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The Planned Obsolescence of America
Submitted By Tom Chatham
Planned obsolescence is the act of designing something to become obsolete or self destruct at a certain point in the future for the purpose of replacing it with something else. We see this with many of the things we use today, especially appliances, home furnishings and technology. We are expected to upgrade at regular intervals to keep up with the times.
It was not always this way. In the past many things were built to last, in some cases for many generations. There are many homes in the world that were built centuries ago and are as functional today as the day they were built. There are appliances built almost a century ago that still do what they were designed to do. There are cars and tools that are decades old that still function as intended.
Many of the items that were built in the past were overbuilt and as a result maintain their function. They were built at a time when society demanded and expected the things they used to last a lifetime. Many items were built to be repaired many times in their functional life extending their usefulness and making them a good value to the owners. At some point, that mantra changed.
As society grew some people realized that they could sell many more items in the future if the products they built only lasted a short while and required replacement. During the 20th century industrialization ran head on into planned obsolescence. Things could be made cheaper and profit margins would expand.
This can be seen in society today in the many things we use. Granted, technology is constantly improving making some things less useful but many of the things we use still work as they always did. Homes used to be built of solid timbers making them last hundreds of years. Today the standard building materials are cheap imitations of that bygone era and modern construction is not expected to last for more than a generation as old buildings are torn down to make way for new and improved designs and tastes.
Society has been conditioned to want and expect change. How many times have you seen mobs outside a store waiting for the release of a new product. They wait to buy a replacement for things that still work fine but are not new enough. They tear down old buildings made of brick and mortar and replace it with one made of tin and particle board. They are on a constant quest to replace the old with the new.
There is a good case to be made for maintaining the old. Once it is built or purchased you do not need to spend money replacing it. The simple act of maintenance and repair will allow you to spend future monies on other necessities. There are some in society that live by the broken window theory. They believe that a broken window is good for society. If a shopkeeper gets a broken window it will force him to spend money to fix it. The window maker makes money. The window seller makes money. The window installer makes money. What they do not understand is that this creative destruction does not allow society to increase its wealth. It is like paying a man to dig holes and another to fill them. You have not created anything new in the end.
When a person buys land and builds a good home on it, if that home is left to the next generation, they can add to it and use their newly earned money to increase their wealth. Over successive generations, the family can increase their wealth because it is the collective wealth of several generations that has amassed. If every generation has to start from scratch, they will only get so far. This is how many of the wealthy families in the world do it. The death taxes that many people are forced to pay when a relative dies is just one of the many ways the system is rigged against the individual. It is a way for the system to force the idea of planned obsolescence on people. It forces people to relinquish the old and start anew.
Planned obsolescence is not restricted to mere products anymore. It now also applies to nation states as well. The U.S. Constitution was made to last for all time. It was designed to adjust to changing culture and needs in society. For many years those in society that have no admiration for the past have sought to change our basic principles of self determination and replace it with planned societies. More and more in the past few years we have heard the chorus of those that profess the constitution is outdated and irrelevant in today’s society. They want us to move into the future. They want us to embrace their vision of what should be.
They want us to demolish the old brick and mortar building that has sheltered us for so long and replace it with a cheap new imitation. Just as our monetary system has evolved into something cheap and disposable, they want to move us away from the overbuilt constitutional structure that can be repaired and reused indefinitely and build a new structure that is cheap and disposable for easy replacement as the whims of society changes.
America is headed for planned obsolescence by a shortsighted, uneducated and careless society that values the enjoyment of cheap trinkets and quick fixes rather than the solid value of time tested products and customs. America is about to be changed forever and just like the older durable products that made their way to the landfills, America may someday find itself covered with dirt to be remembered only in history books.
Just like with our cars, houses, appliances and money, our current form of government that has provided us with prosperity, freedom and liberty for so long is now being engineered for premature destruction. The question is, will the people embrace the new version or will they fight to keep the older model a little longer. Only time will tell.
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Because Americans no longer believe in a future
I notice this especially when talking about anything that isn't right in front of younger people
They "turn off" because they grew up learning not to believe in any promises
So only immediate gratification matters to them.
The future need not go beyond the next stock pricing, certainly not beyond the next bonus calculation.
Heck, the modern economic and political ethos is pretty much having the same effect on the moral economy.
Women, sex and children are pretty much becoming transient and disposable.
Any warm, moist orifice will meet the contemporaneous needs of the ever more shallow culture and ultimate aims of the increasingly totalitarian state.
