Sad News - Suicide at Huawei Ascend Factory in China

[Jazziette]

OMG! He jumped!

China: Suicide at tech giant Huawei Global Voices

Spoiler

Looks like they put him in a Huawei box.

Looks like they were definitely not happy with the Media attention.

---------

This is so sad. It really makes one wonder at the pressure that these workers are under, if that did have anything to do with it, as is speculated in the article.

My heart goes out to Huawei.

 

[septembersrain]

Bless that poor persons soul. I can only imagine just how hard it is for them there. They have to work so hard to just have the basic necessities. I really think they need to stop putting all that stress on their workers like that. I have some friends over in China. They said if you come to visit their country and you tip people more than a certain amount, The person will give it back to you! They are told by their employers that they are lucky to have what they have and do not deserve more. They are made to think that they are just replaceable drones that have to keep working themselves to death else they will just be send out to the street! I once asked a Chinese person if she ever got a raise at her job, She said "Raise, Why would they do that?".

P.S My friend said recently there was a mass suicide outside of the old Huawei building that is located about 3 miles from the one in the pictures. They don't want media attention because they know that this isn't just one isolated incident. If it becomes public that people do this on a daily basis, This country will come under major scrutiny. Hence, Their products will likely either be banned or moderated more strictly. This is a sad thing. Their country has so many laws that reflect very poor moral and ethical judgement. These people can't even speak their mind like we are doing now!

The reason why I know this stuff is because I was planning to go to China or Japan on a work visa. So I still maintain some contact with a few people in both China and Japan.

 

[Jazziette]

Bless that poor persons soul. I can only imagine just how hard it is for them there. They have to work so hard to just have the basic necessities. I really think they need to stop putting all that stress on their workers like that. I have some friends over in China. They said if you come to visit their country and you tip people more than a certain amount, The person will give it back to you! They are told by their employers that they are lucky to have what they have and do not deserve more. They are made to think that they are just replaceable drones that have to keep working themselves to death else they will just be send out to the street! I once asked a Chinese person if she ever got a raise at her job, She said "Raise, Why would they do that?".

P.S My friend said recently there was a mass suicide outside of the old Huawei building that is located about 3 miles from the one in the pictures. They don't want media attention because they know that this isn't just one isolated incident. If it becomes public that people do this on a daily basis, This country will come under major scrutiny. Hence, Their products will likely either be banned or moderated more strictly. This is a sad thing. Their country has so many laws that reflect very poor moral and ethical judgement. These people can't even speak their mind like we are doing now!

The reason why I know this stuff is because I was planning to go to China or Japan on a work visa. So I still maintain some contact with a few people in both China and Japan.

It is very sad the conditions they work under but from what I have heard these workers are (for the most part) very happy to get jobs working in these factories.

But they work under a lot of stress in the clean rooms and also are subject to a lot of very dangerous chemicals.

Did you hear about all those workers who were building iphones who got deathly ill from exposure to a chemical they used while installing the famous shiny glass on the iphone? The factory was so heartless they just terminated their employment. The last I heard there was some kind of class action suit being organized but I doubt it will go very far.

That was either in China or Taiwan.

 

[septembersrain]

Of course they are happy to have these jobs. In a lot of Asian countries, Families are not just mother and father and children. A lot of times the family unit will contain aunts and uncles, grandparents, etc. So that is why it is known that families are more optimistic about having boys, Rather than girls. The society feels that it's easier for a male child to support multiple generations of one family tree. As Women are slowly becoming more financially independent though, This is changing. The jobs in these factories are actually some of the least stressful (That says a whole lot about just how BAD their work conditions can get).

I believe that the iphone factory incident was also in China. I'm not completely sure as I'd read this a while back. I know that I'm hoping that that class action suit will go through. At some point they have to stop thinking about mass profits. Humans are not machines, Not matter how much they may be treated like they are. I'm a firm believer in treat others how you want to be treated. I stand by this in all aspects of my life.

 

[Jazziette]

Yes. The more I meet people from all over the world through the internet and get to know them the more I think globally instead of just americally.

