The Ugly Truth behind Cort/Cor-tek Guitars

[Bellyheart]

Gettin' good...

[dubkitty]

multiple links:

to a Musicradar interview with Tom Morello.

to a press release from the Cort boycott supporters with no supporting documentation.

to the Cort boycott's blog.

to a far-leftist South Korean newspaper whose front page reads like a Onion parody of the Daily Worker.

nothing from a reputable English-language news organization. not even anything from a major South Korean newspaper, just a piece from a paper with a circulation of 600,000 in a nation of over 50 million as compared to the largest paper's--the Chosun Ilbo-- circulation of over 2.3 million in English. which is to say that dependable English-language documentation for these claims ought to be a snap to produce.

[theavondon]

I see outrage here over questioning the data behind a claim.

I don't see outrage in the J Mascis Jazzmaster thread, where that Squier instrument will almost certainly be made by Cort.

Greed trumps perceived ethics yet again.

Oh, hahah, lol, I made that thread. But, y'know, outrage only goes so far.

So, I'm no longer allowed to be excited by that guitar? Darn. Oh, and yeah, I guess I can't really buy anything else, really, from like stores, because almost every labor union's been busted here in TX. Or I can't really buy anything from China, where I'm sure conditions are worse. Or any other place where all the shit I own has been made. I'm gonna go burn all that stuff now.

Bummer how everything in the world sucks and is terrible. Or how mankind is unkind, man. It's near impossible to not be complicit or supportive of the boot crushing the face of someone in a far off country in today's world.

BTW: I really do support union labor when I can. I only shop at Kroger, an all union labor force grocery store, and my family has been a part of CWA for what seems to be ever. I find a lot of Dubkitty's points to be filled with fallacies. But, it's hard not to have blood on your hands.

[dubkitty]

but you can absolve your Western guilt! just do what people like ohsojayadeva tell you to do...you'll feel much better. and it's for your own good, and the betterment of mankind. really. don't ask questions. don't you feel better?

[rfurtkamp]

you do realize that this thread was made two days after the j mascis one, as well.

It's still current, still active, and if I was standing behind the workers of the world, I wouldn't throw my support to a luxury product (since obviously no one *needs* a Jazzmaster powered by the sweat, blood, and lungs of the Cort workers).

You can't always not buy something that has a dubious labor record or environmental record or whatever....

But in this case you sure can.

How come nobody's making a J Mascis boycott page? I mean, after all, it's his name on it.

perhaps they can somehow setup a machine so it maims people thus infusing their essence into offset guitars, that's pretty metal

Only if it came with the soul-crushing Power(TM) of James Hetfield Signature EMGS.

[dubkitty]

seriously: show me ONE piece of actual, dependable evidence that's not from one of your garbage propaganda sources and i'll listen to you. i'm not going to copy-and-paste it again: a major SK newspaper--which i suppose i have to define as an actual daily newspaper which covers real news stories and has a reputation as a reliable news source so people don't try to weasel by with another propaganda broadsheet, OK?--or a reputable international news organization. you know the difference between the two. i know the difference between the two. anyone reading with a brain knows the difference between the two. you either have documentation to back up the anecdotal claims and unsupported press-release assertions, or you don't. at this point, the argument is the equivalent of Mormon missionary work: "Joseph Smith had the golden plates, but the angel Moroni took them away into the clouds..." righty-o.

[D.o.S.]

Actual, Dependable Evidence:

[theavondon]

Also, pretty sure J Mascis totally has no fucking clue about the interworkings of overseas manufacturing and foreign labor unions. I doubt he's not stoned enough to even know which Korea we're discussing.

[dubkitty]

well, isn't it his MORAL RESPONSIBILITY????

[rfurtkamp]

Also, pretty sure J Mascis totally has no fucking clue about the interworkings of overseas manufacturing and foreign labor unions. I doubt he's not stoned enough to even know which Korea we're discussing.

Someone should enlighten him or his management.

We wouldn't want tens, maybe even dozens of his potential fans angry at him over a slave labor instrument.

I mean, do they get a living wage there, after all?

Come on, people, I'm giving you a way to drag this story into the new decade kicking and screaming, with a poster child of Western excess who will profit from his name being on them.

[D.o.S.]

Who says slave labor has to be a bad thing?

[rfurtkamp]

Who says slave labor's a bad thing?

It could be, but hey, the Cort workers, they weren't even slaves, man.

They were just angry about losing their jobs, and who wouldn't be?

That may be the crux of this all.

The Cort workers are angry they were not enslaved.

[D.o.S.]

Who says slave labor's a bad thing?

It could be, but hey, the Cort workers, they weren't even slaves, man.

They were just angry about losing their jobs, and who wouldn't be?

That may be the crux of this all.

The Cort workers are angry they were not enslaved.

Possible. Perhaps even likely.

I will say that as members of the Western world, we all actively benefit from the exploitation of other countries.

But, fuck them. I want my Jazzmaster/Jaguar/Angular Fender with useless switches.

[Ghost Hip]

Locking Topic on request of topic starter.