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So here’s the question I should have asked at the end of the other day’s entry about manufacturing in the U.S. and lux products and automation of manufacturing and all that.
Okay. So, let’s say you want to Buy American, you like the idea of Things Made in The United States, possibly because that means they are likely to be Sweatshop Free. Well, what about a product that’s made in United States — but in a completely automated factory?
That is, there’s no worry about exploited labor, because it’s all robotics and machinery. On the other hand, it still represents a threat to blue-collar employment, or at least it does nothing to help the manufacturing laborer in the U.S., at all. There’s no suffering — but there’s no solidarity.
Does it matter? Ethical plus, ethical minus, or ethical wash?
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Kim Fellner's book 
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Reader Comments
Well, the manufacturing jobs that this would “replace” are in many cases already gone. And someone needs to design the robots, build them, install them, service them when they break, clean the factory, ship the products, etc. Some to many of those functions either are or have to be done by Americans, still. So thumbs up from me.
In any event, I think we’re also one semi-major system disruption (e.g., typhoon rips through Guangzhou) away from a serious re-thinking of much of the system of just-in-time delivery. There are a whole bunch of current trends that are pointing in that direction anyways, most notably,
1) wage stagnation/depression in the U.S.
2) ongoing and inevitable long-term rises in the price of oil
3) lack of remaining unexploited developing countries in which to locate factories at lower costs
that will, I think, mitigate in favor of a return of at least some categories of industry to manufacturing in the U.S., in lower-wage, non-unionized factories with, as you say, fewer actual human workers in them anyways.
[Note: not saying this is a good thing; I just think it’s a pretty good bet]
Yes, I would still prefer to buy the automated USA-made product. It’s not just a labor issue with me. I know a factory in the US should be operating within certain environmental regulations that do not apply to non-US factories. (Really — who knows what kind of lead-based content and emissions are coming out of Chinese factories?) A US factory usually pays some kind of corporate taxes into the city or state where it’s located, which should benefit schools etc. There are political/human rights issues as well. I really do think of all these things when I see a “Made in” tag. But judging by the volume of China-made stuff in our stores, I may be the only one.
These are both good answers. Thanks …