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Yaz's avatar

If, and IF the tangerine terror comes through with having iPhones being made in the states, that’ll mean most if not all of the labor that’ll be used will be prison labor (especially given the conditions of the factories being used already in China). That would definitely create a chain effect of increased criminalization amongst the most marginalized groups: (Black people, immigrants that haven’t been kidnapped yet, poor people, Trans people, and pretty much anyone who is vocal against this administration). The chances of having the infrastructure to have these factories they keep boasting about don’t seem possible, but the damage of even trying is going to be grand. Truly a dystopian hell.

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RM Gregg's avatar

Designing and building a fully automated iPhone factory in the US would probably take 10 years to complete and billions of dollars in expenditures. What corporate board is going to authorize such a massive capital outlay based on a policy that has already changed some 3 times in a week? Taking this tariff kayfabe nonsense seriously is just ridiculous.

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Brian Merchant's avatar

yep

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Michael Roy's avatar

This also stands as a stark reminder that the United States (and other powers) didn't stop using slave labor, they just moved it overseas with Imperialism or replaced it domestically with unpaid prison labor.

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Brian Merchant's avatar

It's a good point — neoliberalism was about offshoring that labor so they could maximize profits without thinking about human workers at all, perhaps this newly invigorated conservative nationalism is more interested in consolidating (and demonstrating) power

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Kollibri terre Sonnenblume's avatar

Wow that's amazing you got to see that notorious factory.

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bluejay's avatar

Maybe it's the "army of millions and millions of humans" that will be automated.

When Optimus inevitably fails why not use humans with neurolink implants instead. You will be paid in electrical impulses that guarantee happiness.

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Brian Merchant's avatar

Sounds like the beginning of another solid dystopian short story there

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Jasmine R's avatar

This isn't quite related, but have you watched Carole Cadwalladr's latest TED talk, This Is What a Digital Coup looks like?

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