On Mon, 21 Nov 2005 13:16:07 GMT, "Alex Chaihorsky"
> wrote:
>>> Sasha speaks the truth here. Alas they do NOT have a solid code of
>>> ethics yet in China regarding "truth in advertising" and many such
>>> forgeries exist.
>>
>> They do indeed have a solid code of ethics in China regarding ''truth in
>> advertising," Mike. It just doesn't happen to match yours. :-)
>
>I happen to agree with Ourania, despite the fact that I am extremely
>irritated by the way products are advertised in China. Here in the US we
>also have tons of false advertising its just happen to be not about tea.
>Just to read and hear every other minute of yet another "World leader
>in..."... May be we should be more upset about our own "fine print"?
You are quite right Sasha, but I was referring to tea not politics.
Here in the US we are fairly strict about the labeling of consumable
products in particular. We are also pretty strict about forgeries, at
least to the point that most knock-offs are driven to the black-market
instead of being mainstream. If I buy a box of Kraft macaroni and
cheese I can be extremely confident that it is indeed made by Kraft,
and this holds true for most edible *products*. We don't bother trying
to forge cheap stuff and food is almost held sacred. Now antiques,
watches, and other expensive collectibles are a whole different
matter, we do have our fair share of crooks there. Wanna buy a Rolexx
watch?
I guess the main difference is that we have much stiffer penalties so
the crooks don't bother forging cheap stuff, they tend to make it
worth their while in case they get caught. In China it seems that the
business ethics of right and wrong most certainly exist but they don't
devote the resources to deal with it at a criminal enforcement level.
The result is rampant dishonesty to the point of being considered
acceptable, consequently it is almost impossible to trust anything you
are told. Even cheap 25 cent items are blatantly forged. Personal
relationships and/or education are your only defense. The onus is
clearly on the customer to ensure fairness, even on the smallest of
transactions, with no expectation of government or legal support.
Small transactions in the US are usually honest, even amongst the
crooks.
Mike Petro
http://www.pu-erh.net