China food fakery (updated)

Link Pretty disgusting. People say the Chinese are just interested in making money. And here it is openly demonstrated that they really don't care how they make money. The feed makers were defrauding the buyers. The chemical makers claim the chemicals were harmless, but they basically turned a blind eye and were enablers for the feed makers to cheat others -- knowing that the feed has no nutritional value. Ethically deficient? Driven by greed?

While I wouldn't doubt it if they claimed that they learned this attitude from rapacious Western multinational corporations, a disturbing aspect of this story fits with another stereotype I've heard others say about the Chinese. That they don't want to get involved. If a nearby person is dying of a heart attack, they won't call 911 or do CPR. They'll claim it was none of their business. Or they didn't know what problem the guy was having. Or they don't want the police to think they killed the guy. Or they don't want to be charged for the 911 call.

While it doesn't excuse anything, one possible explanation for this behavior is that because of widespread government corruption, they've had the habit of not reporting anything to the authorities, because if they did, it might be seen as unwanted meddling and come back to harm them in some way.

-- Updated 5/17

A story on the fallout from the tainted pet food from China.

-- Updated 6/10

Link Making a quick buck in China with fakery.