- This topic has 444 replies, 24 voices, and was last updated 8 years, 11 months ago by
scaredyclassic.
-
AuthorPosts
-
June 21, 2015 at 4:40 PM #787392June 21, 2015 at 5:31 PM #787395
CA renter
Participant[quote=FlyerInHi]I don’t think it’s planned obsolescence as much as technological advancement that comoditize things.
Take granite countertops. It used to be that only the richest could afford them. But now people don’t think twice about remodeling. You’ll probably remodel you house several times.
Plus there is culture that makes us desire new things.[/quote]
Yes, it’s planned obsolescence; those “advancements” you’re referring to are usually superficial tweaks to an already existing technology that are designed specifically to get the sheeple lined up to buy more, more, more. It is incredibly wasteful and polluting.
Why do you think that granite countertops are an improvement? Most of us lived with Formica or tile countertops for decades, and are none the worse for it.
This “culture” you speak of is manufactured, and it’s one of the biggest environmental problems in our society. Everything should be made to last as long as possible. If we did this, I’m willing to bet that we could cut our pollution going forward by at least 30%, and probably closer to 60%, IMHO.
June 21, 2015 at 7:19 PM #787401FlyerInHi
GuestI would like Pope Francis to address the paradox of thrift.
CAr, if we all saved (consume less), we’d all be the poorer because the size of the economy would shrink at least 30%, as you put it.
I was having this conversation with a friend. He believes that if everyone worked harder and saved, we’ll be all the better. Not true, I pointed out. If everyone had perfectly good work ethics, we’d lose a lot jobs.
For example, around the house… If you cook your own food, cut your own hair, do you own repairs, clean your own house, etc… you can dispense of many services. That’s good for you, but bad for the economy.
Nobody wants to deal with it, but there’s a conflict between economic growth (human well-being as defined in economic terms) and conservation.
About granite countertops. These days, china produces so much of it that prices are the same as Formica now. The giant diamond saws can slice through granite rock like butter. Just think how granite countertop prices have dropped in the last couple decades, despite increasing demand. The material is taken for granted now.
June 21, 2015 at 7:34 PM #787402Participant[quote=FlyerInHi]I would like Pope Francis to address the paradox of thrift.
CAr, if we all saved (consume less), we’d all be the poorer because the size of the economy would shrink at least 30%, as you put it.
I was having this conversation with a friend. He believes that if everyone worked harder and saved, we’ll be all the better. Not true, I pointed out. If everyone had perfectly good work ethics, we’d lose a lot jobs.
For example, around the house… If you cook your own food, cut your own hair, do you own repairs, clean your own house, etc… you can dispense of many services. That’s good for you, but bad for the economy.
Nobody wants to deal with it, but there’s a conflict between economic growth (human well-being as defined in economic terms) and conservation.
About granite countertops. These days, china produces so much of it that prices are the same as Formica now. The giant diamond saws can slice through granite rock like butter. Just think how granite countertop prices have dropped in the last couple decades, despite increasing demand. The material is taken for granted now.[/quote]
This is precisely why we have to look at alternative ways to manage our economy and our global resources. The way it’s going is not sustainable.
As for those granite countertops, it’s not the price that was/is the problem. The problem is that many Americans will throw away perfectly good cabinets and countertops just because their existing ones are “outdated” (lordy, how I hate that word). Do you think it’s ecologically sound to mine for granite and ship this heavy material overseas, or even around the country, when it’s completely unnecessary? Not to mention that waste that’s created when old stuff is torn out and discarded because it’s “old.”
Yes, labor specialization is more efficient and it adds to the GDP and tax base because we create transactions out of thin air. It’s like my arguments about “women’s work.” Why is childcare valuable when you’re doing it for someone else’s child, but not when you’re doing it for your own child? Why is fixing your car valuable when you’re doing it for someone else, but not when you’re doing it for yourself? It’s not that people are doing more work, it’s just that the work has been commoditized.
By forcing people to trade everything instead of doing things for themselves, we DO make things more efficient, but we lose the ability to do things for oneself (back in the day, people knew how to fix cars, build houses, make and fix basic machines, etc.) and taxes us for doing the same work as we were doing before, without being taxed. It enables a central power to control the economy and the labor force in ways that they never could if everyone worked independently and in a self-sustaining manner.
Not advocating a return to a craftsman/agrarian lifestyle, but just stating that much of the “growth” in our economy isn’t really growth, but the movement of labor from the individual to the corporate model.
July 10, 2015 at 10:52 PM #787884
svelteParticipantNOTW – Numbskull Opinions Transmitted Worldwide
or
NOTW – National Oversized Tit Worshippers
take your pick.
July 13, 2015 at 11:24 AM #787943Doofrat
ParticipantNational Organization of Twisted Worshipers
Speaking of blasphemy and burning in eternal hell fire if you pick/denigrate the wrong religion, has anyone seen the Adult Swim show “Black Jesus”? It came up in the showcase tiles on Hulu and I didn’t expect much, but it’s actually pretty funny. If you liked the movie “Friday”, and aren’t offended by Jesus being black, or swearing, or participating in drug deals, you’ll probably like this.
January 12, 2016 at 7:38 PM #793178Guest“We are being tested”. I hear religious people say that a lot. Does God test people?
Do you put a cupcake in front of a dessert addict to see if he will resist? I don’t have even knowledge of religion to understand.
January 12, 2016 at 9:27 PM #793184zk
Participant[quote=FlyerInHi]”We are being tested”. I hear religious people say that a lot. Does God test people?
Do you put a cupcake in front of a dessert addict to see if he will resist? I don’t have even knowledge of religion to understand.[/quote]
That’s one of the lesser contortions that religious people have to go through to try to make real life conform to their religion.
January 13, 2016 at 3:37 PM #793230Participant[quote=FlyerInHi]”We are being tested”. I hear religious people say that a lot. Does God test people?
Do you put a cupcake in front of a dessert addict to see if he will resist? I don’t have even knowledge of religion to understand.[/quote]
If they take the cupcake, you torture them with fire for eternity.
If they resist the cupcake, you reward them with fluffy clouds and harps for eternity.Makes sense.
January 13, 2016 at 4:53 PM #793234scaredyclassic
Participant[quote=doofrat][quote=FlyerInHi]”We are being tested”. I hear religious people say that a lot. Does God test people?
Do you put a cupcake in front of a dessert addict to see if he will resist? I don’t have even knowledge of religion to understand.[/quote]
If they take the cupcake, you torture them with fire for eternity.
If they resist the cupcake, you reward them with fluffy clouds and harps for eternity.Makes sense.[/quote]
Unless you say youre,sorry you took the cupcake and u love thevLord.. Then it’s all ok.
-
AuthorPosts
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.