They made a documentary about just this several years ago. It's called "Idiocracy", check it out. Paints a pretty good picture of the future unless we do something about it.
The future????? Hell we're there now....1/2 the shows on TV are 'Ow My Balls!'
Plus 100 for Idiocracy as a documentary, and plus 10 for the Oh my balls reference...
Written in Windowsd XP...and I still have a functional DOS 6.1 486 to run an old game.
Let me guess.. Leisure Suit Larry?
Idiocracy was typical Hollywood misdirection.
Much more accurate: look up PATHOCRACY.
The thing I'm most amazed with is girls, who insist they (including young husband) OWN a home, because she does NOT want to be a low life renter. Yet, they borrow 98% of the money to buy a house that's already 20% overpriced. But...as long as it has a polished concrete countertop and vaulted ceilings they're good to go. Even if it was just stapled together.
In GB's defense, they've had a central bank(monetary pimp) longer.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bank_of_England
We just decoupled from 'honest money' in 1971. The older generations, in my family, were warning of this decline shortly after that decoupling. The state now subsidizes immorality with 'dishonest money'. When the dollar dies, people will immediately change their tune or, possibly, starve to death.
I'd love to participate in this discussion but I'm off to play video games and watch the Kardashians.
In a regime with compound interest on debt based money exponential growth of either economic activity or debt is a necessaity to keep it from collapsing. And planned obsolescence therefore is something GOOD in this most evil capitalistic regime.
Mankind is extremely evil and egoistic enough. But Capitalism and it's hailed egoism turns mankind into hyper-destruction mode.
Additionally the sheeple in the Western world have been made to believe, that Capitalism was about competition. That's probably an even bigger lie than the claim compound interest based money and exponential growth was something good. Capitalism is about AVOIDING competition and building private oligopoly and private monopolys. This truth is not from me, but from someone who better knew Caitalism than any ZH-reader: John D. Rockefeller.
Btw, it's not even difficult to understand how these problems could be overcome besides the removal of this sick compound interest debt based monetary system.
For example:
Exorbitant taxes on products that are short lived. Braun produces the Oral-B without removeable accus? Fine. But this model receives a +100% taxation. A carmaker uses parts that do not hold 100.000 km while another carmaker builds his cars to last 1.000.000 km? Fine, the 1.000.000 km carmaker will pay no taxes and the 100.000 carmaker will pay so high taxes that his destruction of the environment for short sighted management bonuses and shareholder value will be more than eliminated. Apple wants to produce in China because there the environment can be destroyed at no costs? Cool. But then the producer who follows strict environmental policies and produces smartphones that will function at least for ten years, will pay no taxes - instead that Apple today pays 1% taxes.
Benefits for companies that produce products that last long. The longer, the higher the benefits.
Putting the economy from it's head back on it's feet would also mean:
Criminalization of current advertisements. Advertisements are not allowed to lie or to suggest anything the product does not do. But ads need to transport certain facts about the products. For example about their mean time to failure. The expected cost of repairs over ten years. The expected product lifetime.
Thanks to computers this would be extremely easy to calculate and administer.
But with Democracies? Never.
This may be the biggest morass of inanity I've ever seen.
Agreed. Mental mud, not even good enough to call sophistry.
Great arguments!
I guess the word TAX causes your Pawlowian reactions?
Headbanger: poignant comment, however, not sure what you mean by "promises".
Gen Y is entitled, perhaps the most entitled. Therefore, some de facto promise must had been made prior.
Confused.
Although like any generation, there are a substantial number of idiots, I actually believe that a greater proportion of the current generation of young people are starting to see through the bullshit. Remember this is the first generation that is somewhat emotionally removed from 9/11 as they were too young to really remember it. Looking at it now, it's easier for the younger generation to see that it's complete bullshit (although still a challenge when MSM tries to indoctrinate them).
I truly believe that the slow demise of the USA as evidenced by international partners and community turning their backs on USA militarily and financially is due in large part to the complete bullshit event that was 9/11. A substantial number of people outside of the USA (never mind inside) know that it was bullshit. And the whole "You're with us or against us" ultimatum which worked in the immediate aftermath of 9/11 is now coming back to bite America in the ass.
It's fucking over. They can't even get other countries to get behind them to start WWIII, except Canada, which also now, by proxy, has huge credibility issues on the world stage.
