Terrible Tariffs: Politics in MY Gear?
Have you been watching the news in America or about America?
Would you think that political things could ever show up in a Sonic Area?
The answer to both of these questions is probably "Disappointment".
A lot of the current news you don't want, and it's disappointing to find politics near Sonic--but here we are because of the recent 'tariffs news'. Skip to the "##" for Gear's news this week.
What is it?
"They" are talking and acting upon putting a higher tax upon lots of stuff that is made in China and then sold here. Clothing is not on the list, but things like steel & aluminum (raw) are. That means food in cans, drinks in cans and stuff that uses lots of metal like appliances and cars could be really expensive soon*. The other things on the list include shoes & toys. (Of course, there are many other items on the list too but for this blog purposes it's toys)
This is one of those things that has to continue for a while before it gets bad where you can actually see it and get affected by it personally. Unless you work in one of those areas like a person who makes steel widgets in America, then, it happens faster. So keep that in mind when people are saying "well its ok because nothing changed this week". It's not like some light switch gets flipped in the white house and suddenly a 6 dollar Sonic figure is 20 dollars in Target. The stuff that's already here (and there's loooads of it--probably more than you think) has to clear out first. Then, decisions have to get made of 'do we even bother making something' so it might not be 'expensive toy is too costly' but rather 'no toy at all because $$$'. If there's a chance the tariff could go away, companies might just wait, too.
*Aside: What about recycling? Shouldn't costs for steel/aluminum for food be ok because that's the thing everyone is told is so easy to recycle that basically everybody does it? I mean, it'd take a zillion pop-cans to make a car so you can see how that wouldn't work but if it's just the same cans being used over and over for the same thing shouldn't that make it more ok and let the price not raise? I have no actual answer to this.
Toys made in America?
No. Because the machines cost too much & the ones in China are already paid off. Nobody is going to buy a 40 dollar basic Barbie, they're just going to do without. No one's going to bother to set up big toy manufacturing here, and especially not on short notice for something that would take months to build then years to pay off.
So what's the outcome?
Is it no more toys for anyone?
Something like this never happened before and I am not an economist so I don't actually know enough to do a prediction. But the one thing to recommend is keeping a sharp eye, and being prepared & cautious about getting hyped for new toys...or really much from China. There's not a whole lot you can do about tariffs on other countries. The ONLY thing you can do though is vote for someone, or call your senator to ask to put the tariffs back to how they were before or work something else out.
Read more:
https://www.fatherly.com/news/american-toy-industry-freaking-trump-china-tariffs/
What's worse:
There's a TON of people in the USA that are basically alive because Chinese stuff is inexpensive. Think of everything in your own home that's made there RIGHT NOW. Go mentally looking through all your stuff. Then imagine if it didn't exist at all, or it cost 4 times as much. Would you still have it? Could you replace it if it broke? Everything from a laundry basket/hamper to a school bag, pencil box, your sneakers to a plastic plate or cup used every day at dinner. And I don't mean novelty character stuff like Sonic plates or that...I mean every-day utilities cups and things. If you think about people who don't have a lot of money because their job never gives them a raise, there will be trouble.
###
Gear News:
The SegaShop is having some kind of sweat shirt bonanza. But...I don't really approve.
Opinion Zone:
Their sweatshirts are so basic and boring. They're doing what bootleggers love to do which is take the most generic stock art they can find & just slap it on the most generic cheap clothing they can get their hands on and then mark it up for you. They are NOT DESIGNING anything. Look at the 6 they put up this week. Wow. Logos. Then remember what Bio World, ESPECIALLY Top Heavy, and even that blank brand where it just said "Sonic Sega" from the 2010s were doing with clothing. A real designer was making NEW COOL things out of stock art and more. There was actual effort going into making unique looking tees, sweats, and whatever else. This stuff can't even be bothered to have a slogan.
Item of the week:
Shadow Shoes.
This should also be 'mystery of the month'. These shoes already look better & more fitting than those dirty lint covered Puma things. But IS it the work of a secret Sonic fan under cover at Dolce & Gabbana? Or is something a zany coincidence of the century? But gee whiz a grand for a pair of shoes that's just outlandish. What if it rains? What if the tread wears down? Anybody would be too afraid to actually put the things on their feet.
Calendar of Crud:
Christmas spins off! Onto another page because the calendar page got too long. There are certain to be more of these ugly dolls out there. And as long as there are, SonicGear will be here to make fun of them.
Next week: More sweatshirts. Even if you didn't want them.
