Mass markets and victimization

Lisi Tesher's article in today's metro was quite interesting. She was discussing the recent large scale product recall by Mattel Inc. Her very brilliant suggestion to protect North American consumers from such defective products is to "make a conscious effort not to buy anything made in China."

Apparently, quite a few major retailers have recalled their defective products from the mass-market, and these products were all made in China. So, Lisi concludes that North American consumers i.e., you and I, should individually refrain from buying any Chinese made product. To me, that is plain stupidity. We are punishing a nation and its economy for the incompetence of a few retailers. Is it not the responsibility of the company to ensure that their product is checked for all safety standards? No matter which country the production has been outsourced to, the company who markets and sells the final product, should be the one held liable for its defective merchandise. Why should China take the blame? Is it not a case of the victim being victimized?

I remember a few years ago, when Mad Cow Disease was diagnosed in the Canadian Prairie provinces. Immediately, the border and effectively, the market for Canadian meat in USA came to a standstill. So, the Prairie provinces suffered huge financial losses. Of course, we were all up in arms about how unfair the American system was to blame all Canadian farmers for the mistake of a few. Now, that our situation is reversed, we do not hesitate to blame others.

As a follow-up to Lisi's article, the Metro also reports that Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his North American politcal counterparts are planning to "block the import of unsafe
foods and products, especially toys, as they closed a summit dedicated to more integrated continental trade and security."

Ah, the irony and the idiocy! They attempt to victimize the diseased, rather than treat the cause of the disease itself...