And Obama wants to re-assess the USA's relationship with Israel. Shit dude, that's all you got left. I suggest Obama stay away from grassy knolls.
Actually, other than the deepstate shit going on in Ukraine, Libya and all the other garbage. Two good moves by Obama are the negotiation with Iran, as opposed to all out war, and holding Israel accountable for its genocide of the native semetic people of Israel.
Now with the pivot away from Israel, that might be a small spot of light for us internationally. I hope it goes to the UN and Israel becomes a UN occupied state.
@philosopher's bone: I down-voted you because I think you're wrong and because young Americans are more isolated from the rest of the world now than ever they were in spite of 'technology building a better more communicated world'. If young Americans continue on their present path of absolute parochialism heaven help us.
How is college tuition not rising 5% annually, being able to pay for tuition only working the summer, and a whipsaw stock market with the greatest financial fuckery the world has ever known some how entitled? Gen Y is entitled, entitled to not tow this bullshit story Boomers crafted on LSD. Step back and reassess 1980 until now and think how it is Gen Y is entitled... You may have a come to jesus that Gen Y doesn't have shit for retirement and all you do is parrot Neil Cavuto about these youngsters and their entitlements. Fuck off.
Gen X is screwed.
All the Boomers get a trophy pension.
All the Y’ers get a free degree.
Gen X is to young for the free pension and too old for the free degree.
Frankly speaking all generations older than the youngest fucked generation is double fucked. Who's going to take care of them knowing how short sighted and selfish they were. Who's really the more entitled generation? It's a two way street. Something the old farts don't quit seem to grasp their wealth doesn't mean shit when the FED is at the helm. Whats worse than a generation of enablers exchanging their grandchildren's future for present day market manipulation. Got to give it to the boomers, they haven't known shit for so long its hurt everything they hold dear. Now they're flopping out of retirement wondering what the hell happened and want their jobs back. Ya'll fucked up when you voted Nixon and he screwed the keyensian sheep, he gave the world the finger leaving the gold peg behind. Now who's getting pegged?
Thanks to the internet, younger folks have a chance to educate themselves. The boomers, for the most part, are so f*cked up in the head they will never understand why they have to live in their kid's basement. It will always be someone else's fault.
we do not give a fuck, as there will never be a GEN Z.... whatever happen, will happen.
be rdy.
the young will seize the assets of the old in the revolution and survival of the fittest will prevail. dont get too cosy. it could happen anytime
Fuck you.
" revolution and survival of the fittest" ???
You little bitches can't do anything but whine.
That's a novel idea. /sarc/ Boomers have assets? They're debt slaves! When they lose their ability to work, they will be bankrupt, for the most part.
But even when I'm 90, I'll still be able to wipe the floor with a skinny jeans-wearing, Obama-loving faggot millenial.
Dallas:
By "promises" I mean such things as their parents staying together when they were growing up
Good jobs started to be outsourced over seas and fixed pensions vanished
Later on college degrees mattered less and less
Then there were the wars that never ended in the ME
And now they're bitterly disappointed in a lying farce president they elected who promised them Hope and Change!
And so on such that the younger generation learned to not trust in any promises of the future.
Hey Man, don't knock LSD,
I'm counting on my flashbacks to get me through medi-care. ;)
Buck-a-hit acid......those were the days.
(the plan is working perfectly...they really ARE blaming each other)
It's like the fucking monsters are due on maple street around here..jesus.. focus people.
wait.. who is gen Y again?
something about rewarding bad behavior also comes to mind....
It's the miracle of marketing, bullshit is fertilizer if properly marketed......
It all started with the 1000-hour lightbulb (or perhaps even before). Good watch, for those who haven't seen it: The Lightbulb Conspiracy
It may have started with Roe V Wade.
A sciences prof told our almost all male class that Roe V Wade was the wake the fuck up moment. Back then, I had a lot of free sex so I thought he was being a party pooper.
Takeaway the rights of a entire class of humans by government decree can lead to problems.
We are all disposable given the right Supreme Court at the wrong time.
Let the down votes rain.
No down votes? I thought I was opening up a can of Basil Faulty talking about the war.
Few acknowledge or recognize the damage done by abortion and "gay is OK".
