You’ve heard the phrase, “They just don’t make these things like they used to.” My parents’ generation used to say it a lot. I’ve said it once in awhile. I don’t know if the next generation or two even has the expectation that things will last.
I remember occasionally visiting an aunt and uncle who had a working refrigerator that was so old, the latch mechanism on the door handle had not been legal for decades. That fridge lasted until at least the mid-1990s. My aunt and uncle are gone now, so I contacted a cousin to get some info. I asked if he knew when that fridge had been manufactured. His answer was quick. “1953” He said, “I know because that’s the year I was born.” Some of you might still remember when washers, dryers, and refrigerators lasted for decades. That kind of durability is not so common anymore.
As I thought about this, I wondered how our expectations have changed. I looked up a definition for durable goods, those tangible items like cars and appliances that are expected to be of use for a good long time. The current definition says that amount of time is about three years. Some sources say two years. That doesn’t seem like a long time to me. Of course, I grew up on a farm, raised by parents who lived through the great depression. Dad welded farm equipment back together. Mom sewed and patched clothing all the time. Today, I think we have grown accustomed to things wearing out or breaking with greater frequency. We are accustomed to replacing things. I believe there is a sister concept to durable goods, and that concept is called planned obsolescence.
I first started understanding the concept of planned obsolescence in the late 1970s. My brother had a technical certification in radio and television repair and went directly into the Navy in the early 1970s. After his service, he came back to his hometown and opened a radio and tv repair shop. It didn’t take long for him to know every tv in a tri-county region.
Within five years though, a brand new 24/7 chain store opened in the large city a hundred miles away. He closed his shop shortly after that. That seemed to be the beginning of the trend when people started to choose getting new “durable goods” rather than repairing the old. The items were less expensive. They broke down more easily, and there was always a newer and presumably better model. The new models were created with the intent to break down.
Today, we know that all sorts of devices have ways of letting us know they are near the end. The Smart Watch battery doesn’t hold a charge. The electronic device operating system and “apps” won’t run on an older device. Sometimes, it is a matter of function. Sometimes, it is a new design that appeals to us.
Apparently, the concept of intentional planned obsolescence began in the 1920s (only about a hundred years ago) when light bulb manufacturers figured out they could sell more bulbs if they designed them to burn out. You can’t blame manufacturers or retailers for wanting to sell more. And yet, who and what drives the ethics behind all these decisions.
I think today, the line is blurring between planned obsolescence and the assumption that the world around us is all dispensable, expendable, or disposable. Think about all the things you see and touch and experience in a day. It isn’t just manufactured items that people start thinking of as expendable. When we read about irreplaceable natural resources being destroyed, do our minds just apply the principles of planned obsolescence? For example, there is a renewed effort to allow the mining of copper in the Boundary Waters, one of the most pristine water and wilderness areas in the world. Non-renewable natural resources cannot defend themselves. Once they are gone, they are gone forever. We get one planet. Even if you think, like some, that ours is the last generation that will need it, what happens if you are wrong about that? Maybe it would be good to anticipate that there might just be a third, fourth, or seventh generation that will come after us. Will we leave the earth better for them? “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” is not some “woke mantra” – it is about the type of future we will leave for ourselves and the planet. As consumers, we always have more options than we think.
I propose that there is something we can do. What if we spent just a little time every day intentionally appreciating what we have and anticipating who and what will follow us when we are gone. Will we have left our planet even just a little better than we found it?
Rev. Dr. Pam Marolla is a longtime fan of public radio. She serves as pastor at First Lutheran Church in Galesburg and loves to be able to share the wonderful acoustics with the wider community. She plays horn with Knox Galesburg Symphony and other groups and to sings with Galesburg Community Chorus.
The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of Tri States Public Radio or its license-holder, Western Illinois University.
Diverse viewpoints are welcomed and encouraged.