Made-in-America Patriots

23 Jan 2013

The Made-in- America tag has taken the US by storm. More and more consumers are going by the tag for their consumption needs. In fact, the people are willing to pay up to 60% more for the product labeled in America. The sudden rise in patriotism – some call it jingoism – is driven by the bipartisan concern to keep all manufacturing jobs in America. There are no prizes for guessing who would be at the receiving end in such an economic upturn. It’s China that dumps goods in bulk cutting down the costs and making all manufacturing superfluous in respective countries.

Manufacturers are wondering how long the dream run for Made-in-America is going to run, wherein the consumers are willing to pay premium when there are Chinese goods available cheaper. Wal-Mart that sold $444b worth goods last year has also jumped into the bandwagon, trumpeting it would be sourcing $50b products only from America in next 10 years. Those in the know say it’s a small figure but it would be good if giant retailers help the movement.

A shoe manufacturer alleges foreign-made shoes lacked soul of America. In the Freudian slip, he may have actually meant sole, not only the underside but also something standing for single. Whatever it is, Made-in-America makes a mockery of capitalism, of which America is the best example. It’s better to say that Made-in-America defies the soul of capitalism.