The coup of '63 was the turning point into tyranny. See all the sh!t that came after. Not in order. Vietnam, War on Poverty, abandonment of the gold standard, Roe vs. Wade(Roe later said she was coerced), EPA, CRA of 1964, Equal Rights Amendment, No-Fault divorce, Supreme Court case Loving vs. Virginia, CIA drug running out of SE Asia, the supposed moon landing in 1969(yea, that's right, review Youtube NASA press conference of Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins, they were clearly uneasy about lying to the American public, not yet saying all subsequent landings were faked). I'm sure I'm missing a few big ones.
@daveO
"I'm sure I'm missing a few big ones."
Yeah, look at yourself in a mirror.
Well, I didn't down vote you for having an opinion.
But you've got to admit 'Takeaway the rights of an entire class of humans' as part of your argument is pretty funny.
I'm on warm milk and laxatiives.
Dried linden flower tea, called tilo around these parts, is also known as Cuban Prozac. A legal way to get through the day.
Regards --
What's funny about murdering unborn children?
Putting words is someone's mouth, then arguing the point is known as creating a strawman. It's a form of masturbation.
When I was in fourth grade, my parents were called to produce me in the parlor of the convent, before school principal Sister Prudentia and parish pastor Father Tobin, for standing up in class (and we did literally stand in those days) and questioning official church doctrine.
My mother agreed to a pennance of time spent for the Altar Rosary Society. I don't recall my father agreeing to anything, since he pointed out he had two paying students in the school.
My original question on doctrine was not answered, nor even broached.
Thus it was seen by me how four adults worked out a question of heresy.
Your father used wisdom and your mother exercised humility and 9 year olds are more incorrigible than heretical. Sadly, many role models fail to live according to God's wishes and we harden up to God at an early age. We are born vipers in diapers. I can't suffer a frivolous attitude toward abortion due to my personal responsibility in the matter. If thou shall not kill means anything it certainly applies to nascent life. I take my guilt and the grace of God in Jesus sacrifice with grave sobriety and gratitude . I hope you find the answer. Grace and peace to you in Jesus name.
'We are born vipers in diapers.'
Speak for yourself.
How can you judge an unframed question as incorrigible? The answer is, that you judge. I suggest you meditate on humility.
The entire question raised by Roe v. Wade would be rendered moot by now, if given 40-some years of birth control.
So, where you been, pal? Why are there so many children living in poverty, with your oh-so-delicate, personal responsibility towards nascent life? Still foisting all social opprobrium and financial burden of the issue of sex onto one party of the deed?
Lese majeste is creating God in man's image and likeness, and buddy, I ain't buying. Do unto others as you would have done unto you, and cut the shit.
Impress me. Get off your cut-and-paste ass and help make a difference, instead of posting vapid aplogistics.
But I suspect you'll just go wave your hands around in church, so you can be seen doing good.
The self-righteousness is strong in this one.
No sense in mentioning post-abortion depression. Why would anyone be depressed about aborting a puppy? And see how we've progressed. Even the fresh, clean Preezy Pres believes in infanticide.
FORWARD SOVIET!
Eugenics awaits, Obamacare will deliver.
Al Sharpton summed up the article nicely: "...but resist we much… we must… and we will much… about… that… be committed.” <puffs chest out and stares into space as applause floods in>
(Note that that is a precise quote. No words were deleted, replaced with "...")
Obsolescence.
Nice pic of an old Ford blue tractor
1976 Ford 3600. Gas (wish it was diesel).
Someone doesn't like blue Ford tractors?
wasn't me..but I'm thinkin some people like red or green when it comes to tractors.
Your is nice though.
or orange
How do you talk to younger people about their future when they know the present stewards of it ruined it for them before they were born?
It is one construct in full application. YET, the sections of people that are seeing through these levels of "crap". Well, some are looking around and seeing others that are questioning as well.
Either way. Well stated Headbanger.
Cheers,
It is hard for the young to embrace a future that is a boot stomping on a human face.
What is needed is to have them realize that they, we, can cut off the foot in the boot.
The banksters need to repay us.
Separate the foot from the boot, and tyranny withers.
Separate the head of tryanny from the collective body by guillotine and tyranny does not wither, but dies.
Because Americans no longer believe in a future - you can include most ZHers in that statement with all their doom and gloom pesimism and fear of the black helicopters and FEMA camps
Vapid and cute are American ideals for the majority of the population.
What the fuck is this, "obvious day" at ZH, give us something we can trade already...
Go long paper shredders.
Please tell me to fuck off gently.
OK
Fuck off gently.
How's that?
I was expecting...
Fuck off gently, asshat.
