66 (View Profile)

Posted on 12/19/2008 1:53:09 PM | | Votes: 3   

Yes yes yes everybody need to take action agains them JUST ONE TIME AND THAT'S ALL.
THEY HAVE TO RESPECT OTHERS.

— pepito66 (View Profile)

Posted on 12/19/2008 1:54:24 PM | | Votes: 5   

Hello, Vancouver! LOL!

I love Vancouver, but there are just WAY too many bums in that city smoking crack on the street in broad daylight while doing pushups and Thai Chi in front of oncoming traffic.

The food is amazing, though.

— Hyundai (View Profile)

Posted on 12/20/2008 12:20:10 AM | | Votes: 4   

I live in SF and there is a large Asian population here. Actually it is a relief because I can relate to them more than the whites and blacks. I would feel more comfortable living in a place where Asians are the majority rather than whites or blacks.

— tkindred (View Profile)

Posted on 12/20/2008 12:30:10 AM | | Votes: -4   

I'm from Vancouver and i'm Chinese. Although it is quite bad in the downtown east side, it's mostly segregated in that area only and certain parts of Surrey (a suburb).

Vancouver is one of the most beautiful cities to visit or live in.

— Agent63 (View Profile)

Posted on 12/20/2008 8:17:11 AM | | Votes: -1   

Descended from the dragon? how come I've never heard my parents and my grandparents and great grandparents say that? What kind of chinese have you met?

— Agent63 (View Profile)

Posted on 12/20/2008 8:18:50 AM | | Votes: 1   

I heard it on a CBC Olympic segment before the Beijing Olympics. What kind of chinese have I met? I think I've probably met all of them at this point and I didn't even sign up for it.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19606626/

— TurboSpyder (View Profile)

Posted on 12/20/2008 11:05:13 AM | | Votes: 4   

How does the St. Bernard taste?

Do your friends know you eat dog meat?

— Hyundai (View Profile)

Posted on 12/20/2008 12:55:15 AM | | Votes: 5   

Yea, I did know that. As soon as any special event is held there (for these purposes: Korea and China), morality is an issue. When they are over - forget it.

"We last left the story of Internet censorship in the People's Republic of China when the IOC had reached a deal with the Chinese government whereby some of the press restrictions were lifted. With the 2008 Olympics now but a memory, China has began censoring foreign news sources again. Maybe the West is making too big of a deal over this, as many Chinese citizens seem to like it that way."




"Dog meat off the menu during Beijing Olympics
Restaurant staff told to 'patiently' suggest other options for diners

*** Dog meat banned from Beijing menus ***
July 11: During the August Olympics, dog meat will not be served in Beijing restaurants. Msnbc.com's Dara Brown reports.

msnbc.com

Exclusive Summer Olympics news & widgets at NBCOlympics.com!

updated 11:24 a.m. CT, Fri., July. 11, 2008

BEIJING - Canine cuisine is being sent to the doghouse during next month’s Beijing Olympic Games.

Dog meat has been struck from the menus of officially designated Olympic restaurants, and Beijing tourism officials are telling other outlets to discourage consumers from ordering dishes made from dogs, the official Xinhua News Agency reported Friday.

Waiters and waitresses should “patiently” suggest other options to diners who order dog, it said, quoting city tourism bureau Vice Director Xiong Yumei."

LOL! Read this:

"Global News - December 2008

'Monkeys go bananas'

Fri 19 December 2008 15:07 UK — Asia,Primates

Picture for article: Three Chinese monkeys abused to entertain tourists turned the tables on their trainer by beating him.

The primates turned on their trainer after he beat one of them with a stick as they rode mini bicycles in a market in Sizhou in eastern China, twisting his ears, pulling out his hair and biting his neck.

Police are investigating allegations of animal cruelty after the incident, in which one of the monkeys repeatedly hit the man over the head with a cane until it snapped.

The trainer said afterwards: "They were once wild and these performances don't always come naturally to them. They may have built up some feelings of hatred towards me."

China is infamous for its acts of animal cruelty with the animal Olympics held at Shanghai Olympics provoking particular outrage with animal rights campaigners.

News brought to you by International Animal Rescue, saving animals from suffering around the world."