Albert Einstein was quoted as having said that "mankind's biggest failure was it's inability to realize just how connected we all really are".

He also said that if you want your children to be brilliant to "read them fairy tales".

I know I would have loved Einstein!!!!

 

[septembersrain]

I know I try my best to consider all different cultures, Not just my own. I really try to immerse myself in as many cultures as possible. My boyfriend is Filipino, I think I'd told you when we were doing Icarus. I really do like to learn about how each culture carries itself, How it views family, and what values they carry. We may think we are all different but, Inside we all share the same organs.

I do remember reading that Einstein did say that. My mother used to read me fairy tales a lot. She always told me that sometimes the best things you do in your life are the smallest things you do. One person may not be able to change the world alone but, If they are willing to try they will bring many others who are willing to walk beside them!

I too would of loved to have met Einstein. Fact, I'd love to meet Picasso too and Thomas Edison. XD

 

[r0ckstarr]

Twenty-five year-old Li Dongbing's suicide is being reported as the 37th—a number questioned by some —in the company's 20-year history

Wow! 37? That's almost 2 a year!

Maybe we should stop pushing Huawei to give us the 2.2 update.

 

[drake53545]

yeah i remeber reading about the i ihone incident. wasnt there a bunch of suicides outside of one of the plants that was installing them as well? if so i hope something like that isnt happening in huawei

 

[BlastGT1]

Don't forget that China has roughly 1/6th of the world's population, so they sure don't have a shortage of people to draw from.

 

[septembersrain]

Wow! 37? That's almost 2 a year!

Maybe we should stop pushing Huawei to give us the 2.2 update.

I know I am. Honestly I am not even worried about an update anymore. Though I am worried about these workers. Here in the U.S we hear stories of how people quit their jobs in all sorts of dramatic ways. You never hear of anyone quitting in China. You hear of them ending their lives instead. It sometimes has me reading the news and dreading. Why do people get so broken that having no life, Is better than the one they have? Suicide saddens me greatly...

 

[BlastGT1]

I suppose I'd rather die than starve. There's also the fact that Asian cultures are a lot different than ours. I don't know if it applies to China, but in Japan, losing face is a very bad thing, you hear about suicides when things like stock market crashes happen. The Japanese culture is very honor-driven. That's one of the reasons Japanese soldiers would fight down to the last man rather than surrender in WWII.

 

[EarlyMon]

I saddened by the loss.

For perspective on two things, I'd like to add - if you go one of the big fabs in Asia, they dwarf our small cities and their suicide rate is actually low based on population. I don't mean to be cold or imply it's ok - but I do mean to imply that that's not necessarily an indication of the fab itself - just part of life's tragedy - and work may have been the only place that made sense to them in a senseless act of desperation.

As to the fab where Apples are made - same fab makes stuff for HP and others, but it gets more media attention to call it an Apple fab. That was simply an OEM fab, again, the size of a small city. There's nothing we can say, and I'd hope we all agree that corporate responsibility is simply not what it should be nor what any of us desire at this point.

Remember Bhopal.

 

[Jazziette]

Wow! 37? That's almost 2 a year!

Maybe we should stop pushing Huawei to give us the 2.2 update.

Well, we don't really know why these workers are committing suicide. There is speculation that this one could have been relationship induced or even due to financial loss on the stock market. That was a factory campus that these workers live in that he jumped from. I wondered about that when I first saw the photos. Things would have to be unbelievably bad to make me jump off a balcony.

yeah i remeber reading about the i ihone incident. wasnt there a bunch of suicides outside of one of the plants that was installing them as well? if so i hope something like that isnt happening in huawei

Those were chemical related. These workers are exposed to some highly dangerous chemicals while assembling these phones. There really should be better regulation. I hate to think that workers anywhere are in harm's way because they are building products that are intended for our enjoyment.

Don't forget that China has roughly 1/6th of the world's population, so they sure don't have a shortage of people to draw from.

Cold Blast!!! Very cold! LOL So do you think this is nature's way of controlling he population?

