I know that’s the popular western view. But at least in this case, it doesn’t seem to be related to Foxconn. It looks as though Xu even enjoyed his time at Foxconn (given he left and then came back, and was actively involved in the newspaper). The problem was, he wasn’t enjoying his time in society.
I think the high suicide rate is related to the plight of migrant workers (datong) in China. It is a reflection of just how hard life in China is for the urbanising population. If you’ve spent time in the big 3 cities, you’ll have seen this phenomenon, a massive exploited workforce often homeless, or living in cramped conditions.
> It looks as though Xu even enjoyed his time at Foxconn
That is opposite his words in the article. He did not appear to enjoy his time at Foxconn.
A space of ten square meters
Cramped and damp, no sunlight all year
Here I eat, sleep, shit, and think
Cough, get headaches, grow old, get sick but still fail to die
Under the dull yellow light again I stare blankly, chuckling like an idiot
I pace back and forth, singing softly, reading, writing poems
Every time I open the window or the wicker gate
I seem like a dead man
Slowly pushing open the lid of a coffin.
Why did he leave, and then come back? If it was so horrible? His poems were published in the Foxconn newspaper… Do you think they would publish it if they thought it was criticism of their own organisation?
> Why did he leave, and then come back? If it was so horrible?
The article said he was running out of money.
> His poems were published in the Foxconn newspaper… Do you think they would publish it if they thought it was criticism of their own organisation?
What made you think he sent and they published all of them?
A screw fell to the ground
In this dark night of overtime
Plunging vertically, lightly clinking
It won’t attract anyone’s attention
Just like last time
On a night like this
When someone plunged to the ground
> over 30 of his writings were published in Foxconn’s internal newspaper Foxconn People (富士康人), including poems, essays, film reviews, and news commentaries {…} Xu posted the titles of these writings on his blog in a post called “The Maturation Given to Me by a Newspaper,” indicating his gratitude for this platform for his literary aspirations.
He ran out of money in Jiangsu, so went back to work at Foxconn in Shenzhen. That’s like being short of money in Chicago and looking for work in LA… it’s clear. Again if you really hated the place would you even consider it? It’s not like there are no other opportunities for an ex Foxconn employee in China.
I think the high suicide rate is related to the plight of migrant workers (datong) in China. It is a reflection of just how hard life in China is for the urbanising population. If you’ve spent time in the big 3 cities, you’ll have seen this phenomenon, a massive exploited workforce often homeless, or living in cramped conditions.