Why Do People Buy Fake Designer Bags Or Fake Designer Anything?
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It turned political when people started talking about fake bags being illegal. When laws are being presented, then it turns political.
calling people fascists turns it political. I won't debate this, I'm telling people, whoever they are, do NOT turn this thread into something it doesn't need to be and risk being banned for going political or getting this thread closed.
marann- you also have to look at it from the designers point of view... each designer thinks about new designs. from what materials they use, to how they want their tag placed. there is nothing wrong with being inspired by a designer, but to blatantly copy someone's creation down to the tag???? that is illegal, and for good reason. that is the reason for Trademarking, Copyright etc...
if someone wants to charge 3000 for a bag, and someone wants to buy it, who is anyone to say it should be illegal?
if someone wants to charge 3000 for a bag, and someone wants to buy it, who is anyone to say it should be illegal?
If you're going to call people FASCISTS, then it's you that need to remember to keep this lighthearted. This is an issue that is important to many people in the fashion industry and that visit this board, and if you're uncomfortable with those people having strong opinions about it, then you're the one that needs to check yourself. We definitely don't allow any kind of name-calling here, and we certainly encourage people to speak out against counterfeit bags and the illegal practices that go in to producing them. If you don't want to hear people whose opinions differ, don't start name calling - just excuse yourself from the discussion like an adult.
Also, the assumption that people who have strong opinions about fakes DON'T care about the other things you listed, or about being a responsible consumer in general is not only baseless, but demonstrably not true - check out the thread about tPFers who boycott business for ethical concerns in the General Discussion forum.
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I think it's weird that so many people just want to debate this issue but leave out the fact that it is illegal.
So is speeding but I'm willing to bet most posters in this thread have done so at one time and will continue to do so. Realistically, saying it's illegal isn't going to inspire others to take the higher moral ground, especially when the law of not selling them is only spotty in enforcement in the US and it's not even illegal to own one. If our own govt/law enforcement doesn't see it as enough of a priority can you really expect everyone else to?
Linda
Then she should choose her words more wisely. We don't allow name-calling OR politics here.
ya d*mn right, we're intolerant when it comes to counterfeit merchandise. it is a dirty, disgusting industry that EXPLOITS underage, underpaid workers. its blood money.
not saying you're wrong and i agree with you, but nike, adidas, gap, and a whole bunch of other legitimate companies turn the other cheek in regards to labor violations to make their products as well.
right. i don't think he/she was calling anyone a fascist either just stating that some held fascist points of view, which doesn't make the most sense, but i see the gist of her meaning.
No, really I don't expect everyone to. If you read back you can see that I've already used speeding as an example. Our government DOES see it as a priority, which is why laws are in place against it.
It's just unfortunate for society as a whole that there are people who feel that it is OK for them to pick and choose the laws they want to follow. People who should know better, but are simply motivated by greed. Especially in the US, where people have the capability to change the laws that they do not agree with.
I don't expect anyone to take the higher moral ground just because something is illegal. There has been plenty of evidence presented here on the reasons behind the illegality, such as child slavery, ties to terrorism, intellectual property theft, damage to the economy etc. that some people simply choose to discount. If congressional testimony from an FBI counter terrorism expert isn't enough, what would be, KWIM?
It's a reality of life that there are a lot of people who operate on the low moral principle "It's only wrong if you get caught", and the fake bag phenomena caters to one of the lowest common denominators of that subsection, by associating a false "prestige" with stealing someone else's name.
And the people who claim they buy fake bags for the "quality" are simply and bluntly, full of it. There are plenty of high quality no-name or lesser-prestige-named bags out there, that are far more easily available than seeking out the districts where counterfeits are sold.
When people start throwing around words like fascism, it changes the mood quickly. People should think before they post. Any maybe some company use less than honorable work conditions but that's another topic... That's not what we're discussing here. It gets muddy when people go in so many directions.
i agree. fascism is a loaded word, but with all due respect, i don't see how you can have this debate without mentioning poor working conditions tolerated or even supported by legitimate companies. labor abuses are a big reason why many people find fakes so disgusting, but at the same time, many of the clothes we wear and products we use, are made in the same factories by the same laborers. i'd go so far as to say some of our bags are too now that outsourcing to china has become more and more common these days.
That is why it is a good idea to be a responsible consumer on all levels, not just for food products and luxury items. But if we can't expect people to take the moral high ground even when things are known to aid criminal activity, we can hardly expect them to be responsible in other areas such as fair labor standards, especially when consumerism is involved.