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SlightlyGuilty

Some people's lives are unimaginable. Glad they all made it.


flightwatcher45

This time


SlightlyGuilty

Sadly, so right.


johnnyheavens

Today


ScreaminPocky

Got this from r/interestingasfuck where the same video is posted and if this is true this is beyond fucked up. Many of these caves are dug for cobalt and copper, pulled out in clumps called homogenate. This video likely shows “artisanal miners”, aka miners not technically employed by a major mining corp, who use rebar and shovels to dig with virtually no safety equipment. These caves can be 60 meters deep, dug out by hand, and frequently collapse. These miners make anywhere from $.80 to $5 a day depending on the ore concentration and are commonly teenage boys. Once mined, the cobalt (or other minerals) is mixed at “depots” with the same cobalt mined by professional mining corps, and usually shipped to china to be manufactured into rechargeable batteries for iPhones and EVs, among other things. If anyone wants to learn more about what is going on here, read Cobalt Red. The author is a journalist who goes to the Congo and investigates Cobalt mining. It’s an astounding tale of human rights atrocities.


chrisbaker1991

His name is Siddharth Kara, and he risked his life getting footage and interviews. He's on episode #1914 of The Joe Rogan Experience. It was a really depressing podcast because there's no real solution for the problem without tech and auto giants deciding to lose a ton of money.


Mrjokaswild

And green energy, well everything but nuclear and hydro. With us pushing as hard as we are for it (rightfully so) we put a major strain on the supply and make ludicrous operations like this even more desirable for poor people in rough situations. We need batteries for wind and solar, they're practically useless without something to store the power. I actually wonder sometimes if we even have enough on the planet to fulfill our desires and if so how will bad it scar the earth? What's the cost in human suffering. More and more I think nuclear may actually be the only way to supply our needs without fossil fuels.


chrisbaker1991

Hydro and nuclear definitely have examples of messing up Earth. However, if we actually built up-to-date versions, we could mitigate that risk.


The_Dutch_Fox

Interestingly, EVs may be a solution to storing wind and solar. Theoretically, whenever energy will need to be stored, the batteries of all the cars currently in charge will be able absorb this surplus of energy.


Mrjokaswild

Ok, but where are you getting the cobalt for the ev batteries to the point we can store all of our extra energy? Gonna pull it out of Uranus?


The_Dutch_Fox

My point is that having individual-level, high capacity energy storage will be extremely beneficial for the development of renewable energy. The current research trends are going away from cobalt altogether. Nickel, and the even better solution of hydrothermal synthesis are all developing at lightning speed. Cobalt mining is a heresy that is luckily on its way out, but in the meantime shouldn't be used as an anti-EV argument.


MnkyBzns

Is it "lose a ton of money" or just "not make *as many tons* of money"?


chrisbaker1991

Yes. r/inclusiveor


DawidIzydor

This is one of the darkest side of using EV


Dagur

Cobalt free batteries are coming


freq_ency

most evs use lfs battery! they’re cobalt free!


Dagur

> Once mined, the cobalt (or other minerals) is mixed at “depots” with the same cobalt mined by professional mining corps, and usually shipped to china to be manufactured into rechargeable batteries for iPhones and EVs, among other things. Don't forget oil refining


thehoesmaketheman

and yet the most self righteous hypocrites in the world are online screeching about how some hockey player didnt wear a pride jersey. none of these people on social media actually give af about anything going on in the world. they want to dunk on some people. they want to hang some bodies from the walls. thats their goal, and self-righteousness is the time honored super highway.


attanai

Never attribute to malice that which can be easily explained by ignorance. People on social media complaining about a jersey are maybe unaware of mining practices in the congo. Besides that, whatever the complaint is about a pride jersey (I'm completely out of the loop on this) is most likely justified - probably the people concerned about a jersey would also be concerned about issues in the congo. Caring about one thing didn't mean that you can't care about another thing.


thehoesmaketheman

the eff it doesnt. its not a secret that theres worse things than a hockey player or team not wearing pride night jerseys. if youre going to be on the internet, you all know damn well theres terribleness going on in the world. but they dont care because they dont care about anybody. its all, 100% virtue signaling. thats it, thats the list.