I'm going to Zanzibars later. Want anything?
But you did not request to be called an asshat.
Sorry that yer expectations thar 'ere spoiled.
Buy paper silver four hours ago.
LOL! been doing that for about a week...
and paper platinum 2 days ago
Should I take delivery of the paper?
If you want an indication of how fucked up things are, come here. If you want something tradable, go to the FOMC report.
Look at Naturally Splendid.
BTFD. If there is no dip, BTFAH.
That's it mate.
;0
There is plenty of "education" in the U.S. The problem is that the government school "education" is most often incorrect, about promoting politically correct types of sexual behavior, or similar. Reading, writing, and arithmetic have gone by the wayside.
We are educated beyond our intelligence. We have very little wisdom.
A lack of wisdom coupled with high intellegence is a very dangerous mix.
This is precisely the point why we are in trouble because a clever man attempts to solve a problem whereas a wise man will avoid the problem.
something about rewarding bad behavior also comes to mind...
Helping my daughter with her schoolwork requires TWICE the work on my part...
1.) To help her come to the answers/conclusions that they want her to come up with
2.) To teach her the truth
That's the burden of challenging the status quo, I guess....
Home school and double down on truth. Problem solved.
We aren't educated to be intelligent. We don't learn to think critically, anymore. We are coddled and sheltered to the extent that we are utterly disconnected from the reality of our world, and if it ever tries to confront us we use that to argue for more coddling and protection.
What exactly is "wisdom"? Principles from your traditions / distant past? Principles from your religion? Principles from a more personal source that you happen to deem the best and think would be the best for everyone else as well? No thanks.
If you want to fix education, you have to reverse the trend of making life easier and taking pity on everyone and everything. Simple as that.
The majority may be stupider than ever, but that affords the minority to become smarter than ever (if only because they're so restricted by the majority).
One of the first things that intelligent people need to learn is to stop thinking of themselves as victims. Looking for pity is a waste of time and an ignoble behavior. The best person to solve your problems is yourself.
Most on ZH don't seem to have learned that yet. Too many congregate here to moan among each other and complain about their miseries. It's pathetic.
If you want to fix education, you have to reverse the trend of making life easier and taking pity on everyone and everything. Simple as that.
The majority may be stupider than ever, but that affords the minority to become smarter than ever (if only because they're so restricted by the majority).
One of the first things that intelligent people need to learn is to stop thinking of themselves as victims. Looking for pity is a waste of time and an ignoble behavior. The best person to solve your problems is yourself.
BULLSEYE!
We're not "educating" anyone in our system .... but "indoctrination" is turned up to 11.
I am more than aware of this and it's quite a cultural disgrace.
Greed is good??
Not so much...It will end up destroying so much.
That's the whole problem GREED! If products were made to last like they used to be, there wouldn't be so many wasted resources and landfills overflowing.
The problem is, that a system that benefits the parasites the most, is destroying from head to the bottom the whole society.
First it was only Wall Street. Then the money trust got congress. Then the parasites took control over the companies producing goods. The greed to increase profits: even the meaning of the engineer was perverted. The old form: what ever is produced, should last - in the best case - forever. The new engineer: it should NOT last. Today's doctors the same. Not healthy, but sick people are the goal, they are good for the business.
Honor has been replaced by making profit. CAPITALISM.
This poison in the meanwhile has sunken into every cell of most human societies.
well said!
The new and improved iPad is do out soon. It does the same as the old iPad only now it bends. I'm so fucking excited I just peed my pants.
Buddy you might onto something there. An iPad that is flexible enough to wipe your ass with in an emergency.
What will it taste like?
"I'm so fucking excited I just peed my pants."
@Dr. Engali, so did your credit card company...
You have been always da man but can u imagine how cool u will look with Nikes and a flexible iPad?
One cannot say, the Gorilla Glass makers were not spot on:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaMxy6FF4Lk
New EO to ban Duct Tape, bailing wire, garage sales.
That should fix the fixers.
If Duct tape doesn't fix the problem you aren't using enough Duct tape.
Ah hah! The good olde progressive Mr Fix-It-All.... MOAR
Superglue
Funny story my dad told me: He saw an old Navajo come sputtering into town in an old carbureted car once. Turns out that the guy was out in the middle of the rez and his fuel pump went out. He got into town by siphoning gas from the tank into an old glass coke bottle, stuffing a rag into the bottle to act as a wick, then using bailing wire and duct tape to secure it over his carburetor so that it would drip into it. Thus, he sputtered into town.
