This is such a great subject! It is not at all unreasonable to be furious about the waste and other challenges of planned obsolesence. I'm a really old fart, and I remember the days when everybody drank their water from the tap and you had the same set of appliances forever. I don't know why, but I especially remember our blender. We had a Waring blender, with a jar made out of sturdy, beautifully corrugated glass, and once in a while my mom got the blades sharpened. She had that same blender from before I was born until after I moved away from home. I am mindful of how precariously close I am here in being one of those old people who rants on and on about "When I was your age we had to walk uphill in the snow both ways to get to school every day!" That being said, there is absolutely no practical reason other than sheer greed why the objects we rely on are so shoddy these days. Thank you for your writing, and being who you are in the world.
I really appreciate hearing this from older generations as a reminder how horrendous our linear economy is—I know I will be the same when I’m older about AI/technology because I already do that now, and though I’m only 31, folks often call me a “boomer.” I limit my usage online and do my writing and many activities by hand. I spent a lot of this summer archiving and organizing documents and I’m hoping to print some important writings of mine as I navigate away from Google / Microsoft almost impossibly. I am fortunate enough to work at a college with a large amount of printing money (anyone in the Twin Cities need something printed — hit me up!). Anyways—keep harping on old times. It’s how we will build a better future.
I share your simmering fury at planned obsolescence and especially at not being able to speak to an actual human when you call a company to resolve a problem they have caused.
Thank you for this piece - I share your frustration with the hyper-focus on short-term profits of a system the long-term effects of which are so obviously disastrous to anyone bothering to look. There is a similar phenomenon of narrow focus on only the effects for owners of capital, as opposed to effects on customers, the public more generally, workers, the environment, etc.
What struck me as I was reading this was how directly opposite to the preaching of capitalists and believers in meritocracy on individual behavior - the importance of delayed gratification for success (and how the failure to delay gratification is what makes poor people deserve to be poor). How ironic! We are lectured about the importance of delayed gratification as the epitome of human maturity by the very same people who are destroying our society and environment by operating their enterprises in ways that increasingly focus on short-term profit at the expense of all other possible values!
> I wasn’t helped by the fact that every PC company appears to have its own unique charger, or two, a delightful feature of this shoddy capitalist system
Thankfully, laptops and cell phones are transitioning to USB Type-C chargers, as required by the EU.
This is such a great subject! It is not at all unreasonable to be furious about the waste and other challenges of planned obsolesence. I'm a really old fart, and I remember the days when everybody drank their water from the tap and you had the same set of appliances forever. I don't know why, but I especially remember our blender. We had a Waring blender, with a jar made out of sturdy, beautifully corrugated glass, and once in a while my mom got the blades sharpened. She had that same blender from before I was born until after I moved away from home. I am mindful of how precariously close I am here in being one of those old people who rants on and on about "When I was your age we had to walk uphill in the snow both ways to get to school every day!" That being said, there is absolutely no practical reason other than sheer greed why the objects we rely on are so shoddy these days. Thank you for your writing, and being who you are in the world.
I really appreciate hearing this from older generations as a reminder how horrendous our linear economy is—I know I will be the same when I’m older about AI/technology because I already do that now, and though I’m only 31, folks often call me a “boomer.” I limit my usage online and do my writing and many activities by hand. I spent a lot of this summer archiving and organizing documents and I’m hoping to print some important writings of mine as I navigate away from Google / Microsoft almost impossibly. I am fortunate enough to work at a college with a large amount of printing money (anyone in the Twin Cities need something printed — hit me up!). Anyways—keep harping on old times. It’s how we will build a better future.
I'm subscribed but can I increase my monthly? Your writing keeps me sane as the bulk of our media continues to gaslight us with all the worst spin.
I share your simmering fury at planned obsolescence and especially at not being able to speak to an actual human when you call a company to resolve a problem they have caused.
🫶🏽🫶🏽
Charles Hugh Smith calls the Kafkaesque hellhole you described "shadow work". It's a great phrase.
https://charleshughsmith.substack.com/
I am with you, my friend. I drive a 21 year old car that I maintain myself (even learned to rebuild the engine). Enshittification is everywhere.
Thank you for this piece - I share your frustration with the hyper-focus on short-term profits of a system the long-term effects of which are so obviously disastrous to anyone bothering to look. There is a similar phenomenon of narrow focus on only the effects for owners of capital, as opposed to effects on customers, the public more generally, workers, the environment, etc.
What struck me as I was reading this was how directly opposite to the preaching of capitalists and believers in meritocracy on individual behavior - the importance of delayed gratification for success (and how the failure to delay gratification is what makes poor people deserve to be poor). How ironic! We are lectured about the importance of delayed gratification as the epitome of human maturity by the very same people who are destroying our society and environment by operating their enterprises in ways that increasingly focus on short-term profit at the expense of all other possible values!
My rage is blue. 💙
> I wasn’t helped by the fact that every PC company appears to have its own unique charger, or two, a delightful feature of this shoddy capitalist system
Thankfully, laptops and cell phones are transitioning to USB Type-C chargers, as required by the EU.
https://www.tomshardware.com/news/europe-to-force-laptop-makers-to-adopt-usb-c-for-charging
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/oct/26/iphone-usb-c-lightning-connectors-apple-eu-rules
Throw away society. Harmful to our way of life and the planet on which we live.