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> There’s just some inbuilt good old Americanness in those 1950s US-made fittings that meant It's not what was built in here per se, it what wasn't - not back

> There’s just some inbuilt good old Americanness in those 1950s US-made fittings that meant It's not what was built in here per se, it what wasn't - not back then at least - cut out to shave a penny (or a buck) off costs. On the other hand, to break into a new market (lower) price - often with lower quality - is a known entry path Along the same lines, look at American made cars back then. Sure there were sloppy manufacturing issues. But no one accused any individual part of skimping, cutting corners, etc. Believe it or not, things were noticeably different back then.

greedo 3y ago
Car manufacturers never skimped on QC? Take a look at the wonderful Corvair. Or the Pinto. So much of this is survivor bias or just nostalgia. Some things were better back in the 50s, some weren't. Somethings in the 50's seemed great but in hindsight were pretty bad (asbestos, thalidomide, DDT, aluminum wiring). And some of the "American Exceptionalism" was also a response to WW2. I know an entire generation who would never buy anything made in Japan because of Pearl Harbor. And I had an uncle who flew in the 8th AF who would go into a rage whenever he saw a VW Beetle on the road. In electronics, Japanese-made used to be a slur, until they dominated electronics. My first home was a Sears home. It was small but seemed okay for a first home. It had new siding, and the previous owner had replaced the aluminum wiring. I don't know if the plumbing had been replaced, but it was, as most houses are, a House of Theseus.
- Ichthypresbyter 3y ago
  Thalidomide is actually a weird example where American exceptionalism is accurate- the FDA refused to approve it for morning sickness, despite the manufacturer's pressure on the reviewer, Dr. Frances Oldham Kelsey. It was approved basically everywhere else in the industrialized world, including Kelsey's native Canada.
  - kalleboo 3y ago
    The US was "lucky" in that they had the elixir sulfanilamide scandal a while earlier which pushed them to adopt medicine approval standards. France was another country that avoided Thalidomide since they had their Stalinon scandal a few years earlier which had spurred them into stricter regulation as well. Sadly, everyone had to learn this lesson "the hard way", the timelines were just different.
- chiefalchemist 3y ago
  Those where manufacturing and/or design issues. Pinto didn't explode because the material used for the gas tank was too thin or defective. Pintos exploded because the design was bad.

greedo 3y ago

Car manufacturers never skimped on QC? Take a look at the wonderful Corvair. Or the Pinto. So much of this is survivor bias or just nostalgia. Some things were better back in the 50s, some weren't. Somethings in the 50's seemed great but in hindsight were pretty bad (asbestos, thalidomide, DDT, aluminum wiring). And some of the "American Exceptionalism" was also a response to WW2. I know an entire generation who would never buy anything made in Japan because of Pearl Harbor. And I had an uncle who flew in the 8th AF who would go into a rage whenever he saw a VW Beetle on the road. In electronics, Japanese-made used to be a slur, until they dominated electronics. My first home was a Sears home. It was small but seemed okay for a first home. It had new siding, and the previous owner had replaced the aluminum wiring. I don't know if the plumbing had been replaced, but it was, as most houses are, a House of Theseus.

Ichthypresbyter 3y ago
Thalidomide is actually a weird example where American exceptionalism is accurate- the FDA refused to approve it for morning sickness, despite the manufacturer's pressure on the reviewer, Dr. Frances Oldham Kelsey. It was approved basically everywhere else in the industrialized world, including Kelsey's native Canada.
- kalleboo 3y ago
  The US was "lucky" in that they had the elixir sulfanilamide scandal a while earlier which pushed them to adopt medicine approval standards. France was another country that avoided Thalidomide since they had their Stalinon scandal a few years earlier which had spurred them into stricter regulation as well. Sadly, everyone had to learn this lesson "the hard way", the timelines were just different.
chiefalchemist 3y ago
Those where manufacturing and/or design issues. Pinto didn't explode because the material used for the gas tank was too thin or defective. Pintos exploded because the design was bad.