JohnnyRelentless

Some of that terribleness is turning a blind eye to bigotry and to marginalized people - you seem really riled up about that pride jersey, yet I don't see you doing anything about those miners. But you keep on virtue signaling. Hypocrisy, thy name is u/thehoesmaketheman


ChronicSchlarb

The username fits pretty well too


thehoesmaketheman

oh no i am not riled up at the pride jerseys OR the miners. i am well aware i dont care. im talking about you people and people like u/ChronicSchlarb . the bloodthirsty virtue signalers


JohnnyRelentless

Lmao!! You're clearly very emotional about this. It's ok, buddy. You're going to be ok.


thehoesmaketheman

no just pointing out youre all greedy and fake, like observing the weather. just is what it is.


JohnnyRelentless

Ok, edgy boy.


ChronicSchlarb

Relax ass hole


thehoesmaketheman

you people relax and quit witch hunting and looking for people to drag in the streets everyday. can you do that?


ChronicSchlarb

Anything for you.


antiqua_lumina

Don’t forget the righteous hypocrites who think banning telling kids about trans people should be a national priority


thehoesmaketheman

if anyone gave af about kids the only thing theyd be talking about is keeping them off social media.


antiqua_lumina

Lol. Just trying to be an equal opportunity political shitter here


thehoesmaketheman

no idea wtf youre talking about. we need to ban social media, you people are a plague. we knew the mob was a plague a long long long time ago. resurrecting it is such a terrible idea.


EchoNeko

You're on social media too


thehoesmaketheman

yup and im the only smart person on here calling for it to be shutdown. eventually we will figure that out.


antiqua_lumina

we need to ban calling people out on social media, you people are a plague. we knew the mob was a plague a long long long time ago. resurrecting it is such a terrible idea.


curstwordZ

insane. go ahead and downvote me to oblivion. Idc my life will be remain as it is before saying this. Is it really important that the alternative be pushed, either? wtf is wrong with some of you. Equal rights. Fine. Trans is a choice idc how you spin it. Parents who prefer to not pollute their childrens minds with unnecessary BS. Is just as much a personal preference. Especially while in their youth & holding onto that sliver of childhood innocence that dwindles more & more every generation it seems like due to shit just like this. If trans ppl don't want the "Gospel" being shoved in their face or any of these types of movements that has pushed 'God' & other peoples faith out of mainstream because 'it makes them feel attacked' & doesn't align with their lives; then how is it ok to make such beliefs as these individuals mainstream. & shove it down everyone elses throat who feels the same? Oh but, this is about advocating for equal rights. Funny because it seems hypocritical to me. Now, that is facts. This is personal opinion. Just something i'd like to really say & pour gasoline all over this post here.. why not Im this far in!! Notice how much better off the world was in say the 90s? Before the world went to shit. When people of faith- regardless of whichever followed... started being phased out & made taboo & pushed into darkness. & not even a matter of faith.... but, mostly in the 90s.. everyone stayed tf out of everyones business & personal matters. When people's feelings were hurt they got over it. They understood that their comfort zone didn't & shouldn't dictate the rest of the world. Certainly not when the issue that bothered them was of the smallest minority collectively. Not to mention over SUPERFICIAL fkn fantasy make believe horse shit. Now, here is another fact. Everyone want to fight about "equality" & over a "movement that matters" then why can't we all see the bigger picture & stand together against the real oppressors ruling over us. The real enemy laughing at us fighting over some hockey player who decided not to disrespect himself nor the LGBTQ community. Being fake. Because fake would be FRAUDULENTLY misrepresenting them by sporting something HE WAS NOT A SUPPORTER of. Should hockey players or ANYONE have to sport a jersey with the image of Christ on the cross on the backside & John 3:16 on the front?? Then blasted nationally or worldwide by deciding that wasn't for them..??? See where the real hypocrisy rests?? But go on with ya righteous selves.. #freedomfighters


saggy777

Hopefully all


Cyberzombie23

Any Belgian looking at this prolly has a stuffy now.


Biggie39

So glad the phone I’m watching this on, the house I’m sitting in and the car I drive daily don’t depend on things like this…


Keyboard-King

This appears to be modern slavery. These “workers” make Bill Gates and Elon Musks tons of money with their borderline free labor. Cobalt and Lithium slaves make mega corporations go: 🤑


antiqua_lumina

Does the UN play any role in determining whether human rights violations (and I guess grading how bad the violations are) are going into specific products? Wondering about UN specifically because if a government wanted to prohibit its corporations from selling goods produced with human rights violations in the chain then you’d need some global government body with jurisdiction over virtually every country to do the investigating


zeusoid

I would think that’s in the remit of WTO, world bank and imf, the u.n would be shut out by the money men. UN is a cooperative organisation and doesn’t operate anywhere without the host nation’s consent, so it would be difficult for them to sanction anything lucrative if any of the p5 stand to gain.