Those animals will do anything to turn a profit over there.

— Hyundai (View Profile)

Posted on 12/20/2008 2:47:04 AM | | Votes: 5   

Dude, I am not from China nor am I from Asian decent. I am just stating the facts. I get along with Chinese very well. How many of you have even been to China?

— tkindred (View Profile)

Posted on 12/21/2008 4:39:41 PM | | Votes: -2   

One Billion Customers: Lessons from the Front Lines of Doing Business in China (Paperback)


From Publishers Weekly

“The promise and perils-mostly the latter-that Western businesses face in China's huge but chaotic market are probed in this illuminating if not quite reassuring primer. Ex-Wall Street Journal China bureau chief McGregor presents a series of case studies from capitalism's Wild East, including a rocky joint venture between Morgan Stanley and a Chinese bank; the rise and fall of a Chinese peasant turned billionaire smuggler; Rupert Murdoch's travails in bringing a satellite TV network to China; and a muck-raking Chinese financial journalist's battles with both government censorship and the private media's cozy relationships with advertisers. He caps each chapter with gleanings of wisdom (***'assume your procurement department is corrupt until proven innocent'***) and pointers on such topics as which bribes are ethically acceptable (expenses-paid junkets to America 'with generous opportunities for tourism and relaxation') and which are not (suitcases full of cash). McGregor writes with the confidence of an old China hand, occasionally lapsing into generalities about Asian 'shame-based' cultures, but generally treating the Chinese businesspeople he profiles with the same sympathy and insight he accords Westerners. Still, the picture he paints of the Chinese economy is a daunting one, ruled by over-mighty Communist officials, bribe-hungry bureaucrats, Byzantine regulations and a murky, cut-throat business culture structured by personal and family ties. Westerners contemplating a plunge into this shark tank will profit from McGregor's cautionary tales.”

— TurboSpyder (View Profile)

Posted on 12/20/2008 11:15:36 AM | | Votes: 6   

I've read many posts on forums from people who own or work for small or medium sized companies that tried to get something manufactured in China and their stories are virtually identical to Hyundai's post above about wine fridges. The Chinese will take the design the American business gives them and then they will set up two production lines - one for the American customer and another that they use to manufacture the same product for themselves under a different name and sell cheap. That hurts businesses and people here. The Chinese also rip-off their own high-tech startup companies so that they can't get a foothold in the market because the minute they put out a new product it gets pirated and they can't make any money.

-

"Micropayments have been one of the Internet's most-hyped and least-successful ideas — until now, as virtual world creators and video game companies are beginning to expect, and even depend on, players to buy virtual goods in little chunks.

"The idea has already taken hold in Asia, where piracy is widespread, making it harder for companies to profit from the traditional model of selling the games themselves. Now some game companies in the U.S. are taking a stab at micropayments as a serious source of revenue."

http://www.theindustrystandard.com/news/2008/09/07/old-web-idea-micropayments-finally-finds-home

-

"European and American companies have complained about the volume of pirated goods in China, which they say have cost them billions of dollars in lost revenue.

"Despite repeated crackdowns by the Chinese government, counterfeit versions of movies, branded clothes and medicine are still readily available.

"Mandelson said China, which joined the World Trade Organization in 2001, needed to live up to its promises of full market access and protection for the rights of foreign companies."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/08/AR2006060800050.html

— TurboSpyder (View Profile)

Posted on 12/21/2008 10:20:55 AM | | Votes: 5   

vman, it isn't hate to tell the truth. The Chinese ARE torturing and eating dogs and talking about openly isn't hate, it's free speech. What they do to these gentle and loving St. Bernards is beyond disgusting. Anyone who is associated with these scumbags should be ashamed. Anyone who defends their behavior is just as much of a scumbag. The Chinese intentionally cause severe pain to a St. Bernard by cutting a hole in the paw and bleed them to death over ten minutes. "The dog screams of pain and loses all control and urinates and defecates at the same time. As the dog keeps fighting in his agony, the assistant hits the dog once more strongly with his stick. The dog finally collapses. The owner takes a knife and starts immediately opening the throat of the dog. The assistant pulls out all the organs of the dog and removes the skin from the dog. The reason for this? A dog who is scared produces adrenaline, the meat of the dog slaughtered that way is very good for men's virility."

