American Factory 美国工厂
Posted: Sat Sep 21, 2019 1:17 pmJust watched that Obama documentary about a US factory that gets taken over by a Chinese company.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Factory
I don't think all the hype about it being about cultural differences is true at all. It's just a story of an American factory that became unprofitable and went bust, got taken over by new managers who needed to cut costs to help it become profitable again, and older workers who got upset about that process because they were used to the higher wages and comfier lifestyles they had in the old factory.
It's a lesson in why it's completely pointless for a developed country like America to be trying to make itself competitive in low-end manufacturing. If an American factory wants to compete with Chinese workers who are prepared to work 60/70 hour weeks for low pay, laxer safety standards and with few breaks then American people have to accept that that is what they are competing with. If American people want a comfier lifestyle than that, they need their country to be competing in advanced manufacturing areas that (few) developing are currently able to compete with them in: nuclear, chip technology, semiconductors, renewable energy etc.
The film makers could have addressed the question of globalisation, automation etc. throughout the film, but instead that for the final 10 seconds and turned the main portion of it into a 'US vs China' film. Presumably because they were paid to produce it by a production company run by the US president famous for 'pivoting' American policy towards Asia in order to try and contain China. Even after he has left office, his propaganda war continues. Sad.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Factory
I don't think all the hype about it being about cultural differences is true at all. It's just a story of an American factory that became unprofitable and went bust, got taken over by new managers who needed to cut costs to help it become profitable again, and older workers who got upset about that process because they were used to the higher wages and comfier lifestyles they had in the old factory.
It's a lesson in why it's completely pointless for a developed country like America to be trying to make itself competitive in low-end manufacturing. If an American factory wants to compete with Chinese workers who are prepared to work 60/70 hour weeks for low pay, laxer safety standards and with few breaks then American people have to accept that that is what they are competing with. If American people want a comfier lifestyle than that, they need their country to be competing in advanced manufacturing areas that (few) developing are currently able to compete with them in: nuclear, chip technology, semiconductors, renewable energy etc.
The film makers could have addressed the question of globalisation, automation etc. throughout the film, but instead that for the final 10 seconds and turned the main portion of it into a 'US vs China' film. Presumably because they were paid to produce it by a production company run by the US president famous for 'pivoting' American policy towards Asia in order to try and contain China. Even after he has left office, his propaganda war continues. Sad.