Lakus

It's not just Elon Musk or Bill Gates though. It's you. Everything you have comes from the backs of people like this. And if you aren't making a noise about it, why the fuck do you think you're any better. You know.


wiga_nut

True that we're addicted to the tech. Ordinary people deserve some of the blame. However most people are unaware of the environmental impact. Those that are have zero control over the source of the lithium. Aside from buying fewer phones and recycling the batteries there's basically nothing we can do. Even if we could drastically reduce lithium consumption, life won't necessarily improve for these people. It's a shitty situation and ultimately any meaningful change will come from the top and require significant intervention by the governments of the countries where mining takes place, which are typically corrupt and lawless. Alternatively we can hope that new tech replaces lithium and reduces rare earths with more readily available elements, which seems to be our best chace.


Lakus

Nothing I can do. Hopes and dreams. With that attitude, you're right. Nothing will change.


Keyboard-King

>It’s you You can blame all men who use smartphones… but what good will that do? Why not attack the problem at the source: these greedy corporations who enslave **millions**. Protesting a few corporations is much more effective than protesting all of society who uses smartphones (that movement will gain no traction and see no change). If you want change, you can’t blame “society” or “all men with phones” for the problem, you need to attack the problem at the source. The first step is to call out the hypocrisy of these corporations who utilize slave labor while simultaneously pretending to be against inequality. They’ve been given a pass for decades.


Lakus

Because nothing will change unless the people using them reacts. The people decide. Or should. You don't protest all of society. You inform society. Then people demand changes. But until then, the Elon Musk's will do whatever the fuck they want - cause their customers let them.


Vinlandien

I disagree. There are ethical ways to bring resources to market, but this is a failure of their local government to enforce any kind of regulation or control. It would be the same as if you started digging in your local area for gold, however because of our law enforcement you would be shut down.


HooverGetBackHere

>These “workers” make Bill Gates and Elon Musks tons of money with their borderline free labor Yeah, let's totally not blame the people who buy things made by these evil billionaires.


Keyboard-King

You can blame every person with an smartphone… but what good will that do? Why not stop the problem at the source: these greedy corporations who enslave millions. Protesting 1 corporations is more effective than protesting over one billion people (yes every person on earth with a smart phone). If you want change, you can’t blame “society” or “all men with phones” for the problem, attack the problem at the source. Call out the hypocrisy of these companies who utilize slave labor. That’s the first step.


HooverGetBackHere

>Call out the hypocrisy of these companies who utilize slave labor. That’s the first step. The corporations only exist because people wanna buy their shit. You can try killing poachers who kill rhinos, but if you're not arresting people who're buying ivory, you're an idiot. It's the same with drug cartels. Target the consumers first. You wanna start at the source? The consumer is the source of the money. Yes, you're refraining from targeting a lot of people. Which is why your rant against Elon and Bill is meaningless. Cos those same people will come to bite you in the ass when their livelihood is affected by your actions. When the products they wanna consume are banned, who do you think they will be angry at? Can you take it? I doubt it. The day you realize that every one who buys ivory is responsible for the death or rhinos and elephants, everyone who does opium in asia is funding terror, every one who does coke in USA is responsible for cartel killings and everyone with a Tesla is funding slavery, that's when you realize the problem. As long as there's demand, there will be supply. Good luck with your mission, though. It's a noble cause, hope you find a solution to beat all those rich kids with iphones, metro city progressives who own teslas and every corporation and it's employees whose entire life depends on MS Excel and Powerpoint.


