U.S. family tries living without China
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U.S. family tries living without China
SEATTLE (Reuters) - Lamps, birthday candles, mouse traps and flip-flops. Such is the stuff that binds the modern American family to the global economy, author Sara Bongiorni discovers during a year of boycotting anything made in China.
In "A Year Without 'Made in China,"' (Wiley, $24.95) Bongiorni tells how she and her family found that such formerly simple acts as finding new shoes, buying a birthday toy and fixing a drawer became ordeals without the Asian giant.
Bongiorni takes pains to say she does not have a protectionist agenda and, despite the occasional worry about the loss of U.S. jobs to overseas factories, she has nothing against China. Her goal was simply to make Americans aware of how deeply tied they are to the international trading system.
"I wanted our story to be a friendly, nonjudgmental look at the ways ordinary people are connected to the global economy," she said in an interview before the book appears in July.
As a business journalist in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Bongiorni wrote about international trade for a decade. "I used to see the Commerce Department trade statistics, the billions of dollars, and think it had nothing to do with me," she said.
The reality was far different.
As the year unfolded, "the boycott made me rethink the distance between China and me. In pushing China out of our lives, I got an eye-popping view of how far China had pushed in," she wrote.
About 15 percent of the $1.7 trillion in goods the United States imported in 2006 came from China, economist Joel Naroff writes in the foreword. Much of that is the manufactured stuff that fills Wal-Mart and other retailers -- the necessities and frivolities sought by lower- and middle-income Americans.
Lower prices have been one benefit of Beijing's rise and make it very hard for consumers to forswear Chinese imports.
LEGOS, LAMPS
And hard it was.
For all of 2005, minor purchases required dogged detective work as Bongiorni scoured catalogues and read labels.
She repeatedly struck out trying to buy inexpensive shoes for her son, and even the chic local boutique that sold fancy European labels had gone out of business. So she shelled out $68 for Italian sneakers from a catalogue.
Broken appliances gathered dust because the spare parts came from China. And, with the Asian country having a near lock on the toy aisles, her 4-year-old son grew tired of taking Danish-made Legos to birthday parties as gifts.
The family resorted to snapping mouse traps when the gentler catch and release kind came from, you guessed it, China.
Bongiorni got a lesson in the global economy after products advertised as Made in USA turned out to have Chinese parts. She decided to keep a lamp with just this problem after speaking to the manufacturer and learning how China is "eating the lunch" of the few U.S lamp producers left.
Since the boycott's end, Bongiorni has chosen a middle ground. Her family seeks alternatives but accepts Chinese products when most practical. But one habit from the boycott remains: It required her to think hard about what she buys.
"Shopping became meaningful," she said.
In "A Year Without 'Made in China,"' (Wiley, $24.95) Bongiorni tells how she and her family found that such formerly simple acts as finding new shoes, buying a birthday toy and fixing a drawer became ordeals without the Asian giant.
Bongiorni takes pains to say she does not have a protectionist agenda and, despite the occasional worry about the loss of U.S. jobs to overseas factories, she has nothing against China. Her goal was simply to make Americans aware of how deeply tied they are to the international trading system.
"I wanted our story to be a friendly, nonjudgmental look at the ways ordinary people are connected to the global economy," she said in an interview before the book appears in July.
As a business journalist in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Bongiorni wrote about international trade for a decade. "I used to see the Commerce Department trade statistics, the billions of dollars, and think it had nothing to do with me," she said.
The reality was far different.
As the year unfolded, "the boycott made me rethink the distance between China and me. In pushing China out of our lives, I got an eye-popping view of how far China had pushed in," she wrote.
About 15 percent of the $1.7 trillion in goods the United States imported in 2006 came from China, economist Joel Naroff writes in the foreword. Much of that is the manufactured stuff that fills Wal-Mart and other retailers -- the necessities and frivolities sought by lower- and middle-income Americans.
Lower prices have been one benefit of Beijing's rise and make it very hard for consumers to forswear Chinese imports.
LEGOS, LAMPS
And hard it was.
For all of 2005, minor purchases required dogged detective work as Bongiorni scoured catalogues and read labels.
She repeatedly struck out trying to buy inexpensive shoes for her son, and even the chic local boutique that sold fancy European labels had gone out of business. So she shelled out $68 for Italian sneakers from a catalogue.
Broken appliances gathered dust because the spare parts came from China. And, with the Asian country having a near lock on the toy aisles, her 4-year-old son grew tired of taking Danish-made Legos to birthday parties as gifts.
The family resorted to snapping mouse traps when the gentler catch and release kind came from, you guessed it, China.
Bongiorni got a lesson in the global economy after products advertised as Made in USA turned out to have Chinese parts. She decided to keep a lamp with just this problem after speaking to the manufacturer and learning how China is "eating the lunch" of the few U.S lamp producers left.
Since the boycott's end, Bongiorni has chosen a middle ground. Her family seeks alternatives but accepts Chinese products when most practical. But one habit from the boycott remains: It required her to think hard about what she buys.
"Shopping became meaningful," she said.
“...There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but one must take it because conscience tells one that it is right.” MLK
i've been trying to buy a new tv for a week all I see is China and the wal-mart sign flashing in my thoughts. I may have to buy a Sony and spend $1000 more just to keep it out of China. I think all of Sony is still made in japan not sure.
“...There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but one must take it because conscience tells one that it is right.” MLK
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sit_by_the_beach
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The men in my family buy Sony and Sony only. Me being different, bought a Panasonic TV assembled in Mexico. My son's new Sony TV is made in Taiwan. But this is Canada, we may get products from different parts of Asia? We are part of NAFTA. 85% of products and foods come from outside Canada.
Karin
Karin
KARIN &
chowMIKKI
chowMIKKI
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Red Dragon
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Guess again Jeff, a lot of the Sony product is made in Asia now, they are making mega profits right along with everybody else. That article is very true, I have tried to avoid the asian products before and sometimes found it impossible and nothing else was available. They are "Eating our lunch". 
Sam
Keeper of the furry things...Master of the kibble....Scooper of the poo!
Keeper of the furry things...Master of the kibble....Scooper of the poo!
A large amount of electronic products are now assembled in China.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/02/08/ ... /trade.php
http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/02/08/ ... /trade.php
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redangie24
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I buy whatever is the best product for the best price. So I have no problem buying china. As long as tech support is not in India. Now when I am looking to buy I find the number for tech support first and then I call to make sure. Nothing more annoying than dealing with a tech company that does not understand (they may speak maybe but don't understand a good percentage of the time) English.
Have a Chowfastic Day!!
I also try to avoid Chinese-made-goods, as well as those from a few other countries who have policies I find objectionable. What cinched me doing this? When I heard the story of a Chinese Christian who was put into a prison labor camp for his faith. What did they have him do in the camp? Make Christmas tree lights.
Hardest non-Chinese items I've had a time finding? Shoes, belts, purses - pretty much anything leather or leather-like.
There is a store in Maine called either "US Made Leather" or "US Leather" - stopped in very excited to buy US-made leather goods and left very ticked off that most of the goods were made in CHINA.
It's a good thing that we're not importing chows from there- ha ha!
Hardest non-Chinese items I've had a time finding? Shoes, belts, purses - pretty much anything leather or leather-like.
There is a store in Maine called either "US Made Leather" or "US Leather" - stopped in very excited to buy US-made leather goods and left very ticked off that most of the goods were made in CHINA.
It's a good thing that we're not importing chows from there- ha ha!