I think that this article slamming Apple is a really interesting expose. Consumer responsibility may be something that I think about when I buy my food or clothing, but electronics are not an area that I usually consider, especially when I think about ipods or other dominant products. But it's also interesting to think about how widely consumed products like ipods can be influenced by the collective voice of the consumers -- perhaps we have more power to protest since ipods are so dominant?? Thoughts? Does that make any sense to anyone but me?
Why Not to Buy a New Computer for College
by Deena Guzder
The beginning of the academic year once meant new clothes, shoes, and notebooks. These days, it increasingly means new computers, iPods, and mobile phones. One company, Apple, is giving away a "free" iPod to every student, faculty, and staff who buys a MacBook. The word "free" is terribly deceptive. The human cost of mineral extraction in the high-tech industry remains intolerable. A report released earlier this year by Global Witness delineates how multinational companies are pillaging natural resources and fueling holocaust in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The organization warns that corporations, politicians, military, and militia groups in the Congo have plundered the country's natural wealth and used it to enrich themselves to the detriment of the local population. The research team conducting the report says it found evidence that the mineral trade is far more pervasive and lucrative than previously suspected. Global Witness, which is the same nongovernmental organization that brought worldwide attention to the blood diamond industry, also documented life-threatening labor conditions in the Congo's natural resource sector.
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