As you all know, I don't generally respond to these kinds of threads but
in this case I feel impelled to.

I'm pointing no fingers and not saying anything that intentionally
derides anyone.  I'm just pointing out how I see things as a kibitzer.

I'm basically Irish/Cherokee and my first wife is black.  We adopted two
Japanese boys and one married a girl from the Philippines and the other
one a girl of Chinese heritage.  I have multi ethnic ties and feel, like
we used to say in Submarines, that we're all in the same boat.

Anyway, I just wanted to say that I saw nothing derogatory in what Ron
said.  Words just affect some folks differently I suppose.

So ... lets just celebrate our differences and get on with the usual
list traffic.

Mike

BenT Syncro wrote:
> Ron,
>
> Someone already said it was made in Asia. Nobody asked you or anyone else
> what country it was made in. YOU are insensitive to YOUR remark because you
> are NOT Chinese.
>
> Most of us have no trouble talking about Vanagons w/o resorting
> to such labels. There are plenty of threads on quality control issues in the
> archives. Most of us are clearly aware of regional discrepancies. Frankly
> this thread was progressing fine until you made those nation
> specific remarks.
>
> I don't need your further explanation about political correctness in when it
> does not suit you. We can certainly do more of that off-list. I simply ask
> that you stop the direction you are taking this discussion through.
>
>
> BenT
>
>
>
>
> On 4/3/06, The Bus Depot <vanagon@busdepot.com> wrote:
>
>>>Someone made the effort to try to keep the nation of origin
>>>of the parts in question as generic as possible. For someone
>>>who has accused others of bigoted remarks, you appear to be
>>>incredibly insensitive to those NOT in your ethnic group.
>>
>>
>>You have completely misconstrued my remarks.
>>
>>My guess that the product was probably Chinese made was based on
>>probabilities; most Asian made CV joints I've seen offered recently are
>>from
>>China (Taiwan being second). If that is the case, I would also guess that
>>the Ebay seller's use of the term "Asian made" has nothing to do with
>>political correctness, but rather a reluctance for marketing reasons to
>>call
>>them "Chinese made" (as Chinese made auto parts have a bit of a poor
>>reputation in the U.S.). That is the same reason why California Import
>>Parts
>>uses German sounding brand names like "Bruck Germany," and descriptions
>>like
>>"German quality" on their Chinese parts instead of calling them Chinese.
>>
>>My comment that many of the Chinese made parts I've seen so far are of
>>poor
>>quality (not all - there are certainly some well-made Chinese parts, just
>>as
>>there are some crappy German ones) was based on firsthand experience.  As
>>a
>>parts importer, I am always investigating the quality of various parts
>>that
>>are offered to me, and increasingly many offers come from China. I have
>>found tremendous variations in quality, often from the same supplier
>>(indicating significant quality control issues). Some of the products were
>>
>>decent, but many were not (and some were downright awful).  Moreover, my
>>experience is not unique; this issue is widely discussed within the
>>automotive aftermarket industry. Therefore (at least when it comes to
>>mechanical parts whose failure may render the van inoperable) I tend to
>>regard unknown Chinese suppliers with a healtty dose of skepticism.
>>
>>This issue has has absolutely nothing to do with race or ethnicity.
>>Rather,
>>it probably has more to do with a general lack of experience on the part
>>of
>>the Chinese auto parts industry as a whole. As recently as four years ago,
>>there were only only 8 models of cars widely available in China, and only
>>8
>>million cars in all of China (the most populous nation in the world),
>>compared to 180 million cars in the U.S. alone.  The most common mode of
>>transportation was (and remains) the bicycle.  The automotive parts export
>>
>>industry didn't even exist. So this is not a country that has a lot of
>>experience making auto parts. Even under the best of circumstances, there
>>is
>>a learning curve with any new industry.  It took the Japanese consumer
>>electronics industry a decade to become a quality leader, for example.
>>Early
>>on most of Japan's electronic exports were low-end junk, but ten years
>>later
>>some of the same manufacturers were making products that put their pricier
>>
>>American competitors out of business. The same could be said about Korean
>>electronics (Samsung, Lucky-Goldstar) and automobiles (Hyundai).  Why
>>should
>>the Chinese aftermarket auto parts industry be any different?
>>
>>The Chinese aftermarket auto parts industry is currently in its infancy. I
>>have no doubt that over time it will mature. Eventually there will be a
>>shakeout and some real winners will emerge.  But that hasn't happened yet.
>>
>>Meanwhile, that industry somewhat resembles our dot-com era here in the
>>U.S.
>>before that shakeout occurred.  There are thousands of players, none of
>>whom
>>has any track record at all, and most of whom probably won't survive
>>because
>>they simply don't have a quality product.  Without a track record to look
>>at, it's hard to separate the good quality manufacturers from the bad.  So
>>yes, that makes them risky, and it has absolutely nothing to do with
>>bigotry.
>>
>>- Ron Salmon
>>The Bus Depot, Inc.
>>www.busdepot.com
>>(215)  234-VWVW
>>
>>_____________________________________________
>>Toll-Free for Orders by PART # :  1-866-BUS-DEPOT
>>
>>
>>
>
>
>
> --
> BenT
>