"America is headed for planned obsolescence by a shortsighted, uneducated and careless society that values the enjoyment of cheap trinkets and quick fixes rather than the solid value of time tested products and customs"
WRONG!! It is headed there by willful leadership seeking it's destruction, not a careless society (though they must shoulder some guilt). I agree with many points in the article, however people who would so carelessy use "group think" crap language, implicating an entire nation, are suspect, dangerous, and probably on someones payroll.
Nailhead.
I would add there is some chicken-egg confusion here in this clumsy article. Just go out and try and find even a well made, built to last, hand can opener.
That said, ignorant, yet hilarious generalizations about "stupid", "fat", "lazy", "unsophisticated" Americans is quite popular among some of the dimmer bulbs here on ZH
People get the government they deserve.
Cloward Pivin? One of two things comes to mind: Either we have been sold out by short term quarterly profits where it was cheaper to order foreign parts than use American or the central planners planned our demise.
Ans: Yes
That willful leadership was elected by many of those in society, though not everyone, and they continue to support that leadership even when their destructive ways are apparent because their chosen team can do no wrong. Hubris and stupidity.
mindless debt backed consumption of disposable chinese products is patriotic
our current form of government that has provided us with prosperity, freedom and liberty for so long
Your freedom and liberty started dying when the CIA blew out Kennedy's brain into a thousand pieces even as Kennedy had promised to shatter the CIA into a thousand pieces and scatter it to the winds.
False flag 9/11, the Patriot Act, NDAA, Obama's droning of US citizens without trial, eternal expensive war against manufactured terror and infinite NSA spying are all fine examples of government enhancing your prosperity, freedom and liberty. We blew $6 trillion on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan for what? 4000% increase in heroin production in Afghanistan?
A Deep State has been running the land of the free for decades now. What has become obsolete is your opinion and your welfare and your liberties.
Sorry to disrupt your illusions, but I recommend to take a look, who was in the Warren Comission with it's magic bullet nonsense. The same figures twenty years earlier were producing things like the Buchenwald-camp movie (Youtube search: buchenwald dumb portrayal of evil).
It probably has been going on for quite some time and Kennedy, Holocaust, 9/11, Iraq's WMDs, the Lusitania, Golf of Tonkin, Pearl Harbour are just well known milestones. But who knows, for how long these forces have shaped history from behind the scenes torwards their goal of a one World Government?
There used to be such a thing as "Americans". Now we're just a balkanized mess of sub-groups each trying to get more rights than the other. When the common culture was thrown out for multi-culturalism it wass game over.
Nice knowing ya' USA
I see your point, ShorTed, but the good old days weren't always good. However, unlike the Billy Joel lyric, tomorrow IS as bad as it seems.
We were all taught about built in obselescence in school but the reality is that as a society we experienced built in boredom. That is, before an item became obsolete due to breakdown we found ourselves discarding perfectly functional items simply because a new colour, a new shape or new style came onto the market which we all fell compelled to buy.
I am not sure in the case of America that it will become obsolete. It is in danger however of becoming irrelevant if the world abandons its currency, its constant call for war or sanctions. This in turn may prove to be a turning point as America once more returns to real innovation in manufacturing rather than in finance.
Fsa.
I remember being 10 years old (mid 70's) and my mother telling me that 'credit cards' would destroy America. At the time I didn't understand but in retrospect I realize that I am truly impressed that she saw it coming; she doesn't follow economic issues but she was brought up 'old school' where you never wasted anything, never let anyone pay for something you needed and always paid cash for what you needed.
These values are long gone in today's society. Sure I follow them, but not many others do.
Sorry whichever Tyler this happens to be. Love ZH, and in general agree with the article, but please don't pre-frame me with bad analogy (the planned obsolescence of product and the insatiable appetite for 'new' are correlated, but as we know, causation and correlation...) without any real analysis (claim made RE broken windows, extrapolated to entire market) only to tie back into a major issue, which isn't relevant to the beginning (it IS relevant, but not tied back in properly). Don't hit me with filler Cuz it's getting late in (Myanmar of all places. Why am I here?) and I am a bit tipsy, and I don't want my market news/world interpretation like soft porn.
Love you all, thanks for the soapbox.
