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Well, my 20 year old car still works. There are 50 year old cars on my road - our cars could probably go on forever (though they won't, within 10 or 20 years m
by throwaway22032 5y ago
Well, my 20 year old car still works.
There are 50 year old cars on my road - our cars could probably go on forever (though they won't, within 10 or 20 years my city will probably mandate electric drivetrains).
I think that newer cars are more likely to create waste for many of the same reasons.
Of course we can't extend the timeline out forever, but we can at least take steps to not _artificially_ cause obsolescence, this is distinct from the way in which a car is inherently far more useful than a horse and buggy.
- amcoastal 5y agoPlanned obsolescence is the entire backbone of the American economy. We could get rid of it in one fell swoop, but then basically every company in the country would go bankrupt and then the world. A sad state of affairs. Perhaps incremental improvements and clawing back of Right-to-Repair etc. can give us some semblence of not being facebooters, but also allow our shit-tier companies to adjust.
- JumpCrisscross 5y ago> Planned obsolescence is the entire backbone of the American economy Your response to a comment about decades-old cars still working is to pitch a planned-obsolescence conspiracy theory?
- amcoastal 5y agoLet me know if your 2011 car lasts 20 years.
- tremon 5y agoSo you're betting on Hacker News still being here in 2031? How come you're so sure this site doesn't fall under the great obsolesence plan?
- amcoastal 5y agoI have to admit this thread is the first time Ive ever heard someone calling planned obsolescence a 'conspiracy theory'. I thought it was pretty well understood. Live and learn I guess, couldn't let the tinfoil hat folks have all the fun!
- JumpCrisscross 5y agoIt’s a well understood phenomenon. But to claim it manifests at large across the American economy is to claim every producer is intentionally crippling their products. That’s a conspiracy theory by definition. It’s also unfounded. Yes, there are industries which promote fads to make their precious products less desirable. But that’s different from designing them from the start to fail early for the purpose of selling a replacement (versus designing cheaply for a consumer who doesn’t care for longevity).