i am in possession of a DVR (digital voice recorder). for those of you who don't know what they are (and i didn't until i picked up the thing), it's a tiny little device, smaller than even the smallest cell phone, that enables you to record music and voice files. it's made mostly of cheap plastic and weighs in at maybe 2.5 oz. holding it in my hand, i know it is built to fall apart in 1-2 years.
remember when cd's first came out? everyone RAVED about them. they were built to last. last oh so much longer than records and tapes. what a joke. i have records and tapes from 20 plus years ago that still work better than cd's i bought in the 1990's. then came the dvd's. supposedly better than the cd's. another scam. i cannot tell you how often we rent one of these dvd's only to have them skip or pause or cause the picture to look as though it's melting on the screen.
my sister-in-law owns one of those kia's, another commodity that is consists of a lot of cheap plastic, another in a long line of cars that are no longer built to last. it's 2 years old. during a recent visit, we set out for a drive in her kia. honest to god, i feared the thing wouldn't hold the weight of 3 adults and 1 dog. absolute piece of shit. made so many squeaky noises. everything from the steering wheel to the dashboard to the door handles--piece of cheap ass plastic. poor dear--she's had nothing but troubles with this car ever since she bought it. but, as she said, it's a good thing she bought the extended warranty, which is laughable considering the car will likely fully expire before the warranty expires.
ah, the extended warranty. notice how popular that term has become? companies know their products are cheaply built, aren't designed to last the way they did in the "old days" (sigh.......). so they will charge you a small amount of money for their pieces of shit product, which will seem very attractive to the consumer. wow! lookit how CHEAP so many products are now! then company says for an extra $100 or so bucks, you can get the extended warranty. considering the throw-away society we live in, many americans would simply opt to throw away their product once it broke, died, etc. rather than go through the hassle of the warranty. in short, the companies win.
i LONG to pick up a picture frame and say "wow! now that is made from real wood. real silver!" i LONG to pick up an eletronic item and say "wow! this sure is heavy!" i LONG to test drive a car and see well-made parts. hell, i LONG to get inside of a car and know i could engage in a demolition derby and walk away with my car having only a few dents and scratches--the engine and all major components still in tact and ready to rock and roll............reminds me of a car accident we witnessed a few years ago. a guy driving an early 1990's honda smashed into the back end of a 1960's american made car (chrysler, chevy, don't remember the model--just one of those big boats, made when cars were built to perform and made to last and were heavy as hell). the guy's front end was munched up pretty good. the american made 'boat'? a long scratch and a minor 6" dent. THAT'S IT! i learned to drive on one of these "boats". i put her into a ditch on more than one occasion, drove (stupidly) drunk through some big pot holes and always returned her home in the same shape as when we left.
today, different story. plastic is found everywhere. lightweight, cheaply made plastic. (derived from oil of course.)
forgive me for sounding ignorant and perhaps naive and out-dated, but tv's and computers and phones and stereo and electronic equipment etc. etc. are SUPPOSED TO BE FRIGGING HEAVY. you know--built to last. 'tis why my spouse and i often shop at goodwill. not only are we saving items from going to the landfill, we have a good chance of buying an item that will last longer than their newer, supposedly 'more approved' counterparts.
i realize change is a constant. i'm not wanting to see a return to the big gas guzzling cars of the past or the huge stereo speakers and computers of the past. i think there can be a balance. a balance of a well-made product in a size that is suitable to the consumer AND to the environment. built to last.
built to last.............with the days of plastic upon us, that seems to be a thing of the past doesn't it?
2 comments:
Oh man, do I ever agree. Short list of DOA products for me - crap right out of the box - computers(2), phones(3), pistols(3), DVD player, A BRAND NEW AIRSTREAM! A VCR literally blew up and caught fire, clothes marked the wrong size, pens wouldn't write, total electric failure in a two month old car, software with fatal errors, junk, junk, junk.
My favorite was a new $450 revolver that fired, oh 20 times then froze up into an immovable brick. I swear there is a higher percentage of disappointing catastrophes than there's satisfaction with product purchases.
saturday night live ought to do a piece about this "made in china" mantra......they can call it "crap-in-the-box" with some little asian-looking person jumping out like a 'jack-in-the-box'....they could really go far with this one to make a point.......have the asian person looking ragged and worn out from the pittance of a wage these poor folks receive, the long hours, etc. etc.......
a revolver that stopped firing??? wow that IS odd! we're really in trouble if they're making firearms with cheap parts!
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