It's shameful that the article mentions that nets were installed to catch any would be jumpers AND that some employees had to sign contracts stating they wouldn't kill themselves.
Sounds like a fantastic place to work at.
Actually, I think this was invented by Jerry Pournelle (Oath of Fealty). In a slightly different form: On top of a high building that was used for suicides, they installed a diving board as you would find at a swimming pool, plus hidden nets that would catch a jumper. Great idea. Think about it: You're ready to kill yourself, you get on the top of the roof, and you see what can only be called the ultimate piss taking. Your emotions will immediately change from wanting to kill yourself to wanting to kill whoever put that jumping board there. Which is _exactly_ the intended effect.
But again: 36,000 suicides in the USA in 2008. And nobody putting nets anywhere. I don't know if Foxconn is a good place to work, but it's sure a better place than most if you are suicidal. And these nets that you think are so horrible cut the suicide rate down from one quarter of the US rate to even less, so it worked. And concerning the contracts: _Your_ life insurance won't pay if you kill yourself. Guess why.
Apple's shame:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2085005/300-Foxcon-staff-Xbox-360-plant-China-threaten-mass-suicide-pay.html
Steve Jobs and Tim Cook should be ashamed.
Guantanamo Bay would be a more desirable existance.
Please explain why anybody at Apple should be ashamed about this? If you had blamed Microsoft, you might have a tiny little bit of a point, but not much really. If you blamed Foxconn, maybe. But the reality is that people at Foxconn are aware of bleeding hearts like yours, so what do they do in an industrial dispute? Run up on a roof and threaten suicide. Nothing would have happened.
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