Child miners aged four living a hell on Earth so YOU can drive an electric car: Awful human cost in squalid Congo cobalt mine that Michael Gove didn’t consider in his ‘clean’ energy crusade

[IAMX 3,055]

1 hour ago, Ebunoluwa said:

If someone can't see anything sad about the article there is something very wrong.
You can have an opinion of "the people should try to do something" instead of adding you don't see what's so sad.
I wish you would move there and try to change things to realize how silly that statement really is.
I am not even wasting my time trying to educate you on "people don't want to put out effort to make their situation better".
Geez Louise. That just takes the cake.
 

 

After timeout you can have your binky back.

[Steeleballz 7,550]

On 8/8/2017 at 5:26 PM, IAMX said:

"Democratic" Republic of Congo

 

It just sounds so much more pleasing when we add Democratic to things. It's like polishing a poo and calling it gold.

 

Anyways, unfortunately we can't pick which parts of the world have natural resources, nor can we control how these people run their lives in their home land. If they don't want freedom, oh well for them. At least they have "Democratic" in their name. 

  

  If it wasn't for the western support (including the CIA under Eisenhower) behind the assassination of democratically elected Patrice Lumumba, maybe the fledgling democratic state would have actually had a chance to get off the ground. Instead they had six months of independence before returning to the brutality brought in during the Belgian occupancy. Child labor and the brutal punishment regimen that enabled it was introduced to the Congo by the Belgians. 

 

  Whether or not we have any influence over how people in the DRC run their lives is debatable. I would counter that supporting the assassination of a democratically elected leader and allowing a military despot to return to power for 30 years was not a good start to enabling democracy.

 

   Well yeah, lets blame Prius owners for all that though. You may want to look up which US presidents supported Muboto's dictatorship over the years.  MAGA .

   

 

 

  

[Boiler 46,176]

Independence was 57 years ago,

[Steeleballz 7,550]

24 minutes ago, Boiler said:

Independence was 57 years ago,

 

    Yes. It lasted six months and the US had a lot to do with that. The country was then ruled by a corrupt dictator for 30+ years after that and the US also supported that. Damn Prius owners.

[ready4ONE 5,400]

13 minutes ago, Steeleballz said:

 

    Yes. It lasted six months and the US had a lot to do with that. The country was then ruled by a corrupt dictator for 30+ years after that and the US also supported that. Damn Prius owners.

Your opinion is too in depth and complex. Please just let this be about evil Prius owners and granola eating dirty hippy Lefties who buy them. And remember that buying them is evil, selling them is great!

[IAMX 3,055]

1 hour ago, Steeleballz said:

  

  If it wasn't for the western support (including the CIA under Eisenhower) behind the assassination of democratically elected Patrice Lumumba, maybe the fledgling democratic state would have actually had a chance to get off the ground. Instead they had six months of independence before returning to the brutality brought in during the Belgian occupancy. Child labor and the brutal punishment regimen that enabled it was introduced to the Congo by the Belgians. 

 

  Whether or not we have any influence over how people in the DRC run their lives is debatable. I would counter that supporting the assassination of a democratically elected leader and allowing a military despot to return to power for 30 years was not a good start to enabling democracy.

 

   Well yeah, lets blame Prius owners for all that though. You may want to look up which US presidents supported Muboto's dictatorship over the years.  MAGA .

   

 

 

  

But do they drive a Prius there? Talk to me when they become as green as me.

[Steeleballz 7,550]

56 minutes ago, ready4ONE said:

Your opinion is too in depth and complex. Please just let this be about evil Prius owners and granola eating dirty hippy Lefties who buy them. And remember that buying them is evil, selling them is great!

    It seems strong opinions and superficial reasoning are the blueprint to making America great again. 

[Steeleballz 7,550]

40 minutes ago, IAMX said:

But do they drive a Prius there? Talk to me when they become as green as me.

  I doubt there are any there who are as green as you.

[eieio 1,594]

Just buy more carbon credits.

 

problem solved.

[IAMX 3,055]

5 hours ago, Steeleballz said:

    It seems strong opinions and superficial reasoning are the blueprint to making America great again. 

Naw man, need tantrums.. 

 

So-called President

Drumpf

Herr Trump

Cheeto

The Orange One

 

This is the real blueprint, even though the US clearly doesn't want it. 

 

 

5 hours ago, Steeleballz said:

  I doubt there are any there who are as green as you.

Don't be blue. 7 more years of Trump, man.

[Steeleballz 7,550]

14 minutes ago, IAMX said:

Naw man, need tantrums.. 

 

So-called President

Drumpf

Herr Trump

Cheeto

The Orange One

 

This is the real blueprint, even though the US clearly doesn't want it. 

 

 

Don't be blue. 7 more years of Trump, man.

 

   I'm sure you have a point to make. I'll just wait and see if you get to it.

[IAMX 3,055]

1 minute ago, Steeleballz said:

 

   I'm sure you have a point to make. I'll just wait and see if you get to it.

Oh ok, let me know how waiting goes.

[bcking 3,157]

On 8/9/2017 at 5:34 AM, Bill & Katya said:

I think many people forget that to produce anything artificial, we use natural resources which means mining, drilling, extracting, distilling, etc.  As @IAMX said we cannot control where those resources are located, or how they choose to extract them, but this situation is indeed sad for the people being exploited.

I wouldn't go so far as to say that we can't do anything about "how they choose to extract them".

 

We can have a top down process that enforces regulation and safety standards. The mines wouldn't operate as they do if their buyers stopped buying.

 

Of course eventually that increase in cost (to provide better wages, safer standards of living and working etc...) will have to be made up somewhere. So people may think it's horrible about how the miners are living, but may also not want the price of every hybrid to go up by 5,000 dollars.

[IAMX 3,055]

14 minutes ago, bcking said:

I wouldn't go so far as to say that we can't do anything about "how they choose to extract them".

 

We can have a top down process that enforces regulation and safety standards.

Against other countries?

[bcking 3,157]

3 minutes ago, IAMX said:

Against other countries?

It isn't about individual countries, it's about business.

 

The Chinese make the batteries and supply them to western manufacturers.

 

Manufacturers can put pressure on the battery makers and the mines to improve conditions, otherwise not purchase the supply.

 

I'm not saying it would fix everything, but it's also wrong to say "oh it sucks we can't do anything about it".

 

I'm guessing the mines in Australia have better working conditions. Give them all the business and see if the DRC continues with this.

Edited August 10, 2017 by bcking