# OK, this whole "tainted Chinese toys" thing has become self-parody. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 10, 2007, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-this-whole-tainted-chinese-toys-thing-has-become-self-parody/425874 "2007-11-10T05:12:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![El\_Cid\_Viscoso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/41988e/32.png) [@El\_Cid\_Viscoso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Cid_Viscoso)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-this-whole-tainted-chinese-toys-thing-has-become-self-parody/425874/21 "2007-11-10T20:41:46Z")
[QUOTE=MrDibble] I was joking about the frat boys, people - the joke is that frat boys would be stupid enough to think it might work. [/QUOTE] Fuck that, right now there are dozens of dudes Aqua-Dotting their ways to ripped abs and pumped-out glutes. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-this-whole-tainted-chinese-toys-thing-has-become-self-parody/425874/22 "2007-11-10T21:13:22Z")
[QUOTE=askeptic] Are you suggesting that China is not inundating the world markets with unsafe products? This is all manufactured fear mongering? [/QUOTE] No, but the story doesn’t have to be false for it to be fear mongering— I was remarking on the barely contained glee with which the story has been hyped by the media. (Anyone remember the shark attack “epidemic?”) As to “indundating,” I don’t know. We’ve been happily buying mountains of cheap Chinese crap for decades now; what percentage of it, in all that time, has been unsafe? ---
**Author:** ![nameless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/779978/32.png) [@nameless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nameless)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-this-whole-tainted-chinese-toys-thing-has-become-self-parody/425874/23 "2007-11-10T21:17:24Z")
[QUOTE=Ignatz] So are the frat boys going to say to the chicks in the bar…“Lick this”? [/QUOTE] (ellipsis mine) With chicks in the bar, this works more often than you might think. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-this-whole-tainted-chinese-toys-thing-has-become-self-parody/425874/24 "2007-11-10T21:19:31Z")
> [@](#): > > It’s not clear why 1,4-butanediol was substituted, though there is a significant price difference. I’d say that’s anything but ‘not clear’. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Cid\_Viscoso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/41988e/32.png) [@El\_Cid\_Viscoso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Cid_Viscoso)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-this-whole-tainted-chinese-toys-thing-has-become-self-parody/425874/25 "2007-11-10T21:29:20Z")
[QUOTE=Vinyl Turnip] We’ve been happily buying mountains of cheap Chinese crap for decades now; what percentage of it, in all that time, has been unsafe? [/QUOTE] I don’t know but I’m convinced my Jiang Zemin doll is trying to kill me. ---
**Author:** ![Catamount](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/catamount/32/2840_2.png) [@Catamount](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catamount)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-this-whole-tainted-chinese-toys-thing-has-become-self-parody/425874/26 "2007-11-10T22:11:12Z")
[QUOTE=El Cid Viscoso] I don’t know but I’m convinced my Jiang Zemin doll is trying to kill me. [/QUOTE] Did it at least come with a free frogurt? ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-this-whole-tainted-chinese-toys-thing-has-become-self-parody/425874/27 "2007-11-10T23:08:50Z")
[QUOTE=SpazCat] Did it at least come with a free frogurt? [/QUOTE] Do the toppings contain Potassium Benzoate? ---
**Author:** ![El\_Cid\_Viscoso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/41988e/32.png) [@El\_Cid\_Viscoso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Cid_Viscoso)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-this-whole-tainted-chinese-toys-thing-has-become-self-parody/425874/28 "2007-11-10T23:13:41Z")
Both of those things are good, right? ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2007, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-this-whole-tainted-chinese-toys-thing-has-become-self-parody/425874/29 "2007-11-11T07:47:29Z")
What cracks me up about this is the CNN Update e-mails I’ve received. Two or three years ago I was following some ongoing story on [CNN.com](http://CNN.com) that involved a rape or some other sex crime (I don’t even remember what it was at this point) and so I signed up for their e-mail update service and selected the keywords “rape” and “sex crimes”. I never got around to unsubscribing, so that’s how I was alerted to this story. Somewhat disturbingly, the vast majority of these updates have been for news stories about Sudan. Apparently, because soldiers there have raped civilians, _every_ report about the troubles in Sudan gets tagged with the “rape” keyword, regardless of whether or not the particular article mentions it. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2007, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-this-whole-tainted-chinese-toys-thing-has-become-self-parody/425874/30 "2007-11-11T08:01:01Z")
[QUOTE=El Cid Viscoso] Both of those things are good, right? [/QUOTE] Well, yeah, except for the Potassium Benzoate. Oh, and the toppings being cursed. So, I guess the answer would be . . . lessee here, carry the two, . . . no. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2007, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-this-whole-tainted-chinese-toys-thing-has-become-self-parody/425874/31 "2007-11-11T08:04:40Z")
[QUOTE=El Cid Viscoso] Both of those things are good, right? [/QUOTE] I’d say a curse is good, but GHB is moderate at best. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2007, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-this-whole-tainted-chinese-toys-thing-has-become-self-parody/425874/32 "2007-11-11T09:10:27Z")
American news reports say the beads metabolise into “the date-rape drug, GHB” Australian news reports say the beads metabolise into “the party drug, GHB, also known as ‘[fantasy](http://www.theage.com.au/news/National/Bizarre-Bindeez-scare-prompts-warnings/2007/11/09/1194329501403.html)’”. I’m a little worried about Australian parties now. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2007, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-this-whole-tainted-chinese-toys-thing-has-become-self-parody/425874/33 "2007-11-11T15:44:50Z")
