this post was submitted on 30 Dec 2023
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Chronic alcoholism, and their tinsel was filled with lead
the 1950s and its consequences has been a disaster for the human race
If there is one thing I could bring back from that era, it would be the durability of their appliances and materials. Much better than this throwaway culture we have, where everything is made to last a couple years past warranty, then thrown out at the first sign of malfunction. Shit from the 1950's was built to endure decades of regular use, and repairs were simple and cheap.
so how come they're so rare nowadays? I mean everyone had one back then, why aren't the overwhelming majority of these appliances still with us? Survivorship bias, that's why
My dude, they said "1950's", and "decades". They're no longer around cause it's been decades since the last one has been produced.
but if they were "built to last" then surely we shouldn't have needed much more produced after market saturation. And yet, they actually are vanishingly rare today. Which means most did break down
Sure, I'll agree that they did break down. Everything does at some point or another. Back then it was easier to repair your equipment and you had the right to. That's why they were "built to last"
Then, as time passed, that changed. It became difficult to find the necessary parts for repairs.
Example: My father is a heavy equipment mechanic. I'd say somewhere in the last ten to twenty years, his suppliers started to refuse selling specific parts he needed because he's an independent.
He also described to me how some jobs he takes today feel like he's handling a bomb. If he so much as trips a stray sensor, a representative from the machine's manufacturer will come sniffing around the yard to catch him.
Then there's the knowledge required to perform the necessary repairs. The common sentiment I hear from people is that it's cheaper to replace than to repair. They're not wrong, however this way of thinking demotivates the need to learn how to repair it.
So yeah. Those built to last machines have broken down. Knowledge and parts for them have become difficult to acquire, however an enthusiast willing to put the time in to repair them will have a machine that hums for the rest of their lives.
Tons were thrown out for fashion or modernization, not because they broke down. Kitchens have trends that last around 7 years and even back then people wanted the latest designs.
Don't discount how much marketing convinces people they need to just buy new shit every few years either. I've seen a lot of perfectly functioning appliances replaced just because someone saw something they thought was nicer "on sale".