I've asked my mentor once about the evolution of the derogatory Made in China thingee, he expounded that the history of it all came from the fact about being low-quality both in produce and service. I have reflected sometime that if this has been the case eversince i came to wit about all these fuss, and yet, the image has neither changed nor improved at the least, then somewhere along the line is at fault.
The baffling stuff if you'd see the logic here is, the way it was able to maintain that trademark after all these years. Despite the bad publicity, not to mention it's spreading like wildfire. That Made in China philosphy is now a never-ending talk of the tongue when it comes to the attitude of buying applicable to almost all consumer goods available in the market. There is no denying that when a gadget falters, someone would blurt-out "is that Made in China?".
I could not resist myself asking the salesman one time when i was buying an angle grinder, he cautioned me immediately that the grinder i'm eyeing for is made in China, giving an implied effort in my subconscious to think twice before heading to the cashier. My 80/20 decision about taking the product which was made in china came spiriling downwards leaving me buying the Bosch which was made in Germany.
The same is true when i had a customer once raising his voice why the iPhone he bought got some Chinese characters scribed from the back of the phone, with the message "assembled in China". It made me think that not only Filipinos have this mentality but accross continents, the Made in China pun seem like a disease that is so contagious.
Seriously, if you're reading this, you might be checking your watch, your gizmo, your laptop or even your clothing if it has this brand on it. You may feel awkward and sullen, with catastrophic worrying that sooner or later, the product would die on you suddenly without even reaching the product's warranty life.
It may seem sad and a full-frontal blow to China about the never-ending saga of these disparaging thoughts on their products, but the effect is totally positive when it comes to consumerism. How come, more and more people could not resist buying at all - these made in China stuff? Awesomely, when it comes to product availability, a lot is an understatement, actually, almost all stores nowadays compose their goods as made in China.
It's inexpensive! - this may be the magnetic banner why consumers feel at ease in resorting to China made materials. Or is it really? The "no choice" impediment could also be the reason, as i've said earlier, outlets nowadays are bombarded with China products, and these are widely available to the average consumer - and they are the ones who take a larger cut on the pie when it comes to consuming.
The trend is not going to stop, i suppose it's going to intensify, with the rise of China as the next superpower in the world. It's safe to say and it's not surprising for their "slowly but surely" way dominion in the trade. I'm wistful at the thought that in the future, the remark about Made in China would still linger, would still echo as a negative compliment to the minds and hearts of every individual consumerist.
MAC