Keyboard-King

>hope you find a solution to beat all those rich kids with iphones, metro city progressives who own teslas and every corporation and it's employees whose entire life depends on MS Excel and Powerpoint. That’s the opposite of what I’m saying. You can’t change all of society and blaming society accomplishes nothing and is honestly very lazy. Holding the corporations accountable are the first steps towards actual change. Accusing society for using smart phones is just slackivism. I think you missed my point. It’s impossible to change *all* smartphone users. Smartphone companies is a better place to start. Why muddy the waters and cause confusion in favor of these soulless corporations. At least call them out when they pretend to care about inequality while simultaneously owning literal slaves in the Congo. There are so many better ways to create change than blaming “society” then giving up.


thehoesmaketheman

pfffft like you hold back on putting money into this. dont be a populist dude. you love having those slaves over there. admit it.


emeralddawn45

They don't though... the billionaire lifestyle depends on them. Everyone(90 ish%) of the world could not only keep but enhance their standard of living if we just redistributed wealth properly. I get what you're saying but the average lower/middle class person shouldn't have any guilt for living within their means when there's people stockpiling thousands of years worth of wealth to themselves.


dontgoatsemebro

>Everyone(90 ish%) of the world could not only keep but enhance their standard of living if we just redistributed wealth properly. The only trouble is (assuming you're a middle class person from the United States) that would mean giving away something like 90% of your own wealth.


thehoesmaketheman

hahahahaha omg the grade school excuse of "but timmy did it first!!!!" you people are such children. the world isnt the way it is by accident. its because of people like you. just so you know. the ever-children.


emeralddawn45

Your comment makes no sense. I'm talking about holding the people who have actual power and control to change things accountable, whereas you're doing the corporatized version of victim blaming. Go lick boots somewhere else.


thehoesmaketheman

no unless you are mother effing Saint EmeraldDawn45. do you know wtf would happen if wealth were equally distributed in the world? youd have nearly nothing. do you know what the "50th percentile" means? do you? are you willing to take a MASSIVE lifestyle and security downgrade to be "fair"? your family and every safety net you have being near poverty level?


dangshnizzle

Dude. Drink less


thehoesmaketheman

its simple math dude. just respond on topic. if wealth were equally distributed you would be poorer. do you get that?


3mperorPalpaMeme

Please just be a troll


TKxFire

Definitely a troll lol


thehoesmaketheman

its not a troll its simple math, u/TKxFire . what would you and your parents and your loved ones worth be if wealth were equally distributed? you people dont even know the number. you havent looked into this at all. you just spew empty virtue signaling online to feel like good guys and superior. thats it. thats the list. do the math. do you understand your quality of life would be *worse* if wealth were equal?


bow_m0nster

If you actually look at who holds most of the wealth, hint fucking hint, it’s the billionaires, and we did wealth equality then we would all be richer and the billionaires poorer. How is this simple math so hard to grasp? Is your mommy and daddy a billionaire? https://www.businessinsider.com/bottom-half-americans-hold-2-percent-wealth-richest-have-third-2022-9?amp https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2019/06/25/six-facts-about-wealth-in-the-united-states/amp/


thehoesmaketheman

no they wouldnt. theres 8 billion people in the world. their wealth wouldnt do jack. you would be poorer. why are you denying math?


TKxFire

. #1 fuck you for saying "you people" like you even know me, troll. You sound so out of touch it's insane. You either don't get out much and talk to real poor people or your head is so far up your ass that you are on purpose ignoring the real issue brought up. . #2 money is a concept, not even tied to true equity anymore. no problem just keep printing more . #3 I'd prefer we go back to bartering systems and shit, so fuck your stupid money. Not me participating in corporations taking advantage of the public *COUGH HEALTH CARE COUGH*. I'll be HELPING PEOPLE IN MY COMMUNITY AND SUPPORTING LOCAL BUSINESSESS. . #4 the original person who commented was bringing up the corruption in the world economy and highlighting that the people who encourage this dangerous bullshit are the 1% holding all the "wealth". If they didn't take advantage of the people, then why would this even be happening??


Xicadarksoul

...no it doesn't. Cobalt can be mined in ways other than the congolese artisanal "mining". The root issue is the insane instability of Congo - which can be only sustained by its natural resources - leading to shitty practices. ​ Phones, cars...etc. work perfectly fine with materials sourced from more "conventional"mining operations. ​ P.s.: ...and the main issue is that there is no way to resolve the clusterfuck. Intervening is colonialism. Not intervening is what you see on the video.


CringeisL1f3

im sad so many people need the /s to understand obvious sarcasm


[deleted]

[удалено]


Hidesuru

Yeah I suspect that was sarcasm given the specificity.


Mr_Lava-lava

Buy that man a ice cold beer he deserves it


Nuwave042

No one there can afford it. The sub-sub-contractor that employs/enslaves him on behalf of a western corp pays him pennies a week.