Would you think that political things could ever show up in a Sonic Area?
The answer to both of these questions is probably "Disappointment".
A lot of the current news you don't want, and it's disappointing to find politics near Sonic--but here we are because of the recent 'tariffs news'. Skip to the "##" for Gear's news this week.
What is it?
"They" are talking and acting upon putting a higher tax upon lots of stuff that is made in China and then sold here. Clothing is not on the list, but things like steel & aluminum (raw) are. That means food in cans, drinks in cans and stuff that uses lots of metal like appliances and cars could be really expensive soon*. The other things on the list include shoes & toys. (Of course, there are many other items on the list too but for this blog purposes it's toys)
This is one of those things that has to continue for a while before it gets bad where you can actually see it and get affected by it personally. Unless you work in one of those areas like a person who makes steel widgets in America, then, it happens faster. So keep that in mind when people are saying "well its ok because nothing changed this week". It's not like some light switch gets flipped in the white house and suddenly a 6 dollar Sonic figure is 20 dollars in Target. The stuff that's already here (and there's loooads of it--probably more than you think) has to clear out first. Then, decisions have to get made of 'do we even bother making something' so it might not be 'expensive toy is too costly' but rather 'no toy at all because $$$'. If there's a chance the tariff could go away, companies might just wait, too.
*Aside: What about recycling? Shouldn't costs for steel/aluminum for food be ok because that's the thing everyone is told is so easy to recycle that basically everybody does it? I mean, it'd take a zillion pop-cans to make a car so you can see how that wouldn't work but if it's just the same cans being used over and over for the same thing shouldn't that make it more ok and let the price not raise? I have no actual answer to this.
Toys made in America?
No. Because the machines cost too much & the ones in China are already paid off. Nobody is going to buy a 40 dollar basic Barbie, they're just going to do without. No one's going to bother to set up big toy manufacturing here, and especially not on short notice for something that would take months to build then years to pay off.
So what's the outcome?
Is it no more toys for anyone?
Something like this never happened before and I am not an economist so I don't actually know enough to do a prediction. But the one thing to recommend is keeping a sharp eye, and being prepared & cautious about getting hyped for new toys...or really much from China. There's not a whole lot you can do about tariffs on other countries. The ONLY thing you can do though is vote for someone, or call your senator to ask to put the tariffs back to how they were before or work something else out.
Read more:
https://www.fatherly.com/news/american-toy-industry-freaking-trump-china-tariffs/
What's worse:
There's a TON of people in the USA that are basically alive because Chinese stuff is inexpensive. Think of everything in your own home that's made there RIGHT NOW. Go mentally looking through all your stuff. Then imagine if it didn't exist at all, or it cost 4 times as much. Would you still have it? Could you replace it if it broke? Everything from a laundry basket/hamper to a school bag, pencil box, your sneakers to a plastic plate or cup used every day at dinner. And I don't mean novelty character stuff like Sonic plates or that...I mean every-day utilities cups and things. If you think about people who don't have a lot of money because their job never gives them a raise, there will be trouble.
###
Gear News:
The SegaShop is having some kind of sweat shirt bonanza. But...I don't really approve.
Opinion Zone:
Their sweatshirts are so basic and boring. They're doing what bootleggers love to do which is take the most generic stock art they can find & just slap it on the most generic cheap clothing they can get their hands on and then mark it up for you. They are NOT DESIGNING anything. Look at the 6 they put up this week. Wow. Logos. Then remember what Bio World, ESPECIALLY Top Heavy, and even that blank brand where it just said "Sonic Sega" from the 2010s were doing with clothing. A real designer was making NEW COOL things out of stock art and more. There was actual effort going into making unique looking tees, sweats, and whatever else. This stuff can't even be bothered to have a slogan.
Item of the week:
Shadow Shoes.
This should also be 'mystery of the month'. These shoes already look better & more fitting than those dirty lint covered Puma things. But IS it the work of a secret Sonic fan under cover at Dolce & Gabbana? Or is something a zany coincidence of the century? But gee whiz a grand for a pair of shoes that's just outlandish. What if it rains? What if the tread wears down? Anybody would be too afraid to actually put the things on their feet.
Calendar of Crud:
Christmas spins off! Onto another page because the calendar page got too long. There are certain to be more of these ugly dolls out there. And as long as there are, SonicGear will be here to make fun of them.
Next week: More sweatshirts. Even if you didn't want them.
posted by AzureBlaze at 9:30 PM
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