I wish people would read the article and stop saying that is no big deal buying fakes, and who cares- everyone should care...
I totally agree.
Why Do People Buy Fake Designer Bags Or Fake Designer Anything?
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I totally agree.
What about rice from asia?
Seafood from asia?
Basically ANYTHING from asia?
Ban it all?
It's ignorant to think it's not everywhere and you still consume those goods.
Actually- a lot of people here try to buy fair trade goods. Have you heard about them? And we all have to start somewhere.
The discussion is not about goods from Asia--it's about fakes. Rice or seafood from Asia, as well as countless other products, sold as rice or seafood etc. from Asia doesn't violate copyright/trade law, nor is it trying to trick consumers. Surely anyone can see that this situation is clearly different from the counterfeit industry.
The ethics of production do pertain to legally sold goods, though, not only counterfeits, and that's where the consumer can become educated and make more informed decisions. Transparency in production is valuable but hard to come by.
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I think it speaks volumes about someone's character that is aware of what takes place in the counterfeit industry and yet, continues to overlook the fact.
I'd much rather carry a bag from Walmart than to contribute to that.
I'd much rather carry a bag from Walmart than to contribute to that.
Amen, Ma´am.
IIRC, this reaction to deny truths because the (personal) implications are too uncomfortable is what is called "Belief disconfirmation paradigm"...
Do you honestly think the labor that went into the Walmart bag was done by well-compensated workers in factories that met OSHA standards?
Note that they (and many other retailers) refused to sign a document to ensure greater worker safety in Bangladesh less than 2 years before the Rana Plaza collapse.
Let's face it, even many items made in Italy are produced in appalling conditions that kill workers.
We don't need to single out the counterfeit handbag industry for promoting terrible working conditions for laborers. The vast majority of goods we buy (including Apple products) are produced in conditions that most westerners would find abhorrent. But still we buy.
Maybe so, but after all this is a PURSE forum and it IS counterfeit bags that we're talking about at the moment.
I unknowingly bought a fake Cath Kidston. At the time of purchase in a small boutique, I really thought it was a real, knowing nothing of CK's designs, and not knowing that actually CK does not have such a design. The best part is that it is so affordable. But I purchased the bag because I really like the design, and its functionality, even thought that it is far better than CK's real designs. Also, the quality isn't too bad, such that it is more like a replica. I have to admit I still like the bag, have it, and use it. I don't care what people think or if fans can tell. Unfortunately whenever I walk into CK stores, I do not feel compelled to buy their real stuff, because this one replica seems to me so much better than the real ones!
While I agree with you that there exists many universal working conditions that North American's/First World citizens would define as abhorrent, comparing the production processes of ILLEGALLY made products to that of LEGALLY made ones is illogical.
Work environment standards differ across nations due most largely to political, judicial and cultural differences. Setting aside our first world ethnocentric views, we must remember that the production processes in place for Apple, Walmart and other such conglomerates ARE regulated, regardless to what our feelings toward those regulations may be. These products do not fund terrorist activities, employ slave labour tactics and fund human and drug trafficking like the production and sales of ALL counterfeit products.
Setting aside that this is a fashion--specifically purse--forum and a counterfeit bag post, justifying the isolation of the counterfeit handbag industry, your argument is flawed. First, yours is an illogical comparison as you compare legal and illegal working conditions, second, you diminish the counterfeit handbag industry issues to being that of mere working conditions, when that is far from the case. As mentioned, the industry is completely unregulated, takes jobs away from hardworking people, costs billions in tax revenues annually, funds terrorist activities, money laundering, human trafficking and slave labour to name a few of the larger universal problems. Not to mention that the bag you buy at Walmart is NOT an illegal activity, whereas that bag you buy on Canal Street IS an illegal activity!
Please do not attempt to lessen the severity of the counterfeit industry through causal oversimplification.
1) Having a fake bag is not worst thing in the world . . . It just FUNDS some of the worst things in the world!
2) Your comment, "if they want to have it AND DON'T CARE then let them. You don't like it. Boo hoo?" perfectly exemplifies people's ignorance of the problem. It says a lot about a person who knows how others are hurt or harmed by an action, and continue to promote that action as long as it doesn't hurt them. It's that kind of egocentric thought process that allows for these activities to continue. I have a feeling if you were personally affected by the human trafficking or terrorist acts funded through counterfeit purchases, your opinion would not be so cavalier--boo hoo.*
3) Your ring comparison is only relevant to the true afflictions of counterfeit handbags if the others' rings were bought through the "black market", fund illegal activities or are conflict-diamonds. Something I am assuming you do not know for fact. Otherwise, it's merely a comparison of the have and the have not. Your ring is undoubtedly gorgeous but the fact that you "found it insulting that my husband paid $40k for my ring and everyone was paying 5k and thinking it was as good as my ring" does say a lot about your previous value system. I don't see why their ring is not "as good as yours" solely based on the price and brand--a ring is supposed to symbolize something so much greater than what it appraises for. I understand that you no longer see it that way and have a more accepting outlook.
*i personally know someone who survived being a part of a human trafficking ring funded through the sale and transport of counterfeit goods... Her sister was not as lucky.