I know I am. Honestly I am not even worried about an update anymore. Though I am worried about these workers. Here in the U.S we hear stories of how people quit their jobs in all sorts of dramatic ways. You never hear of anyone quitting in China. You hear of them ending their lives instead. It sometimes has me reading the news and dreading. Why do people get so broken that having no life, Is better than the one they have? Suicide saddens me greatly...

Yes September. What you said about "getting so broken that having no life is better than the one they have." That is such an interesting observation but then we have no idea the kind of mental or physical pain they are enduring to want to make such a 'permanent' decision.

It makes me very sad too. I'm sure that Huawei is also greatly saddened.

 

[BlastGT1]

Cold Blast!!! Very cold! LOL So do you think this is nature's way of controlling he population?

Nah, I'm just speaking from what I assume the standpoint of the Chinese corporations would be, if you could ever get anyone to admit it.

 

[Anduiril]

Don't forget that China has roughly 1/6th of the world's population, so they sure don't have a shortage of people to draw from.

This is very true.

I suppose I'd rather die than starve. There's also the fact that Asian cultures are a lot different than ours. I don't know if it applies to China, but in Japan, losing face is a very bad thing, you hear about suicides when things like stock market crashes happen. The Japanese culture is very honor-driven. That's one of the reasons Japanese soldiers would fight down to the last man rather than surrender in WWII.

Another thing is that they don't have the same view about suicide as we do over here. It isn't taboo like it is here. We are taught that "Every human life is valuable!" even if the person is in extreme agony and every day their life is utterly miserable, if they are even cognizant. It would be humane to let them end it. And we don't know why he did it. He could have found out that he had some terminal disease and didn't want his family to see him suffer. Suicide isn't always a bad thing, we just assume that it is. We need to remember that everyone doesn't think like we do.

I know I am. Honestly I am not even worried about an update anymore. Though I am worried about these workers. Here in the U.S we hear stories of how people quit their jobs in all sorts of dramatic ways. You never hear of anyone quitting in China. You hear of them ending their lives instead. It sometimes has me reading the news and dreading. Why do people get so broken that having no life, Is better than the one they have? Suicide saddens me greatly...

Well I'm sure it happens but just isn't newsworthy or the government doesn't let that information out. As for the news, let me ask you one question. "What is the main business of the news?" And truth has nothing to do with it. Here is the answer "To make money" just like any other business. They tell us what they think will make us buy their product and make them more money.

About people being broken and choosing no life. Maybe they are just moving on to their next life, some people believe in reincarnation.

Nah, I'm just speaking from what I assume the standpoint of the Chinese corporations would be, if you could ever get anyone to admit it.

Blast I agree with you alot but why are you singling out the Chinese corporations? Ours are just as bad here or worse because they try to hide it here. Most corporations are out for one thing only. Money. At least over there they are a little more upfront about it. Over here they lie to your face and say that they care (but only about the money).


Just had to through in a couple different possible viewpoints, not necessarily my own.

 

[EarlyMon]

An open request, not intended to single anyone out - just a general request, please:

I would like at this time to respectfully request that we keep the speculations on the value systems of the Chinese people regarding suicide to a minimum, if not avoided altogether.

While anyone may be coincidentally right, unless speaking from firsthand cultural knowledge or with the certainty gained from sociological and medical studies, I am left to imagine reading this as an outsider and how one might feel.

I don't believe that we want to hurt the feelings nor offend the culture of anyone Chinese or so-descended, however unintended.

My only personal, first-hand references would be to the anecdotal cases of very nice Chinese individuals I know whom I am sure value life as much as any of us.

So, please tread kindly and with care on this subject. Opinions are always ok, but let us not generalize at the expense of others.

Thank you for your support and understanding of this idea.

Edit and PS - The one thing that I know that seems to permeate Chinese culture is a strong sense of family. No one loses a family member lightly, from what I've seen, and this may override other cultural norms.

 

[BlastGT1]

Blast I agree with you alot but why are you singling out the Chinese corporations?

My reference was for this particular situation in this particular country. I agree that pretty much any corporation would do the same in that situation, regardless of geographic location. I meant it as a general ethical statement, pointing fingers at corporations as a whole. I have nothing against Chinese people.