My twelve year old computer runs my company operations every bit is well as my brand new, high priced Xeon powered Mac Pro. I haven't seen productive gains that, for at least in my case, give me any measureable additional returns on my investment that went to my bottom line. Another words, I wasted my money on something I really didn't need. But one other thing to consider is that the star we call the Sun is still in its main sequence, and if we want to look ahead further than the next election, we have to realize humanity will be (or could be, with any luck and without a nuclear war) on this planet for another few hundred million years, barring some unforeseen natural disaster. If we continue to consume as we do, and population continues to increase, what do you suppose the chances are that we will have abundant resources to keep doing this in just a hundred years from now? Even just 30 years from now? What will our natural resource stockpile look like in a million years?
A Nation without GOD will bring obsolescence.
And hell on earth.
There is no Magic Sky Daddy.
Only fools say in their hearts, "There is no God." They are corrupt, and their actions are evil; not one of them does good! - Psalm 14:1
It is one's right not to believe. But there are many who instead worship celebrities and politicians.
As an atheist, I've found most churches and synogouges to be nothing more than human secularist shops for Leftist ideology. They teach little about about responsibility to their families and themselves.
a nation w/o the god you're using today would bring peace.
your's obsoletes people. think about it.
Because the US has been been sold out.
Just issue EBT cards, Social Security Disability, provide them with American Idol, sports, the Kardasians and they'll be content while their country is taken away and their wealth stolen.
"America is headed for planned obsolescence by a shortsighted, uneducated and careless society that values the enjoyment of cheap trinkets and quick fixes rather than the solid value of time tested products and customs. "
Put your foot down, America! Stop letting the broads guide what is important...
Ridiculous feminization of our society is indeed a cornerstone of our societal problems.
Cowardly, morally equivalent, non-judgmentalism being one of the others.
"Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter" - Isaiah 5:20
it's all the hormones you're eating in the processed foods. chk it out.
The dreams of my father . . .
Hey Righteous Dude... Pretty sure GOD has held back progress at almost every point in history...
Watch the movie "Idiocracy". It's all in the introduction.
Don't worry Joe will come, and I will hire him because he's the smartest fucking dude in the planet.
I started driving in 1972 -
Cars built today last much longer than anything built back then.
It use to be when a car hit 100K it was WOW that is a lot of miles -
To get to 100K you had a dozen tune ups - replaced plugs, points & rotor and would have done 30 oil changes and replaced your coolant 3x and your transmission fluid 4X.
Today - no tune up - 10 oil changes and one coolant & transmission fluid change.
Plus the cars built today get 30+ MPG - and are built so much safer.
BTW - the reason no one get a washer or dryer fixed is because the service call to have a guy come out is hundreds of dollars - by the time they replace the part that broke the bill will be $300+.
A new one will cost $450 -
You spend 300/450 = 66% the cost of a new one to fix the old one?
When my mom bought her first "automatic" washing machine it cost MORE than a new one does now in nominal dollars - and many times more if you adjust for inflation.
You when it broke the cost to have a guy come out and fix it was less than $50.
So 45/450 = 10%
Most people would pay 10% to fix the old one.
All good points.
People complain about processed foods too. Look around. People routinely live to 80 and beyond. 100 years ago, not so much.
JesusC, are you advocating there is no negative effect from consuming processed food? Lets leave science out of this and just use common sense, you are wrong.
Avg lifespan in the US is declining. For factors other than diet, but the same is said about 100 years ago.
What the processed food industry has done is make people dependent in yet another area of life. Can't cook or bake beyond pre packaged products, and provides another layer of ignorance and distance beetween people and food sources. Who is at fault as of today for cartels in all manner of modern life? It is us, because it takes thinking, working, and even a bit more money to resist, and only a tiny few are willing, if they even are aware.
Baaaahhhh. That's a bunch of baloney
But perhaps not healthier. Much of the life expectancy (from birth) improvement is improved sanitation and much lower infant mortality. Life expectancy at 65 has seen a little improvement over the last few decades; the medical industry has sharpened its skills in keeping people alive.
all-priced-in: "I started driving in 1972 - Cars built today last much longer than anything built back then."
I don't agree. Take a 70 Chevelle for instance. You can still buy virtually anything you need for that car today, new or used 42 years later.
Now take a 2014 Camaro. What parts (electronic or not) will be available for that car 42 years from now to keep it running? None.
I can't even buy a factory wiring harness for my 99 Dodge Ram TD which is barely broken in with 250K on the clock.
Even the earlier 12 valve Cummins trucks have 4 factory rebore kits available. They're not throw aways...
