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Apple CEO Tim Cook Touts Benefits of Globalization in China Speech

Adam Warlock said:
What a loathsome coward Tim Cook is. Not only does he avoid going on about privacy to China, but he also completely forgets about his other favourite topics such as transgender rights, climate change, equality of women, open borders, etc. (Interested parties are encouraged to check out how those issues are dealt with in Cook's current favourite country.) How very strange! Why doesn't he open a 'dialogue' about these topics? How about pushing to 'educate' the Chinese government regarding these matters? Oh, right: because he's a hypocrite of the highest (or rather lowest) order and that stuff is only useful to sell his toys in this part of the world where it's currently in fashion. Globalization is good for Cook because it allows him to produce his crap cheaper and sell it in more parts of the world. That's not a benefit for the many IMO.
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Wait, I'm confused at this sentiment, because I read into Cook's statements as strategic. Cultural relativism would dictate that, while we in a different culture condemn closed internet access, we cannot force a different culture to change their habits.

I see Cook speaking to his views on personal data ownership as carefully as he can.
 
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AdonisSMU said:
What else was he suppose to do? Go to China and trash them when all the phones are made there and all the manufacturing is cheapest there for consumer electronics and Apple wants to continue to work with the Chinese etc. etc. They don't have laws that protect businesses from the government as it relates to free speech.
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He is supposed to either put up or shut up. If he's pro-women's equality, for example, preach it at home and abroad, not just where it's inoffensive and even encouraged. If he truly believes in distributing wealth more evenly he'd spread some manufacturing love around instead of kowtowing to Chinese interests. That, or keep his nose out of politics publicly and busy himself getting new desktop Macs and what-have-you released.
 
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You would never have to deal with the bad side of Globalization from behind your barricade, Cook. Of course it's good for you, now try asking the working class. I've grown to hate all of these bigwig celebrities educating others who are much less privileged how to live and what to think. Shut up. All of you, shut your ****ing traps.
 
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Adam Warlock said:
What a loathsome coward Tim Cook is. Not only does he avoid going on about privacy to China, but he also completely forgets about his other favourite topics such as transgender rights, climate change, equality of women, open borders, etc. (Interested parties are encouraged to check out how those issues are dealt with in Cook's current favourite country.) How very strange! Why doesn't he open a 'dialogue' about these topics? How about pushing to 'educate' the Chinese government regarding these matters? Oh, right: because he's a hypocrite of the highest (or rather lowest) order and that stuff is only useful to sell his toys in this part of the world where it's currently in fashion. Globalization is good for Cook because it allows him to produce his crap cheaper and sell it in more parts of the world. That's not a benefit for the many IMO.
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Usually I don't agree with the cook bashing on this site. This post is spot on.
 
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jonnysods said:
It's funny how people label Trump a fascist, and worse than Hitler but I don't see people going to jail for their views, or for saying they want him dead even.

Be interested to see those people float those ideas in China. Apples CEO won't even say anything.
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Because he's an opportunistic loathsome coward! Take a tour of your damn Chinese factories Tim and then get back to us.
 
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TheRealTVGuy said:
If that's what the law currently allows them to pay to legally satisfy their tax bill, then maybe it's time to look at changing the tax laws.
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Laws about who can use what bathroom and who can and can't enter the US are OK to fight, but laws that allow him to pay negligible taxes, well, those are laws Cook is seemingly OK with. Huh. Whodda thunk it? Pfft.
 
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TheRealTVGuy said:
If that's what the law currently allows them to pay to legally satisfy their tax bill, then maybe it's time to look at changing the tax laws.
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This is the type of response I would expect from a person who has a giant Tim Cook all beef hotdog propelled so far up their buns it's confusing neurotransmission.

Enjoy dessert too!
 
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Adam Warlock said:
What a loathsome coward Tim Cook is. Not only does he avoid going on about privacy to China, but he also completely forgets about his other favourite topics such as transgender rights, climate change, equality of women, open borders, etc. (Interested parties are encouraged to check out how those issues are dealt with in Cook's current favourite country.) How very strange! Why doesn't he open a 'dialogue' about these topics? How about pushing to 'educate' the Chinese government regarding these matters? Oh, right: because he's a hypocrite of the highest (or rather lowest) order and that stuff is only useful to sell his toys in this part of the world where it's currently in fashion. Globalization is good for Cook because it allows him to produce his crap cheaper and sell it in more parts of the world. That's not a benefit for the many IMO.
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Cook is smart not to suck into the Trump model of business "my way or the highway" model. Trump is working full speed ahead to do all he can to ruin our country so CEO's are staying mum and refusing to allow him to dictate what they do with their companies.

Stay the course & be the diplomat, Tim Cook because we need Apple to flourish.
 
Anybody can be vocal about human rights and discrimination in the West. That's the comfortable place to engage in social justice battles. As much as a lot of Westerners like to think they know all about discrimination and intolerance, most of them don't have a clue what real intolerance looks like.

When the CEO (and self-appointed chief social justice officer) of one of the world's wealthiest companies goes to a region where human rights violations and discrimination are accepted societal norms and he says nothing, that seems to indicate that he is currently content to only engage in comfortable social justice battles -- which are the worst kind, in my opinion.

If social justice is going to be your "thing", either go all in or go do something else and stop being the comfortable social justice warrior.
 
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cardfan said:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-03-16/millions-of-manufacturing-jobs-could-go-unfilled

Over the next decade, 3.4 million manufacturing jobs are expected to become available as baby boomers retire and economic growth spurs work opportunities, according to a 2015 study by the Manufacturing Institute, a Washington-based think tank, and Deloitte LLC. But a skills gap could result in 2 million of those jobs staying unfilled.
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How many of those will be taken over by robots?
 