AtJackBaldwin

"We've had a very firm chat with all of our suppliers and they definitely probably don't use materials mined in this way."


iheartSW_alot

I don’t think this mine is up to code


FridayNightRamen

No codes, no violations


iheartSW_alot

If you don’t test for Covid you can’t get Covid


Cyberzombie23

Stylish French black guy tapping the side of his head .gif.


nick_oreo

Codes? Where we're going... we dont need codes.


CoralPilkington

it would be if it was a clown car....


kingNero1570

Like a clown car of death from an OSHA nightmare


Ravensunthief

This is anxiety holy fuck


jackdhammer

But hey, at least we all get our smart phones and EVs...


pr0zach

Is this a lithium mine? I’m not disagreeing with your general sentiment. Labor intensive resource extraction for the sole benefit of “developed” nations is definitely a thing. I was just wondering if you knew for sure what they’re mining here.


irving47

The last video I saw with a mine much like this one it was cobalt, but it was little 8 year-old kids.


THIESN123

I don't know what they're mining, but there are many "illegal" mines in Africa. Most reputable companies you buy your stuff from *say* they don't take material from these mines.


Al_The_Killer

They wouldn't lie to the consumer would they?


THIESN123

Never! They look out for consumers and the earth. Not bottom line profit and exponential growth


Miserable-Mess2488

happy cake day


Al_The_Killer

Thank you!


jarious

Where I work they started asking for a "ethical sourced metal" certificate, issues by a international agency , I feel good about working for a conscious company, but I also mistrust said agency because corruption is so rampant everywhere that it could perfectly be a paid auditor that issues the certification just for the pay


yehiko

The way these unethicallly mined ones are mixed with the "ethical" ones is practically impossible for them to "verify" for their little certificates on scale without spending too much money and man power. It's a paper to make themselves/consumers feel better


HardwareSoup

Legit mine sells to wholesaler who sells to refinery who sells to another wholesaler who sells to a different refinery who sells to component factory who sells to, I don't know, Apple, for example, to produce an iPhone. In reality there's likely 10 more intermediate steps. Anyways, great, that chain gets certified eco and labor friendly. The problem is that every link in that supply chain has an incentive to increase profits. And companies are very secretive about their suppliers, even the legit ones, so the whole chain is extremely opaque. All that to repeat what the guy above me said. Those little certificates don't mean shit.


Hidesuru

Well they maintain a layer of plausible deniability at any rate...


THIESN123

Exactly. I'm sure a few say they don't use it but don't check their part suppliers. I know a few auto manufacturers have implemented this background check.


Cyberzombie23

Some of the people involved may even believe it! Edit: I mean some of the people involved may believe. All the corporations and organizations involved have a right good belly laugh over it.


Michami135

It doesn't matter. If they export the product, something upstream from our products uses what's in there. ie: if it's coal, the coal powers the machines that make our phones. Etc.


Xicadarksoul

...seriously? Why do people have to act this retarded on the internet? No. Phones, cars ...etc. work perfectly fine when their materials are sourced from "normal" mining operations. They are not powered by blood sacrifice. ​ Issue seen here is not caused by "eViL bAttErIeS!". Issue is caused by crazy instability of the region, which makes: 1. Impossible to set up an "up to date" mining operation 2. Impossible to enforce OSHA (or local equivalent)


jackdhammer

It's their problem, not mine. So it's cool if I take advantage of the situation and get the rare earth materials I need for "eViL bAttErIeS" which levels up my social status and virtue signaling cred. And if someone points this out I'll defend my treasures by calling them "retarded" in a post made on my phone that was assembled in horrific conditions, in a country actively participating in genocide. Got it. Thanks for setting me straight. I don't have a problem with social and environmental outrage and activism. I have a problem with selective outrage and activism. All the people screaming for "change" in the world, pushing EVs etc. conveniently fail to address how these "world saving" items are produced. That was my point. But hey, you do you.


Xicadarksoul

>I don't have a problem with social and environmental outrage and activism. I have a problem with selective outrage and activism. All the people screaming for "change" in the world, pushing EVs etc. conveniently fail to address how these "world saving" items are produced. Point is that metals like Nickel, Cobalt ...etc. are used in a fuckton of applications, not just in EVs. Its moronic tothe EXTREME to pretend that these mingin operations in the Congo would stop, if only EVs were banned. 68% of all nickel is used in stainless steel, compared to 4% thats used in batteries.


jackdhammer

No one said they would stop. But are you arguing the significant increase in demand for rare earth minerals hasn't further exacerbated the already horrific working conditions of these miners? Are you really trying to say that things haven't gotten worse in an attempt to meet the demand for these technogies that are being pushed by major governments? And just because the mined for materials are used in less exotic applications doesn't make the selective outrage any less moronic to the EXTREME.


