Sun Tzu and the Decline of American Manufacturing.
 

http://m.industryweek.com/competitiv...er-competitors

In "The Art of War", Sun Tzu describes how to use an opponents own greed to entice them into destroying themselves. For decades American and European businesses have been lured to China with the promise of cheap labor and lax regulation, Western consumers bought off with the cheap prices outsourcing makes possible. Greed. In the name of pursuing our greed, we have sold out our own industrial base and the best paying jobs. Could we be witnessing the fruition of Chinese philosophy on a global scale?

Of course, the Chinese CEO's know if they did to their economy they will be executed by their government. No slap on the wrist or minimal time at a designer prison there for them putting their country at risk, like we do. We play right into their hands.

Carl

In this case, the "opponent" is the american consumer. We can blame the business man all we want for the loss of manufacturing jobs. But it's the consumer who makes the choice to buy Chinese goods.

You are focusing the blame on the most diffuse and least deserving target.

Of all the economic players in our capitalistic system, you say it's the consumers who do wrong by acting in their individual material interest?

If there are things that are 'less than optimal' about what capitalism brings about, and there are, then the system needs to be fixed. Meantime, you can't blame the least powerful players in the system for doing what it tells them to do.

OK fine, please show me where I can buy new USA guts for my 1942 Standard toilet. I am tired of fixing it with crap every 3 years.


Carl

Sorry gentlemen, but the american consumer must have had an inkling that shunning american made goods for cheaper Chinese goods would result in both loss of american jobs and lower wages for americans. The consumers made the choice and businesses responded in droves. The end result is of course, the unavailability of US made goods.

I don't like it either. But I try to walk the walk and buy american where I can, even if it does cost an arm and a leg. I just buy less stuff.

You put too much onus on the every day consumers, who were largely unschooled in the national dynamics of trade before their options became extremely minimized.

For effective resistance to Chinese goods there would have to exist an early
national campaign to inform consumers of the negatives of the trade.

Are you sure about that?

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/10-ame...133000946.html

http://www.thestreet.com/story/13244...n-the-usa.html

My quibble with your post. The business men who went to China do not view the Chinese as opponents. The business men for the most part have no national interest. They have no loyalty to any nation. They are internationalists. They are globalists.

Implicit in the post is that the investors had national interest but got carried away with greed. "In the name of pursuing our greed, we have sold out our own industrial base and the best paying jobs."

We are internationalists...National interest carries little weight in determining where their money and plants are.

Perhaps I give americans too much credit. I would have thought it common sense that if you don't buy american products, american manufacturers would go out of business.