No amount of benefit is worth doing that to a St. Bernard.

Sick Fvcks indeed.

— America (View Profile)

Posted on 12/22/2008 5:15:09 AM | | Votes: 3   

Finally some since in this stupid _ss racist thread.

— tkindred (View Profile)

Posted on 12/21/2008 4:33:44 PM | | Votes: -2   

I meant sense.

— tkindred (View Profile)

Posted on 12/21/2008 4:34:50 PM | | Votes: -2   

Most of the comments here are stupid and not worth replying too. Good to see there are still a lot of racists in this country. I would bet many of you have not even been to China or studied their culture. This thread would have been descent if people could stay on topic and not let their racist side come out. And what's this dribble about people eating dogs and porn?

— tkindred (View Profile)

Posted on 12/22/2008 8:29:09 AM | | Votes: -2   

"Most of the comments here about China are factual and can't be refuted so I'll just call them stupid."

The Chinese do eat cats and dogs and are exceedingly cruel to animals. Do a Yahoo News search for "cats on the menu" and you'll see a story from just a few days ago. But I do agree with you that one should really study China's culture before coming to any conclusions. In a CS Monitor article from last year, a professor of Chinese history wrote that Chinese society suffers from "entrenched habits of social predation."

http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0803/p09s02-coop.htm

-

"Federal agents Thursday seized quantities of a contaminated blood thinner made in China from a small manufacturer in Cincinnati, officials said.

"The blood thinner heparin, given to patients undergoing heart surgery and kidney dialysis, was the focus of a major recall earlier this year after crude drug material from China was found to be contaminated. Hundreds of frail patients suffered severe allergic reactions. The government received reports of nearly 250 deaths."

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory?id=6198651

-

"The F.D.A. has identified Changzhou SPL, a Chinese subsidiary of Scientific Protein Laboratories, as the source of the contaminated heparin. A Congressional investigator said the contaminant, oversulfated chondroitin sulfate, cost $9 a pound compared with $900 a pound for heparin.

"Mr. Strunce said that his company tried to find the original source of the contamination but was stopped by the Chinese authorities.

Robert L. Parkinson, Baxter’s chairman and chief executive, told the committee, ***'We’re alarmed that one of our products was used in what appears to have been a deliberate scheme to adulterate a life-saving medication.'***"

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/30/health/policy/30heparin.html

-

"Unscrupulous companies in China have routinely watered down milk, then added melamine to artificially boost protein readings on quality tests. The practice became known after the Beijing Olympics this summer. It backfired when tens of thousands of Chinese children got sick with kidney problems after drinking contaminated infant formula. Nearly 13,000 children were hospitalized in China, and at least four died.

"Other melamine-tainted products soon surfaced, setting off a global safety scandal that has further tarnished the reputation of Chinese brands."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27698241/

— TurboSpyder (View Profile)

Posted on 12/22/2008 11:34:26 AM | | Votes: 5   

TurboSpyder, maybe you should read the article here again that pertains to cars to help you get back on topic.

— tkindred (View Profile)

Posted on 12/22/2008 12:02:38 PM | | Votes: -3   

Quote from the article:

“As we mentioned back then, the CEO is almost an identical copy of BMW’s X5 model, and the only reason why it’s ‘almost identical’ is that the SUV’s front end it’s a ‘clone’ of the SUVs found in the Mercedes-Benz’s line.”

The Chinese tend to do that, ya know?

— TurboSpyder (View Profile)

Posted on 12/22/2008 1:10:03 PM | | Votes: 5   

Can we stay on topic and not turn this into a racist rant about China and how they eat dogs. FYI, Koreans eat dogs as well.