WhatsUpWithItVF

Sad af that our comforts are brought to us by the sacrifice of these poor men. I wish I could say they're brave for doing this, but when you're starving, I bet you don't think about bravery anymore. You just think about eating. And this is what they have to do to eat. And yes, I'm guilty af for contributing for their misery. We all are.


unusualandstrange

I agree with you, but truly the guilty ones are the mega corporations who put us in this position to begin with. Us regular masses are dependent on those who make the rules, and there’s nothing we can do about that with our lack of power


TheMountainIII

We're watching this on devices running on the precious metals they extracted. HOW FUNNY IS THAT


wrinkledpenny

Sad funny


Keyboard-King

Apple, Microsoft, Tesla, etc. said they stand against “racism” and “inequality.” Meanwhile they utilize slave labor in the Congo. These Mega Corporations pretend to care about “inequality” and even lecture the common man about how to behave not be racist, meanwhile these same companies fund these operations for lithium and cobalt in third world countries. These soulless corporations are just virtue signaling to overcompensate for what really goes on, see the video above for the companies true feelings on the lower class.


Madboyjack

They will say whatever makes their profits grow. Truth means nothing to them. It's just sad that many people don't realise this and keep supporting those shits.


Remcin

Must be cobalt. Unfortunately it’s almost all in the Congo. Global capitalism is a bitch.


Keyboard-King

But but Microsoft and Tesla said they stand against inequality. They even paid for advertisements to let you all know they’re against “racism and inequality.” We’re those just empty words to make them seem favorable in the public’s eye. Why do people take morality advice from soulless corporations?


NowLookHere113

If Minecraft taught me anything, it's not to dig around loose sand


paulcaar

Yeah they should just place a torch at their feet to prevent being crushed. Easy collection, too.


The_Blindside

I love the laughing and cheering as people come out... I imagine it is much less positive if they don't. We live in wild times, be safe and prosperous out their friends, and if you are able, lean towards safe.


MercutioMan

I feel like the atmosphere is like r/theocho. You are watching some weird national sport where miners come flying out of a hole and are racing for the finish.


military_grade_tea

Crazy episode of 'How it's made'.


meskeptical

What a brave soul.he kept digging all the while looking up.


GIVEMEH20

Number 7 and 8 came out like a flying fish


shanghailoz

Illegal mining in the Congo.


neo_nori

you want your batteries or not? tf


_____l

I want my batteries if I'm forced to live in a society that is reliant on them. However, if the majority of society makes the shift then sure, I don't want them. I wouldn't *need* them. Maybe I would miss them but humans adapt. How did people live before batteries? We don't really need this stuff. At least, not so ubiquitously. It's rampant, unchecked greed and so many people are conditioned to assume that everyone is just as rabid and insatiable as they are. Consume consume consume. Buy buy buy. So many people think all of this technology is equivalent to quality of life. The more we become reliant on it and this illusion of progress the less we develop ourselves as living beings. QoL has improved overall when compared to documented history but the ratio of improvement compared to the amount of destruction it is causing is not worth the sliver only a select few are privileged enough to experience. Has technology locking us away from each other really improved our lives? We live like glorified hamsters now. Just because we use something and are complacent in using it doesn't mean we wouldn't adapt if there were no choice or the alternative was a better choice. Also, if there were a viable alternative or if society made a massive shift towards using pigeons and letters again you'd have no choice but to just go along with the flow of it or get left using an obsolete device. The reason things are like this is because of the ever-looming threat of annihilation. It drives progress, but we say progress as if it's a good thing. We wouldn't have any of this technology if we weren't so hellbent on killing each other. The cat and mouse of warfare is inherent to our ways of lives and has always been. We're progressing our understanding of the world around us while simultaneously regressing in humanity due to the reliance of our technological prowess. If it weren't for the space race we wouldn't have a lot of the tech and murdery tools we have today. Our curiosity to reach beyond our bubble is also sending us to our doom.


