Made in Viet Nam?

[Grandpa Shooter]

Am I the only one who has problems with buying things made in Vietnam..?  Friend of mine (A Viet Nam vet like myself) came back from Las Vegas with two hats he was proud of having found, proudly proclaiming VIET NAM VET.  I looked at the label to discover "Made in Viet Nam".  He looked at me funny and put his on.  Mine is sitting on my dresser.

[wooderson]

No more and no less than purchasing items made with sweatshop labor in other parts of Asia.

[Manedwolf]

You buy things made in China, don't you? China is a lot more repressive than Vietnam is now!

[Euclidean]

We buy things from our current and past enemies all the time (Oil from jihadists, electronics from Japan), often out of necessity.  Why should this be any different?

[never_retreat]

Tear the tag off if it makes you feel better.

[280plus]

The Vietnamese know a lot of you guys are coming back to remember. They also know a marketable poduct when they see one. Maybe wearing the hat is just a small way of trying to forgive and forget? Forget is probably not the best word but I think you get my point. Maybe forgive and move on would be better.

[HankB]

Am I the only one who has problems with buying things made in Vietnam..? 

I've passed up buying certain shirts at Sears because of the "Made in Vietnam" label. And if there's an alternative, I'll generally avoid Chicom merchandise . . . but that's getting harder and harder all the time. For crying out loud, last time I looked for apple juice at the grocery store, it said "USA and China" on the label!! 

(Wonder how much Pb and Hg was added to the juice . . . )

[Creeping Incrementalism]

A Blackhawk BDU belt I just bought is made in Vietnam.  David Hackworth in his writings mentioned how he was surprised that there seemed to be no ill-will towards Americans when he visited the country in the 90s.  I don't have a problem with buying anything there.  It is not much different than any other corrupt 3rd world country.  Workers flock to sweatshops because it is better than harvesting rice.

The Vietnam-made "Vietnam Vet" hat is still ironic, though.

[Manedwolf]

If you've never had a giant, steaming, fragrant bowl of Pho from a good Vietnamese noodle house, served with fresh cilantro to tear up and sprinkle on it, you have no idea what you're missing. :9

As to apple juice, a whole lot of apple juice comes from China, yes, because it's cheaper, and probably not all to safe. If you buy the cheapest, in that case, caveat emptor. More expensive brands use apples only from the US. I buy local cider.

[Werewolf]

If we stopped buying stuff from every country or culture the US had ever been at war with we wouldn't be buying much.

Heck - for that matter Texans wouldn't be buying stuff made in NY and Mainers wouldn't buy stuff made in AL.

It could get rediculous mighty fast.

[Tallpine]

Didn't we have a little unpleasantness with Japan, Germany, and Italy once upon a time

[mtnbkr]

Didn't we have a little unpleasantness with Japan, Germany, and Italy once upon a time

Yup, and they were actual threats to our freedoms.

Chris

[Grandpa Shooter]

Yes, I do try to avoid things made in countries with a history of repression.  The Viet Nam thing is just personal I guess.  I never wanted to go back there.  Hell, I never wanted to go in the first place.  Went there did that wouldn't do it again!

[wooderson]

History of repression? That would be a rather difficult feat to pull off - you've eliminated most of our allies in Yurup thanks to fascism or their colonial regimes (and I loved Belgian waffles so much...), the Russians, pretty much all of Asia (even the Mongolians were godless commies...). Does Jim Crow not count as 'repression'? Must I forbid myself from purchasing anything made south of the Mason-Dixon (not to pretend that the South was the only Axis of Evil on that particular account).

By my count, you're pretty much down to Canada - and that depends on how you feel about their treatment of the First Peoples...

[mtnbkr]

It's only repression if they're GODLESS COMMIES!!!!!



Chris

[Perd Hapley]

But I want to repress the godless Commies.   

[thebaldguy]

My last pair of soccer cleats from Adidas came from Viet Nam. Never thought I'd see that.

[wooderson]

Here's a different version of the question: why can I buy any number of goods from China or Vietnam (who did kill American soldiers) or spend years there on business (or as a tourist) - but I can't hop on a plane and take a nice cheap flight to Cuba without dodging the feds?

[grampster]

Most woven products from India are produced by very young and small "untouchable" children who are enslaved.  Purchased from their families, they are worked 14 - 18 hours a day until they grow and their fingers are no longer small and nimble enough to do the intricate hand weaving.  When that happens they are turned out to the streets to fend as they can.

[Scout26]

Back in the late '70's my cousin bought a Toyota and brought it over to show his dad (My Uncle).

Now my uncle had spent 4+ years as Marine in the Pacific during WWII.

After my cousin spent about 45 minutes extolling the virtures of his new purchase, my uncle just looked at him, said "Those people tried to kill me." and walked back in the house.

My cousing took the car back to the dealer the same day.

 

[Mabs2]

But I want to repress the godless Commies.   

I want to repress everyone.

[Sergeant Bob]

Am I the only one who has problems with buying things made in Vietnam..?  Friend of mine (A Viet Nam vet like myself) came back from Las Vegas with two hats he was proud of having found, proudly proclaiming VIET NAM VET.  I looked at the label to discover "Made in Viet Nam".  He looked at me funny and put his on.  Mine is sitting on my dresser.

I don't really have a problem with it, but I joined the military right after the end.
I might feel differently if I had been of draft age during the war and had to go. I don't begrudge any Vietnam Vet for feeling the way you do though.

I remember once during the 2000 election campaign IIRC, John McCain referring to his captors at the Hanoi Hilton as "Gooks". Some people started to make a big deal out of his "racist" comment. He earned the right to call them anything he wanted, just as you have earned the right to feel the way you do.

[Gun Runner]

Didn't we have a little unpleasantness with Japan, Germany, and Italy once upon a time

Yup, and they were actual threats to our freedoms.

Chris

Oh no you di'int!!   

[Manedwolf]

Back in the late '70's my cousin bought a Toyota and brought it over to show his dad (My Uncle).

Now my uncle had spent 4+ years as Marine in the Pacific during WWII.

After my cousin spent about 45 minutes extolling the virtures of his new purchase, my uncle just looked at him, said "Those people tried to kill me." and walked back in the house.

My cousing took the car back to the dealer the same day.

Except now, my Honda was made in Ohio by American workers using mostly American and Canadian parts, while a friend's Ford was "hecho en Mexico." So who is more American now?

Honda of America and Toyota both have massive American factories that employ thousands of workers, while Ford and GM have offshored because it's cheaper.

Also, your uncle was a bit off, there. I doubt most of the people who worked in Toyota plants in Japan in the late 70's had anything to do with fighting a war almost fifty years previous. If you blame a new, peaceful and democratic generation for the sins of the old,  how does that do anything to ensure that it never happens again? Once an enemy, always an enemy even centuries later with no further transgressions, that's something they do in the Middle East, and we see where that got them.

[Perd Hapley]

I once heard someone complain about an American flag that was made in Japan.  They apparently wanted the flag-sewing jobs to stay in the U.S.  'Cause that's a high-paying, high-status job we all want, right?   

But to me, nothing says victory like beating the enemy down until they mind their manners and sew our flags for us.