[QUOTE=Cazzle] American news reports say the beads metabolise into “the date-rape drug, GHB” Australian news reports say the beads metabolise into “the party drug, GHB, also known as ‘[fantasy](http://www.theage.com.au/news/National/Bizarre-Bindeez-scare-prompts-warnings/2007/11/09/1194329501403.html)’”. I’m a little worried about Australian parties now. [/QUOTE] Wow. How’s that for a glass half full/half empty approach? ---
**Author:** ![Waverly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/57b2e6/32.png) [@Waverly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waverly)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2007, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-this-whole-tainted-chinese-toys-thing-has-become-self-parody/425874/34 "2007-11-11T19:51:56Z")
[QUOTE=Duck Duck Goose] So some middle management grunt at the factory in China made the decision to go with the cheaper chemical; result–sick toddlers. [/QUOTE] That’s often how it works. There are related factors too. There could be a kickback or other incentive, and of course the OEM is probably not without fault. They contracted for low cost manufacturing, but didn’t spend any of the savings on oversight or controls. They usually don’t. In fact, OEMs have learned they can drive ridiculously hard bargains with Chinese manufactures, who then feel obliged to find _some_ way to get back into black ink. The Chinese I know are decent, hard working, clever people but you need to keep some cultural differences in mind. _Any_ deal entered into willingly is a good deal, even if one party doesn’t really know what their getting into. Anything said to close a deal is just that… things said to close a deal. China is an extreme example of caveat emptor. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2007, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-this-whole-tainted-chinese-toys-thing-has-become-self-parody/425874/35 "2007-11-11T19:56:04Z")
[QUOTE=Cazzle] American news reports say the beads metabolise into “the date-rape drug, GHB” Australian news reports say the beads metabolise into “the party drug, GHB, also known as ‘[fantasy](http://www.theage.com.au/news/National/Bizarre-Bindeez-scare-prompts-warnings/2007/11/09/1194329501403.html)’”. I’m a little worried about Australian parties now. [/QUOTE] Hey, it ain’t a party 'till she passes out! Am I right, guys? Who’s with me? Come on, somebody give me a high-five! ---
**Author:** ![Nancarrow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c37758/32.png) [@Nancarrow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nancarrow)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2007, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-this-whole-tainted-chinese-toys-thing-has-become-self-parody/425874/36 "2007-11-11T21:18:25Z")
[QUOTE=Cazzle] American news reports say the beads metabolise into “the date-rape drug, GHB” Australian news reports say the beads metabolise into “the party drug, GHB, also known as ‘[fantasy](http://www.theage.com.au/news/National/Bizarre-Bindeez-scare-prompts-warnings/2007/11/09/1194329501403.html)’”. I’m a little worried about Australian parties now. [/QUOTE] Heh. Sometimes I idly wonder what it would be like to set up a new life in an anglophone country. I wonder which one first of all, and I think to myself ‘Do I want to live in a country founded by puritans, or a country founded by convicts?’ And it’s no contest really! Having said that I suspect the Australian choice of adjective gives a much fairer representation of the general use of GHB in society. And finally, yes, here in Blighty they do indeed consistently refer to it as ‘the date-rape drug’. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2007, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-this-whole-tainted-chinese-toys-thing-has-become-self-parody/425874/37 "2007-11-11T21:20:27Z")
[QUOTE=Nancarrow] Having said that I suspect the Australian choice of adjective gives a much fairer representation of the general use of GHB in society. [/QUOTE] Yes. Can we start calling alcohol a date rape drug? ---
**Author:** ![Nancarrow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c37758/32.png) [@Nancarrow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nancarrow)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2007, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-this-whole-tainted-chinese-toys-thing-has-become-self-parody/425874/38 "2007-11-11T21:41:09Z")
Well it’s the drug of choice for Members of Parliament, Congressmen, judges, business leaders, policemen, lawyers, doctors and accountants worldwide. So… no. We can’t. Even if for consistency’s sake we bloody well _should_. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2007, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-this-whole-tainted-chinese-toys-thing-has-become-self-parody/425874/39 "2007-11-11T23:14:35Z")
[QUOTE=Vinyl Turnip] Hey, it ain’t a party 'till she passes out! Am I right, guys? Who’s with me? Come on, somebody give me a high-five! [/QUOTE] This is what is bugging me. It’s my understanding that GHB is just a party drug. I’ve never used this particular stuff, although I did experiment with drugs when I was younger (What? They were rigorous trials). I remember reading Lisa Palac describing a woman taking GHB with a glass of wine and going crazy for sex, but the woman in question was Suze Randall, so I don’t see how that’s a huge difference in behavior. Also, she apparently wound up vomiting. A lot. How would this work as a date rape drug? I don’;t doubt that it’s been tried, but I’m pretty sure it’s not the ordinary use. ---
**Author:** ![askeptic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@askeptic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/askeptic)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2007, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-this-whole-tainted-chinese-toys-thing-has-become-self-parody/425874/40 "2007-11-12T01:32:31Z")
[QUOTE=Vinyl Turnip] As to “indundating,” … [/QUOTE] [side note] I read this last night on my PDA and tought you were making fun of a typo I made. Typed out a irritated response on the tiny keyboard but couldn’t get it to post. Good thing, because I just realized it was an innocent mistake. I wonder if the mods can make it so I have to wait 24 hours after I type a post to submit it. Sure would make me look…less assholish.[/side note] [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-this-whole-tainted-chinese-toys-thing-has-become-self-parody/425874.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-this-whole-tainted-chinese-toys-thing-has-become-self-parody/425874.md?page=3)