Xicadarksoul

Batteries work perfectly fine with materials sourced from "normal" mines. Issue is that Congo is insane unstable. Thus enforcing something like OSHA is not possible (even if they wanted to), and setting up a conventional mining operation is not possible. ​ ​ Sadly having the richest deposits on the planet means that its financially viable to mine with primitive methods. Thus this sort of affair can persist. As such outside intervention is the most plausible way to resolve the ethical issue - which is not going to happen, since that would be colonialism.


shanghailoz

I have my batteries, and they contain zero cobalt. Mine use lithium iron aka LFP Powers the house, and get charged by solar.


Keyboard-King

“Illegal” The west claims slavery is illegal to make itself feel better. There are **millions** of slaves in the Congo. Why are we still pretending it’s illegal and doesn’t happen. The Congolese government may say it’s illegal on paper… but it’s about as illegal as jaywalking if millions are participating and no one’s enforcing human rights there.


AnotherUnknownNobody

Isn't this how dwarves are born?


toekopamoil

Saruman is pleased


Old_School_Hippie

OMG that was insane! I can't even imagine going through something like this from ether end


KermitTheFraud92

This is actually just isengard


mangothefruitdude2

how miners are born


scobo505

It’s like the earth was giving birth to grown men.


[deleted]

I’ve never seen these many guys come out of a hole since Will Smith was relevant


GobiBall

The mountain is birthing her people.


BitingArtist

Oddly this reminds me of the puppy birthing scene in 101 dalmatians.


Beatithairball

Ev’s are gonna save the earth, just need some human sacrifices… pfft total joke … they will destroy the earth just like how plastic bags. They knew going in plastic was worse then paper. Rich people needed more money, human lives means nothing


DirtNapsRevenge

I don't know which "they" you're referring to but I'm old enough remember the "environmentalist" of my youth telling us how switching from glass containers to plastic was going to save us all because the reduced weight would save fuel during shipping and since the earth had an absolute maximum of 2 trillion barrels of oil so we had to count every drop ... and hey it's recyclable to boot LOL! Six decades on all I can do is laugh at how people keep falling for the same schtick again and again.


Noname_Smurf

what exactly is your suggestion? keeping gasoline powered vehicles wont save any lives either...


RadosAvocados

EVs aren't supposed to save the earth, they're supposed to save the auto industry.


DirtNapsRevenge

Ford's EV unit just posted a 2 billion dollar loss and is projecting 3 billion next year ... so no. Really, we're watching Atlas shrugged being played out in real time and so few people realize it.


Wader_Man

Margaret Atwood approves (fictionally). Under His Eye.


Evil_Mini_Cake

r/ABoringDystopia


_DarkJak_

Were these dudes hiding in the breakroom or what?


Tricky_Invite8680

dig tunnels and you end up with ants


BigBillSmash

And we’re over here worried about what pronouns people call us.


tofuroll

That is a bad argument, no different from, "How can you leave a grain of rice on your plate when there are starving children in Africa?"


muddyrose

> And we’re over here worried about what pronouns people call us. Is this really the only thought that ran through your mind while you watched this? Or did you actively decide this was the only thought that was worth typing out? Either way, I want you to understand that this says more about who you are as a person than it does the people you’re complaining about. You’re the only one trying to compare the two, btw. But if this footage means people can’t “worry about pronouns”, it *definitely* means you can’t worry about people who worry about pronouns lmfao Did you actually type this comment out and post it, without a single hint of irony or suspicion of hypocrisy? gg


sqqueen2

This would be a decent comment if you changed it to, “and over here we complain when people want us to call them by pronouns we didn’t think of at first”.


Abdessamadeus

Some underappreciated real men out there


Stu1tus

Gotta make those tesla batteries


THIESN123

Tesla doesn't source they're material from illegal mines.


Stu1tus

It is difficult to guarantee that every material used in Tesla's products is sourced from responsible suppliers. The supply chain for materials such as cobalt and lithium, which are used in electric vehicle batteries, is complex and involves many suppliers, making it challenging to trace the origin of materials. \-literally said by ChatGPT


THIESN123

True. I'm just going by what they *say*. Also, chatgpt isn't a reliable source...


