| ...Question: By purchasing diecast models, do we compound third-world peasant misery—or subtract from it? |
Purchasing diecast does not, in any way, compound third-world peasent misery. And, even though a substantial percentage of it's population is very poor, China is not a third-world nation. China's economic classification is just a peg below that of modern industrialized country. China has the fourth largest economy in the world and also has the fastest growing economy in the world. All the Chinese manufacturing, over the past 20 years, has caused a substantial increase in the standard of living for the average Chinese citizen. China has developed a middle class because of worldwide purchases of Chinese made products-- including diecast. As the demand for Chinese manufacturing has increased, so has Chinese labor costs. This is one of the primary reasons diecast prices have been going up.