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Count Blah said:
Ahhh, so you agree with Tim being a hypocrite here, and Trump should NOT fight for the middle class jobs that have disappeared under the reign of the globalist?

Interesting take, though I don't agree.
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Trump only fights for himself! Don't even start to think he's cares about anything other than pumping up his own bank account & that of his choking-on-silver-spoons family members. "Sad!"
 
It's fine for all these MacRumors economists to go on tirades against globalization, but are you ready to stop complaining that iPhones are too expensive? Right now you're reaping the benefits of clothes, gadgets, and toys built by people making $50 a month. It seems to me that it's a little hypocritical to call Cook a hypocrite when our unrivaled standard of living (the American "poor" have cellphones and jewelry) is supported by people who have unimaginably less.

I agree in principle with those who've observed that Cook should be pressing China on human rights, but how hard can he push when they completely have the upper hand? He really has two options: swallow hard and try to benefit the stockholders by expanding into China, or swallow hard and take a moral stance against Chinese authoritarianism, limiting Apple's growth into that market. It's the classic tension between practicality and riteousness. When you're the CEO of one of the world's biggest multinationals, you've got to choose the time and place for each, and the only guarantee is that either way you're going to piss off someone. Especially here.
 
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JPIS said:
Stay the course & be the diplomat, Tim Cook because we need Apple to flourish.
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Adapt or die. Tim's world view is about to flash right before his eyes.

A 15-20% Corporate tax, less regulation, Border adjustment tax. Good luck Tim! The president doesn't need Congress to levy a tariff.
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JPIS said:
Trump only fights for himself! Don't even start to think he's cares about anything other than pumping up his own bank account & that of his choking-on-silver-spoons family members. "Sad!"
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^^^^This is what 24hrs of blue team V. Red Team propaganda does to the mind. Don't go down that path folks.
[doublepost=1489853173][/doublepost]
avanpelt said:
Anybody can be vocal about human rights and discrimination in the West. That's the comfortable place to engage in social justice battles. As much as a lot of Westerners like to think they know all about discrimination and intolerance, most of them don't have a clue what real intolerance looks like.

When the CEO (and self-appointed chief social justice officer) of one of the world's wealthiest companies goes to a region where human rights violations and discrimination are accepted societal norms and he says nothing, that seems to indicate that he is currently content to only engage in comfortable social justice battles -- which are the worst kind, in my opinion.

If social justice is going to be your "thing", either go all in or go do something else and stop being the comfortable social justice warrior.
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Amen!
 
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Adam Warlock said:
What a loathsome coward Tim Cook is. Not only does he avoid going on about privacy to China, but he also completely forgets about his other favourite topics such as transgender rights, climate change, equality of women, open borders, etc. (Interested parties are encouraged to check out how those issues are dealt with in Cook's current favourite country.) How very strange! Why doesn't he open a 'dialogue' about these topics? How about pushing to 'educate' the Chinese government regarding these matters? Oh, right: because he's a hypocrite of the highest (or rather lowest) order and that stuff is only useful to sell his toys in this part of the world where it's currently in fashion. Globalization is good for Cook because it allows him to produce his crap cheaper and sell it in more parts of the world. That's not a benefit for the many IMO.
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Sounds like you like to visit MR to tell everyone how crappy Apple products are, and their CEO. But I get it, somebody's got to do the trolling.
 
Ramius said:
Its been good to him but not for the thousans, perhaps millions of people who lost their jobs in his own country,

This is the typical argument we see for globalization. It only works well for those on top. And its easy to draw a flattering picture of it, because the top one percent enjoys the benefits and will gladly defend it.

Tim Cook is doing this. He is using his powerfull voice to fight the battle for the elite, against the public.
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Read the article. Tim stated in his comments that globalization as it is right now does only benefit those at the top. Stop calling them elite. They aren't any better than anyone else.
 
US policy since the CIA revolution heyday has been to trade jobs for political stability. That was after the realization that using coups didn't really work as well as hoped. Exporting jobs and prosperity mostly worked, and has worked pretty well for so long that people forgot why the US did it.

Until that time mercantilism was the de facto trade policy of the US, as described by Hamilton in his classic "Report on Manufactures."

That said, rich countries have had an extraordinary peaceful set of decades thanks to the process/philosophy/whatever of globalization. By fostering the idea that "we're all in this together" the formerly conflict-ridden societies of Northern Europe have been unusually quiet.
 
ericwn said:
Sounds like you like to visit MR to tell everyone how crappy Apple products are, and their CEO.
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No, I visit MR in the hopes of getting news about some new desktop Macs, preferably headless. I'm waiting impatiently for one. Instead I'm inundated with nonsense about Tim Cook and his social justice blathering.
But I get it, somebody's got to do the trolling.
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I don't think you do, actually. For one thing, not everything you disagree with is trolling. Second, proper trolling is subtle and insidious, with just enough plausible deniability built into it. My original post in this thread was anything but; it was direct and to the point, no two ways about it.
 
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In his defense, (which is rare for me) he was invited (summoned) to this event in China where opting out was not an option, and he HAD to say something or another to appease the Chinese whom Apple is absolutely dependent upon for survival.

So what's any sane guy to do who's the chairman of the most valuable company in the world? Piss off his benefactors?

Hell no. Anyone in their right mind says whatever is the least offensive to be able to get out the door & back on the plane to the States ASAP. Does anyone really think that TC enjoys doing this crap?
 
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