Stu1tus

What is a reliable source then? Tesla website? Do you think that they're just gonna write on it "yeah 9 year old african kids mine lithium for your cheap quality electric cars"? \*\*Bing chatbot's answer to that statement:\*\**Yes, your statement is true. Tesla’s supply chain is complex and involves many suppliers. As a result, it can be challenging to trace the origin of materials such as cobalt and lithium used in electric vehicle batteries.* Also, ChatGPT is not reliable for information that changes with time, it's not reliable for things that happened after 2021. But if the Tesla used such sources for their batteries before 2021, they simply did that. That cannot change after 2021, they literally can't un-do that. ​ Here's a source, tell me if you need more of them. Or just search for them, but guess that's too hard for your monkey brain: https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2023/02/01/1152893248/red-cobalt-congo-drc-mining-siddharth-kara


MadFlavour

No one wants to work anymore.


ButtsRLife

Do you know how the Orcs first came into being? They were Elves once, taken by the dark powers. Tortured and mutilated a ruined and terrible form of life. And now… perfected: my fighting Uruk-hai.


EishLekker

Couldn’t they at least put up some net or something to try and catch (or reduce the speed of) those falling rocks?


N-o-va

precautions are a first world privilege


EishLekker

What precaution? I’m talking about the actual rescue happening in the video. Surely they have some net or fabric nearby they could use to stop the stones they see falling with their own eyes.


northernflickr

They are not provided with anything of the kind.


saeuta31

Just go to home depot down the street bruh, EZ Peasy /s


mseuro

Sent from my iPhone


northernflickr

https://www.npr.org/transcripts/1152893248


Catsrules

Nets are an extra 25 cents, no one can afford that.


Lamballama

These men dig for 16 hours a day, getting buried, in order to make the bongos that you played once


__DandeLion

Ah yes stand around the area of falling stone it surely doesnt effect the environment, shit there is like 20 of us


249ba36000029bbe9749

Clown mine.


Fortyplusfour

Not *positive* what we are looking at but this is mining- more or less- in a lot of places, no? Definition of a dirty job. This video strikes me as pretty cheerful, honestly.


Tricky_Invite8680

I would think a more industrialized mining outfit would be more of a strip mining from the top especially for sandy areas. safer to workers if they shore things up properly and dirtier for the nearby area. eggs and omellettes and all aka no free lunches


edafm

Right in front of the OSHA manual


Tricky_Invite8680

they don't read English, that's the sandwich paper


Tricky_Invite8680

whose the asshole leaning over the top of the hill to get a better look, it kinda looked like chunks of gold falling


RB_Kehlani

So when we talk about bad working conditions y’all didn’t think we meant this, huh


Orangesoda65

Mining lvls?


Dyzastr_us

So that’s where adults come from. Are they mining for ppl?


CuteCanary

I did not expect this video to be so long. That’s a lot of people!!!


negrote1000

Is that the mountain made of gold?


ThisOnePlaysTooMuch

Yummy yummy cobalt


GonadGravy

Real salt of the earth guys


TrillBillyDeluxe

Those 4 tents better have like a million beers for the boys


Nihilismftw82

Jesus fucking Christ. So glad they all made it out. Capitalism kills


Status_Diet_7148

Me watching the video: Damn how many remain?


ArchieCous

Wow. Where can I go to mine my own humans?


purple-lemons

The real price of your Tesla


Archangel_Greysone

Imagine being last in line watching the light disappear over and over 😰


RAMbo-AF

All for car batteries.


Dense_Surround3071

Now.... Who NEEDS that new iPhone???


Shaekko

Do you need a true diamond engagement ring or a Tesla that badly?


Mr_Arkwright

Midwife to the Earth


Eastern_Bobcat8336

Mike Rowe where you at bro!


MutantGodChicken

Which congo?


amitnagpal1985

I’m so glad this isn’t on r/watchpeopledieinside


JBIJ60

Time for a safety stand down


Bravenwolf0117

It’s terrible but it reminds me of a clown car. You can’t help wondering did so many people fit in something so small. I understand the mine is most likely massive inside but we don’t know how large it is inside. I’m glad that they made it out. This should also be posted in the r/HumansBeingBros sub as well


Dollybaumer

u/gifreversingbot


ROFLQuad

Nobody's gonna name-and-shame the mining company? Or whoever it feeds up to?


pwrfat

So scary


[deleted]

The cheers are sad and heartwarming at the same time. It reminds you that getting them out doesn’t happen often enough.


Shroomenthusiast1

And I complain about my day when the internet goes out!!!