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Is Your iPod Unpatriotic? Why America Shouldn’t “Buy American”
Is your iPod unpatriotic?
Its 451 parts are made in dozens of nations, and creating the little doodads employs thousands of foreigners. Final assembly is done in China-a country that right-wingers and left-wingers alike fear is an economic threat to the U.S.
As the recession worsens, maybe patriotic Americans should be smashing foreign-made iPods in protest. Or at least hiring bikini-clad American women to do the job, which is exactly what Reason.tv did. Our patriotic, sledgehammer-wielding bikini bandits headed to California’s Venice Beach to smash some foreign-made iPods to make a political statement about saving American jobs.
Maybe the United Steelworkers Union (USW), one of the biggest “Buy American” backers would like to hire these patriotic ladies for their next rally.
“Every other nation during this economic downturn is directing their stimulus money inward,” thunders USW’s Billy Thompson at a rally in West Virginia. “Now if they can do it, why in the can’t we?”
Actually, we are. President Obama’s $800 billion stimulus package came equipped with a “Buy American” provision, and more than 500 state and local governments have signed “buy American” resolutions. And that may be just the beginning of the protectionist push.
Reason.tv went to a Washington, D.C. event where business owners and activists learned how to lobby for more protectionist laws. “If you want to sell it here, build it here,” says one participant who referrs to those who ignore the “buy American” imperative as “uneducated, ignorant people.”
And shouldn’t we be patriotic purchasers? That’s what car ads, draped with Old Glory and heartland visuals, suggest. What could be more patriotic than buying a Jeep Patriot? With American automakers hurting so badly, that’s got to help America.
“That’s nonsense,” says George Mason University economist-and Cafe Hayek blogger-Donald Boudreaux.
“The Jeep Patriot, despite it’s name is actually less American than some Toyota products. It’s literally impossible-at least in any practical sense-to buy American.’”
Boudreaux argues that Americans should buy whatever products they choose; neither guilt nor laws should push them to buy American. “The thing that is most distinctively American is freedom. To insist that Americans should not be free to buy good from foreigners that’s very anti-American.”
And what about your iPod?
Even though plenty of foreigners have jobs thanks to it, so do 14,000 Americans whose duties include designing and marketing the little buggers. So the iPod is a product of America and the world, and these days that describes nearly all the items we buy.
Welcome to the iPod economy, where just about everything is made everywhere.
After hearing the whole story, Reason.tv’s bikini bandits decided to put down their protectionist sledgehammers. Will America’s people, pundits, and politicians follow suit?
“Is Your iPod Unpatriotic?” is written and produced by Ted Balaker and hosted by Nick Gillespie. Field producer is Hawk Jensen and director of photography is Alex Manning.
Associate Producers are Meredith Bragg, Paul Detrick, and Dan Hayes, with additional photography provided by Nathan Chaffetz and Dan Haas.
And introducing reason.tv’s Bikini Bandits: Alexandra Fulton, Chuki Lord, and Amber Waddick.
For iPod, HD, and audio versions, go to http://reason.tv/video/show/834.html
Duration : 0:9:22
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25 Responses to “Is Your iPod Unpatriotic? Why America Shouldn’t “Buy American””
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March 7th, 2010 at 4:27 pm
Help Revive the US …
Help Revive the US economy by buying American Products only this year! The government can not do it alone. We need to rally behind our US manufactures like we rally behind our sport teams!!!
March 7th, 2010 at 4:27 pm
BUY AMERICAN! you …
BUY AMERICAN! you support your company and you get the best most long lasting and reliable products! if you dont then maybe you should get the f*ck out of North America.
March 7th, 2010 at 4:27 pm
Some people should …
Some people should pay more attention in economics. If you don’t know how and why international trade is good for the global economy… then get a f* proper education.
March 7th, 2010 at 4:27 pm
Cool, I’m watching …
Cool, I’m watching this on my iPod right now!!
March 7th, 2010 at 4:27 pm
@Allante715
Today, …
@Allante715
Today, news said Japan will start accept American “green cars”. Actually American did not have fuel efficient cars. And you got to know gasoline is like 1.2$ per liter (not gallon)…it is approximately 4 times more than US. Nodoby want US made cars because of fuel efficincy and body size. American have to admit that they only made American standard cars which are not suitable to other countries. Simple example…we drive left side & need right side handle. No US car with it.
March 7th, 2010 at 4:27 pm
@tokyocityrat
…
@tokyocityrat
Japan is very protective of their own industry and are very strict on other countiries producing their products in Japan in addition to tarrifs on imported products.
Japans new Cash for Clunkers excludes American cars.
March 7th, 2010 at 4:27 pm
so every other …
so every other country will invade us just because some people want to turn protectionist in hard economic times? get real. every country has people who feel like this especially now. Even yours. And no one’s gonna invade the U.S. Do you know what mutually assured destruction is? By the way I don’t care about “buy american” because nothing is fully american anymore except maybe some military weapons but everything is now global anyway so protectionism is pointless.