We are all to blame for the rise of Communist China and their infiltration into the global economy. Every country, especially ours, has consumed Chinese goods whether it’s cheap lead painted toys at Walmart or the latest slick Ipod. The Chinese have an almost fanatical love of wealth. In fact, they are so fixated with wealth that they will even go as far to harm their own to make a couple of extra Yuans. There are so many people in China that humans are almost an expendable commodity. A sad example of this is the poisoning their own young with melamine additives in infant formula (added to make the formula look “rich” in protein) to make bigger profits. Any society that is willing to poison their young at such a grand scale for the sake of profits is really at its moral end. Companies like BMW and GM were lured to China in hopes of big profits and “Globalization.” The Communist Chinese government’s goal was to court big companies to invest so much in China that can get out. Once that’s accomplished, they start to literally copy intellectual property for their own gains. These are hard lessons that we all need to learn from. I know they’re been talk on this blog about how Ford wants to sell Volvo to the Chinese. HUGE MISTAKE! You might as well throw the Volvo brand into the toilet forever. The global problem now is to untangle itself from the reliance of cheap goods from China. Just try going to your local Target and buy something that’s not made in China…nearly impossible. But a little will go a long way. If we all stopped buying goods that are made in China things will eventually turn around not only for us but for the citizens of China as well.

— E36er (View Profile)

Posted on 12/22/2008 3:50:19 PM | | Votes: -3   

Where do you think some Chinese get their desire for wealth and consumption? Take a guess where this came from and what it will do to the world if it continues at this rate? You think things are bad now?

"The mutual sniping is part of the growing pains in maturing U.S.-China relations. For Beijing, though, great face is at stake as it seeks to gain equal footing with the U.S. Perhaps that helps explain the vitriol of recent campaigns against consumerism, which, to Beijing's chagrin, have had little impact on the masses. Beijing has had much greater success using politics as a wedge in negotiations over airliner purchases and auto plants, as Boeing and General Motors can attest. This is a remarkable gauge of how much the mainland has changed over the last decade: Beijing is more capable of bullying concessions from foreign firms than reining in consumerism sweeping its once-constrained and centrally controlled state.

The irony must irk even more; it is Uncle Sam who is driving much of this consumerism. "Despite what Beijing says, the Chinese can't get enough of Americana," a U.S. businessman based in Shanghai says. "It's created a real bizarre schism. The government may paint a picture of America as a devil country, but the average Chinese looks at America with total fascination."

— tkindred (View Profile)

Posted on 12/22/2008 9:58:16 PM | | Votes: -3   

I also read somewhere that some want to encourage the Chinese to consume more and become more like us (screwed financially and wasting) in order to help the world economy. And where does this thinking come from? And it seems the encouragement is working. You guys make the Chinese to be the "bad" guys. Everyone is a player in this.

— tkindred (View Profile)

Posted on 12/22/2008 10:03:31 PM | | Votes: -2   

Yeah! What kthor said! And I'll add this... I'll never eat another hot dog.

— Kthorn (View Profile)

Posted on 1/4/2009 2:29:03 AM | | Votes: 1   

Again, let me ask you guys, who do you think the masterminds of consumerism are? Where do you think these ideas of elitism and status through consumption come from? So, somebody who can't afford a BMW but wants to drive around in something that looks like it because they are getting brainwashed seems to create a fine market of imitations.

"China today is undergoing a consumer revolution, a revolution which is as far reaching and radical as the political, social, and cultural revolutions that preceded it. Today the Chinese people consume unprecedented amounts of goods, services, and experiences, and dream of consuming far more. By encouraging such consumerism, the Chinese state has been able to delay political reform and divert public attention from China’s growing social and environmental problems. Yet this strategy has come at an increasing cost. While state-guided consumerism has helped to promote economic growth and protect the party’s hold on power, it has also produced unequalled environmental devastation. This paper assesses that dynamic. I begin by tracing the origins of China’s new consumerism, examining the role of party leaders and state institutions in shaping consumerist values. Next, I assess the political economy of consumerism in three key sectors: the auto industry, the housing industry, and the tourist industry. In each of those areas, increasing consumer demand is placing more and more pressure on the Chinese state, society, and environment. I conclude by arguing that such pressure threatens to destroy the delicate balance between economic growth, political control, and environmental protection in China today. If China is not able to find a way to regain control over its consumer revolution, the social, political, and environmental consequences are likely to be catastrophic."

— tkindred (View Profile)

Posted on 12/22/2008 10:10:05 PM | | Votes: -2