 

[Lennatron]

May God rest his soul in peace.

 

[septembersrain]

Death is very tragic. I can only hope that someday there will be another option for those poor souls who feel they have no way out. Life is so very fleeting. Suicide is a permanent solution for a temporary problem. Though I realize some people spend their whole lives with no choices. Even if the only one they can make is that, I still hope them peace. I hope there is reincarnation. I'd want to meet all the wonderful people in my life again. I hope nothing I have said offends anyone. I hope wherever we all are, in each and every walk of life, there is happiness to be found. The sun will come up, there is another tomorrow. Forgive my surge of emotion. A friend of a friend died today. Overdose. I pray for all of us tonight. The world is hard but, we must never forget we are not alone..

 

[drake53545]

Death is very tragic. I can only hope that someday there will be another option for those poor souls who feel they have no way out. Life is so very fleeting. Suicide is a permanent solution for a temporary problem. Though I realize some people spend their whole lives with no choices. Even if the only one they can make is that, I still hope them peace. I hope there is reincarnation. I'd want to meet all the wonderful people in my life again. I hope nothing I have said offends anyone. I hope wherever we all are, in each and every walk of life, there is happiness to be found. The sun will come up, there is another tomorrow. Forgive my surge of emotion. A friend of a friend died today. Overdose. I pray for all of us tonight. The world is hard but, we must never forget we are not alone..

im so sorry for your loss september i hope that they find peace soon

 

[Gmash]

While it may not apply in this particular case, we as Americans need to realize that a lot of the pressure put on these workers is due to our desire for cheap products. The reason most things are made in China these days is because of the cheap labor. This includes not just low wages, but long hours and poor working conditions. This is one reason I refuse to shop at Wal-Mart, along with the loss of American jobs. Just something to think about the next time you go to Wal-Mart to save

 

[Roze]

This thread reminded me of the Foxconn's suicide of 14 workers last year.

So far, at least 16 people have jumped from high buildings at the factory so far this year, with 12 deaths. A further 20 people were stopped by the company before they could attempt to kill themselves

It just makes you think, how much and how far are these people are being push (by companies) to the breaking point that they should find taking their life is the only choice available. These are big company with big names, but what about the smaller ones that don't get big world wide publicity/coverage.

Something interesting that I found in the article.

...at Longhua, where between 300,000 and 400,000 employees eat, work and sleep,

^-- O_O That's the size of a city...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/china-business/7773011/A-look-inside-the-Foxconn-suicide-factory.html

For perspective on two things, I'd like to add - if you go one of the big fabs in Asia, they dwarf our small cities and their suicide rate is actually low based on population.

^--the thing is...because of China's large population (1.3+ billion), a suicide rate of just a hundredth of a percentage means hundred of thousand of people end their lives. I think when it comes to things like this, you'd need to look at both percentage (suicide is measured per 100,000 by the WHO) and the total number to get an accurate picture.

China Daily said 250,000 people commit suicide in mainland China each year, which translates into one suicide and eight attempts every two minutes, giving China the world’s highest suicide rate.

^--the article is a couple of years old (2008). But I think the point that a lot of people in China commits suicide is still relevant.

 

[mrbillcollecta]

OMG! He jumped!

China: Suicide at tech giant Huawei Global Voices

Looks like they put him in a Huawei box.

Damn You aint lying!!!! Wooooow.

 

[EarlyMon]

More likely just an impromptu visual barrier.

They're people, not savages.

 

[septembersrain]

More likely just an impromptu visual barrier.

They're people, not savages.

In China I believe they like to keep their affairs private. My friend who lives over there says that there is a lot of things that happen that no one sees. China is a country that is very self sufficient and self regulatory. If something bad occurs, It will be dealt with accordingly and in secrecy.

I wonder what the United States would be like if we had that same sort of stand point. We are a country that Facebooks and Twitters every small thing. Can you imagine suddenly losing that?

I suppose with every Government there is a good and bad side. As humans, We can never truly find one "Perfect" solution to any problem. I suppose this is why life can be so frustrating it can destroy people. The mind can be a beautiful and very dangerous tool.