Trouble with that particular country.

Many people think that one way we common folk can punish the nation of China (not people of Chinese descent; don't be willfully stupid, Karen) is by refusing to buy things that are made in China. And I think that's probably a good idea. It's also not new; the "Buy American" campaign goes back at least forty-five and maybe sixty years, and probably was no evil right-wing nationalist plot originally but an evil left-wing unionist plot to support American manufacturing jobs by the unions.

Basically, it's an idea Americans have been promoting from different sides but for the same reason, to keep American money and jobs in the United States. In this case, no one is calling for a widespread boycott of anything made outside our country, but just things made from one particular country -- the tyrannical nation of China, unrepentant home of the COVID-19 death virus that has screwed over the world good and hard, and for all we know backer of traitorous American revolutionary groups. Not to mention a threat to our allies, a corrupter of our universities and entertainment and politics, a vicious spy in our international brotherhood mission, a maker of crappy medical equipment, the enemy of peaceful religion, thieves of intellectual property of all kinds, and democracy-resistant thugs with a terrible history of bigotry and cruelty outstripping the worst the United States can do by magnitudes of time and numbers.

Other than that, they're okay.

But I bring all this up to tell you I have failed.

I got desperate to cut my hair. I am sick of looking like a goofy middle-aged would-be Lothario in an early-70's sex comedy; the only thing I was missing was a cheap brown suit. For quite some time in the quarantine crisis there were no clippers available online, because I was far from the only guy in this condition. But I finally scored one.

Of course it was made in China. I don't know if it's possible to buy small electronics at this point that are not made in China. But just in case the package didn't tell me that (because Amazon did not), here's some handy customer inserts.

"Best wish"

"special cleaning mellow"

AAAIIEEEEEE

Their English is better than my Chinese, of course, but this still does little to inspire confidence with me. 

Funny how China caused this mess and is selling us tons of things to get through it, from haircutting tools to TVs to microwave ovens.

So today is haircut day, and I will let you know what happened. But don't expect photographs. My wife would kill me. On the other hand, if it looks good, and I can use it again, I'll make back what I spent with two or three haircuts. But my wife is still gonna kill me.