I purchased a 69 Chevelle SS396 in 1975 - I was a Jr in high school.
The 68-72 Chevelle is sort of a classic from the muscle car era - not really a good example - and the reason you can still get parts.
My 69 Chevelle got 8 MPG in city driving and 10 MPG on the highway - IIRC 375 HP (gross) - and already needed a complete engine overhaul when it hit 60K (some of the miles were hard miles but still)
Today some of the fucking 4 banger ricers would leave my "super fast" for the day Chevelle in the dust.
BTW - one reason the Chevelle is a classic & worth BIG $$$ (the 69 I bought for $1,400 and sold 5 years later for $700 would - if restored be worth $50K+) -- many were produced - they were popular - but most of them are long since turned into scrap metal -
BTW-II - the parts you buy for a 70 Chevelle today are NOT FACTORY parts either - they are after market reproductions. I bet you can find an after market wiring harness for your Dodge. Plus how many pick up trucks built back in 1970 were "barely broken in" when they had 250K miles on them? NONE. Most of them would have been considered worn out and not worth keeping by the time they had 150K miles.
I will say that the oldies didn't last as long, but goddamn you could fix em with bailing wire and duct tape on the side of the road, literally. If you TH350 or C4 failed, you could score a used one for $200 or get a complete rebuild for >$500 usually.
The new ones are mostly equipped with overly engineered automatic transmissions that in my estimation are ticking time bombs.
Case in point: 2006 VW Beetle TDI... 98k on the clock... if the DSG trans goes (it's acting funny) it's a $5k repair bill which is more than the book value of the car; or I try to find a MT version wrecked, and pull the complete trans and clutch system from it.
Honestly, if the DSG shits the bed, it's going to the goddamn scrapyard minus the TDI engine.
OTOH I have a 2005 Jetta TDI wagon 5 M/T -- 191k on it, not a single issue with drivetrain -- clutch still fine.
If you want to know why the new cars all have POS CVT (like your old 3hp minibike -what a shitty concept for a car) or 8-9 speed auto trans in them. When those cars are 6-8 years old, and those ATs fail, the repair cost, like my Beetle, will exceed the value of the car.
At the new car lot, a typical salesman will look at you like you have 3 heads if you ask for M/T and say 'nobody wants M/. Goddamnit I want one. because they last and I can replace a clutch but don't want to get a 2 year training course to rebuild a DSG.
There's your planned obsolense (not to mention cheap Chinese capacitors installed in most modern electronics that fail regularly). A microcosm of America. And that planned obsolescence has been done for maximum profit and supported by both traitorious wings of 'our' government.
America? FUCK YEAH!
STOP whoring for Wall Street!
http://www.showrealhist.com/yTRIAL.html
http://patrick.net/?p=1223928
Does anyone believe that any of this is by accident? This was PLANNED for a long time, and has been executed to near perfection. The description of a man digging holes and another one filling them is EXACTLY the kind of nonsense that Keynesian economists state will "stimulate the economy". How? Well, the two people get paid for their (meaningless) work, they buy things, etc. The PROBLEM with the theory is that the money must come from the government, who must TAKE it from others to pay the two diggers--kind of like taking money from one pocket and putting it in the other, less a fee for handling, of course. The planned obsolescence economy works well for a time, but eventually it becomes apparent that it won't last--and we're at that stage.
Been planned since the Ponzi Economy was created. Only way to stay in business unfortunately is planned obsolescence within the Ponzi Economy. Back in yonder ol' days people could save their money and demanded quality. Devo. Simple math really.
planned obsolescence goes hand in hand with a dying debt-based fiat currency(FRN)........IOW it is a symptom of debt-money
America is headed for planned obsolescence by a shortsighted, uneducated and careless society that values the enjoyment of cheap trinkets and quick fixes rather than the solid value of time tested products and customs.
Headed? I would say we are already there.
(The movie Idiocracy comes to mind).
Inquiring minds want to know what to do about it.
We're tumbling into a deeper defaltionary depression so I suspect it will get much much worse.
Just unplugged the digital clock/radio after bringing home our new fancy wind up clock....symbolic of our drive toward succession from Unicorn Amerika.
The people who have planned the obsolescence of the USA and of the white race are not uneducated; they are rather highly educated at our major brainwashing institutions. The products of these institutions have lost all ability to criticize the propaganda produced by the chosen tribe, who now run our country.