Made in USA

My main speakers are Klipsch Heresy IV, of their Heritage series: USA

My older speakers, now amazing people in the living room are Epi (Epicure): USA

My main amp is Marantz Ruby: Japan

My amp with my older speakers in the living room, also Marantz - nr1200, but I believe assembled in Malaysia (?)

It's not wrong to support the U.S.A and its allies... at least here we have the freedom to disagree... and the freedom to ask questions.

Boycotting or even sanctioning countries - or certain people - is legit practice.

I won't be calling out names here on this forum, but some of the naivete and juvenilia being spouted on this forum is astonishing.

@stuartbmw3 +1

@bigkidz 

"My company manufacturers tube audio components in the USA.  My partner is Chinese so I guess our products are made in the USA by a Chinese man!"

Is your partner an American citizen?  If so, it's made in the USA by an American.

What Zinn fails to take into account adequately is the gradually rising levels of prosperity, and longevity, for the average American citizen and the benefits that other countries too have achieved by constructive partnering w the U.S. ...  Why would he?  He'd have to then acknowledge the superiority of capitalism over his obvious Marxist bent.

Note that his book is not widely assigned in even the predominantly left-leaning institutions of "higher learning"... and it's also finally being acknowledged that Marx himself made up "fictional historical facts," for lack of better term - including a bizarre fantasy of how great life was in the Eden of some non-existent fictional perfect barter system before the greedy rise of private property - to fit his ever-changing theories, rather than making the theories fit the facts, which is ironic because Marx claimed to be offering a "scientific" look at economic history.  Nevertheless, Marx, like Zinn, is a stimulating and provocative writer, and worthy of being read at least for the challenges laid down.

Zinn did write a good book though, and food for thought.  Does remind one of the nastiness and brutality of which the human race is capable.  Met him once.  

as for longevity, Zinn's book came out by 1980, which is when your chart starts.  The period that he covers, longevity had a steady upwards rise.  And, even with your chart, "comparable countries" also would be capitalist countries... and yes Sweden is a capitalist country.   That U.S. longevity has dipped recently, that's only recently and is no indication of the long-term trend.

As far as those particular Marxists are concerned, they characterize, reading the article, that Zinn claims economic exploitation as some sort of "happy accident," which he certainly does not claim.  

Zinn is not a "pure" Marxist - which actually is impossible to define, as Marx himself constantly shifts about throughout his writing career, an uncomfortable fact that many avowed "Marxists" avoid - and I did not claim he was one; but he does have the Marxist bent and is not a fan of capitalism (though I'm sure he enjoyed the royalties from the marketing and sale of his book...).

"A member of the Communist Party USA at the time when Stalin was enslaving half of Europe, Zinn ignored that colonialism as he focused A People’s History of the United States on the supposed horrors in American history from Columbus onward..."  Architects of Woke: Howard Zinn, Hollywood, & the Fairy Tale of American Evil

@noske  Far from being Marx's "magnum opus" as it is sometimes portrayed, Das Kapital was cobbled together by Engels from Marx's strewn notes and journals and does not have the coherence nor the provocative effect of Marx's, and Engels', earlier writings, however flawed those writings may be.   The Marx-Engels Reader, ed. Tucker, is a better overview.  But, it is amazing that you persevered to read all three volumes of DK... yep, that'd be a heavy trudge! 

@grislybutter it's a good point... workers as owners

In capitalistic corporate America, and indeed any capitalistic or semi-capitalistic country that allows private ownership shares, the workers can be owners... it's called stock.  

Gradually one can "change the family tree" by gradually becoming owner.  One can be part owner of thousands of companies domestic and international, via mutual funds like a total stock market index fund, and can be lender to many companies and governments as well, via bond-market mutual funds.  Capital doesn't have to be large; it can come in the form of small steady persistent streams invested over a long period of time.... instead of sipping on cups of Starbucks, how about dripping that money into ownership of Starbucks instead?

The opportunity for ownership is there... but action to meet the opportunity depends on the individual.  So, I own a bit of Sound United itself, for example, in addition to my Marantz amps.  

good discussion overall and topic with a legitimate question to ponder!  thanks to OP

@ghasley "its never been in fashion for educators to present opposite sides of a given topic"

hmm... guess it depends on the quality of the teachers you have.  I haven't had the displeasure to struggle w one-sided profs or teachers; generally they did present various perspectives, though with some unfortunate exceptions. 

I started learning about Darwin in junior high school, when it was still called junior high school instead of "middle school,"  ... in Oklahoma.  My schooling in evolution continued throughout high school in Minnesota, as did my introduction to Kent State (where I ended up attending as one of my graduate schools) and intro to Marx.  Maybe I've been lucky... but I've been to a lot of schools in multiple locations both in this country and abroad.  It's been the rare teacher who was adamantly one-sided. 

 "never" is a big word, as is "fashion"... 

true, a friend of mine who immigrated to U.S. from China was required to take multiple courses in "Maoist Principles" ... I wasn't there, but my guess is that your statement would apply, since my friend has since had to learn about American alternatives

@stebut  +1