Week 3: iSheep and The Veil of Ignorance

 Ok I'm not going to lie. I LOVE MY APPLE PRODUCTS. LOVE THEM. My MacBook Pro is seriously within arms reach about 70% of the day. I'm factoring 30% for sleeping and yoga/gym. When I sleep, I keep my iPhone under the pillow as an alarm, and when I work out, I take my iTouch for tunes/miles calculator. I do not think I could mentally handle what would happen if I was forced to switch back to a PC. Every time I work on one, I curse their very stupid existence for being such a waste of my time. My Apple products truly enhance the quality of my technology obsessed life and career. :)

With that said... I want to discuss Rawl's ethical argument of the "Veil of Ignorance" and its relevance to American iSheep. Rawls argues that when making a decision, many prefer to remain in the dark as to what made this decision possible, or the repercussions that may arise from it. Once the veil is lifted, they will become responsible for that knowledge.

On Apple's newest product release days, enthusiasts camp outside of the store to make sure they are the first to own one. Imagine if these consumers put the same effort into finding out how our beloved products are manufactured. Once that veil of ignorance is lifted, would you still purchase the new iPad? Sadly, the Apple cult following is so strong, I fear there is not much you could argue to cause a boycott.

 So whats the relevance of Apple's iSheep cult? 

Well... It has recently been brought to our attention the working conditions of Apple's Asian manufacturing factories like Foxconn. Activist websites are presenting Apple with a petition of 250,000 signatures protesting these controversial labor issues. So their veils have been removed, and they are trying to make a change. I wonder what percentage 250,000 is of Apple's overall brand loyal customers.

"The substandard conditions at Foxconn's Asian facilities drew attention last year, as Students and Scholars Against Corporate Misbehavior, or SACOM, accused the factory of making workers sign pacts against suicide in response to a string of worker suicides. SACOM alleged the pact prevented family members from suing the factory.

Scrutiny increased after a deadly explosion halted Apple manufacturing and pointed to the dangerous conditions in the factories. In addition, 150 workers from its Wuhan, China site recently attempted to commit mass suicide in response to the factory's persistent abuses."

So... Its gotten so bad that workers are threatening suicide? How is that ethical or moral? Unfortunately, this is an issue that has been long withstanding. Everyone knows China is the place to go for inexpensive manufacturing. I saw a docu for a Sociology class called "Mardi Gras: Made in China," about the manufacturing of Mardi Gras beads. Beads. Plastic colored beads. That women expose their breasts for. (I'm not even going to go down that road...) The worker's conditions looked like concentration camps. It was sickening. 

My point is... This isn't new folks! This is why GM has their "Made in America" campaign. I think its absolutely brilliant to take advantage of Apple's strength to bring light to this moral dilemma. No one really thinks about the moral costs of mere Mardi Gras beads... These trivial "party favors" if you will, hold no comparision to our glorious Apple products. I have a feeling by involving Apple, at the very least the world will become more aware of the issue. However... This isn't the first time society has discussed this, prior incidents have included other American companies like Nike, Reebok, and Gap. Maybe Apple holds enough power to make a lasting difference.

This is the article's link:
http://www.mobiledia.com/news/127373.html