March 7th, 2010 at 4:27 pm
dont turn into …
dont turn into fascists now or youll find out what worldwide invasion tastes like. seriously, youre gonna unite the entire planet against you. life on earth i not a team sport. fight your flag, take unpatriotic pride as americans. youre individuals on a landmass, who were born into corporate nationalist imagary and propaganda, the likes of which has never existed before, not even russia is THAT nationalist
March 7th, 2010 at 4:27 pm
I cant believe the …
I cant believe the amount of nationalist propaganda you guys get fed everyday. from planet earth it looks like youre actually all kinda trapped in a covert totalitarian agenda, where if youre not seen to be chewing on your corporate logo of a flag, then youre an outcast.
March 7th, 2010 at 4:27 pm
The guy who said …
The guy who said that people should rather have an American car like Chevy rather then a Volvo is dumb, He compared Volvo to Chevy by saying that Volvo is a foreign car but Volvo is own by the best American auto maker Ford. So that makes Volvo an American car, Some people are just so stupid!!!!!
March 7th, 2010 at 4:27 pm
What is America’s …
What is America’s problem, who gives a crap where it’s made, i don’t care if it’s made in china
March 7th, 2010 at 4:27 pm
FALSE. Currently …
FALSE. Currently the Chevy Aveo is made in Mexico but production is moving to Michigan next year. Of course GM has plants in Asia, for INTERNATIONAL markets. Who cares about that? Every car maker has plants abroad for the markets close to that plant. GM ships NO cars from China or Korea to the US market. I only care about cars that are sold here. Geos were assembled in Canada for the US market.
March 7th, 2010 at 4:27 pm
GM has sourced …
GM has sourced numerous vehicles made by Suzuki and Isuzu in Japan (remember GEO?); currently the Chevy Aveo is manufactured in South Korea by GM Daewoo.
March 7th, 2010 at 4:27 pm
Can we, Japanese, …
Can we, Japanese, make Camaro? to make it fair. Japan have car factories in Japan, why not GM build factory in Japan.
March 7th, 2010 at 4:27 pm
Like anyone doesn’t …
Like anyone doesn’t already know all this. One day it’ll all be under one umbrella corporation, hopefully American, called GIGA CORP. lol
. . . I love that word . . GIGA . . whats up my giga?
March 7th, 2010 at 4:27 pm
only a small …
only a small percentage
March 7th, 2010 at 4:27 pm
OK its Clothes that …
OK its Clothes that made in China and Honduras. In Mexico I heard of Ford Truck parts made there and Chevy SUV parts made in Mexico.
March 7th, 2010 at 4:27 pm
Which specific GM …
Which specific GM and Ford vehicles were made in China and Honduras? Oh thats right you haven’t really researched anything about GM or Ford have you.
March 7th, 2010 at 4:27 pm
Oh yeah Chinese…. …
Oh yeah Chinese….great quality. Tell that to those people in Florida who’s houses had Chinese made drywall and collapsed. Please, Made in USA is better
March 7th, 2010 at 4:27 pm
Hey moron, tell me …
Hey moron, tell me which specific GM vehicle and what year was made in Japan. GM makes no vehicles in Japan. Just another moron thinking they know everything about GM.
March 7th, 2010 at 4:27 pm
First of all Ford …
First of all Ford sold Volvo back to Sweden so it is foreign owned again. Second of all, most of those underpaid and underbenefited Toyota “American” workers have lowered the wage standard for the middle class American worker. The profits still go overseas. To say that some woman from China comes over here and spends all of her money is overgeneralization and ridiculous since most of China’s workers can barely afford to eat.
March 7th, 2010 at 4:27 pm
Great Video! I …
Great Video! I agree with the author, you can’t just limit people’s freedom to make them buy only american made stuff. If everything was made in American, then we would have no less than $500 shoes, 60k cars and 5k dollar computers only. Ant let’s not talk about the food industry.
And who could afford that? If that were to happen, then people would buy tiny amounts of them, resulting the shutdown of the businesses. Anyway, some jobs are lost, but some of them are being created. Free tady FTW!
March 7th, 2010 at 4:27 pm
As long as an …
As long as an american employer has a former employer drawing unemployment, they should not hire anyone who is not a citizen to take their place. Don’t even go there with the BS that Americans are lazy. I’ve seen some lazy foreigners who are filling the jobs which were stolen from americans.
March 7th, 2010 at 4:27 pm
reopen all the …
reopen all the manufacturing plants, buy more USA made products, put american farmers, small fishermen and businesses back to work. In no time, the american people’s taxes would pay off the deficit. Put the federal reserve back into the hands of the US Treasury and out of the hands of the mongers. In no time, the economy would be rockin’.
March 7th, 2010 at 4:27 pm
Lol ok there
Lol ok there