This is funny in a very morbid way.

[superchunk]

yeah F Sony!

jk, in all reality all major electronic manufacturers are to blame since they should get involved on where their materials come from and how they are harnessed.

On top of that we the consumers should take a better stance on what are obviously bad business practices by companies.

Example, is it really wrong for Nike to have factories in countries where teens and maybe younger work? After all these kids may have all of the same pay and 'benefits' of the older workforce. If this is the case, why is it really wrong?

Now, in reality most of the time these tend to be more of 'sweat shops' where the kids are really worked far harder than anyone could possibly define as justified based on the relative differences in culture and location. (Obviosly a kid, even in the US, whose family has a farm does a lot more manual labor than a kid who doesn't)

I go to Mexico and I see 10 and 12 year olds bagging groceries and other basic jobs. Is that really a bad thing? No, I don't think it is. It allows that kid to help out the family in a desirable way while not being taken advantage of.

So, I guess I kinda of went off on a tangent, but, the point is we as a consumer should help these companies make the right decisions by our decisions on what to buy. I never really thought about where these core materials come from for my Wii, Cell phones, tv's, etc. However, I only buy from what I think of are respectable companies. I hope Nintendo takes a better interest on where its core materials come from. But, since their products, like nearly everyone else, are primarily built by 3rd parties I fear it is impossible to pick someone who only uses materials that are acquired in justifiable ways.

Really, our world should change its priorities from military and economic superiority and focus on humanity. But, that is something that will probably only come when we are on the verge of extinction from robots or aliens. :)