• Flying Squid@lemmy.worldM
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    4 months ago

    you can buy prepared metal, wires, microchips, buttons and other needed materials easily, down to plastic beads you can put in a mold (or more likely, just 3d print these days),

    Do you think those appear out of thin air? Because that was my whole damn point. Those prepared items come from other parts of the world. You can’t manufacture all of them in Europe and if you tried, it would take a hell of a lot more than five years and drive prices up ridiculously.

    I’m not sure why you think I’m talking about final assembly when I’ve made it clear multiple times that I’m talking about all the steps before final assembly, many of which require global shipping.

    • Eximius@lemmy.world
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      4 months ago

      Just because the cheapest come from somewhere beyond the sea, doesn’t mean there aren’t local equivalents. I just bought missing motorcycle parts that are manufactured in Poland, and I do prefer German, Polish manufacture, because it’s inherently more reliable and doesn’t have the added guess-work for Chinese manufacturing. And yes, Europe does manufacture microchips, buttons, wires, and other components that (among many things) make new nuclear plants work.

      I can agree that some materials are only available in specific regions, and so global-ish shipping would never die (and doesn’t need to), but over-reliance is a long time debt that should go away.

      • Flying Squid@lemmy.worldM
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        4 months ago

        So your point essentially is that you don’t care if things get hugely more expensive because you’ll be fine. Got it.

        • Eximius@lemmy.world
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          4 months ago

          There is a more fair price to pay for products, if you don’t buy from china. Investing into local manufacturing makes sense. And people don’t ask for fair wages, because people I talk to haven’t had a raise in 10-20 years, even though inflation went crazy over the past 10 years.

          • Flying Squid@lemmy.worldM
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            4 months ago

            Does it make sense for those five years you were talking about where everything is super expensive? Because that sounds like quite the position of privilege.

            It also sounds like a very privileged position blaming the lack of fair wages on the workers not asking for them.

            • Eximius@lemmy.world
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              4 months ago

              How is it a position of privilege? It would mean that manufacturing in Europe would gain a lot of income, provide more lower skill jobs in Europe, consolidate the economy. Reduced shippings costs would directly go into the European economy.

              I would like there to be more unions, otherwise large companies even in Europe are too powerful and too dehumanizing. If you don’t talk about this, it will only get worse.

              Buying hand-made clothes from individual artisans is actually cheaper in Europe than well-known brands, but it sadly requires more research and time for searching.

                • Eximius@lemmy.world
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                  4 months ago

                  I am sure when you go to work and don’t get a raise for 10 years, you would think twice of the importance of worker unions in large companies.

                  • Flying Squid@lemmy.worldM
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                    4 months ago

                    Your words:

                    And people don’t ask for fair wages, because people I talk to haven’t had a raise in 10-20 years, even though inflation went crazy over the past 10 years.

                    You said nothing about unions at all.

                    And people shouldn’t have to join a union or ask to get paid fairly. Again, a privileged idea that takes corporations off the hook.

                  • Eximius@lemmy.world
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                    4 months ago

                    It’s just, if you talk about finances driving your decisions, you must talk about fair wages and the current state of things. Otherwise you’re ignoring the full picture.

                    I blame large companies much more than I blame people not doing unions, but unions is the only possibility for people to fight back long-term abuse for a job they either perceive as acceptable, or not changeable (for whatever reason).