Originally Posted by kbarch

It's more of a wake-up than a shock. I get what you're saying about design, but think there's a little more to it than that in this case. Maybe we thought we were getting something where the name meant something substantial about where it came from and who did the work. There is the notion that some things are not commodities - that it actually matters who does the work. Some people have a kind of native care for their work, some are kind of diligent mercenaries, and others are completely indifferent and will screw it up unless they're watched like a hawk.

Most people will return to a repair shop, and not go to just any mechanic not because that shop is any better at merely turning a wrench. Anyone can turn a wrench. Usually we make the decision not based on how well they turn the wrench or how little they charge to do so, but based on the belief that they know what they're doing and actually care.

Likewise, anyone can watch a machine cut or stamp out a part and put it in a box. And if they do the work without screwing it up, what difference does it make? Well, it just seems awfully degrading to make cheap labor the goal, and personally, I don't like realizing that I'm participating in that. If a brand doesn't care who makes their stuff as long as they make it cheaply - if they'd rather pay to ship it around the globe than pay a little more to have it made in some more convenient place - then it's just so much stuff. There's nothing personal about it, so why should we care if it has their personal label on it? Sure, some parts really are commodities, but why should a cog be more important than the person who made it?