Consumable Society
Today (2005) things have changed to a consumable society. In the past, people used to make things that would last forever, or at least last a very long time. Nowadays, the general attitude is one of consumables. You get something that has a lower value, use it up, and then toss it away. Now in terms of the Capitalism, this is a great thing because, in general, even though each unit is a lower value, people end up using more than if they had one that was better quality and lasted longer, but had a higher value.
Now unfortunately this idea of making something "disposable" (which started innocently enough as someone named Gillette who discovered that he could make more money by selling razor blades and giving away the holder), has changed from being limited to just the buying and selling of products to a lifestyle. The fundamental structure of society has changed towards a "disposable" society. Everyone and everything has become "disposable". Some examples (2 products, and 2 societal):
- Food – At first, home cooked meals that were nutritious and filling, which may have took their time to prepare, served at the dinner table with the rest of the family, using proper plates and cutlery. Has given way to food with the nutritional value equivalent of cardboard and enough sugar, fat, artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives to give a nutritionist a heart attack, it was made at a factory en-mass, and served quick and fast, in a disposable box, you eat quickly and you toss the rest.
- Computers – At first (for example IBM) computers and components were made to last for several years (for example, the IBM Model M keyboard was built like a tank, weighed like a tank, and lasted as long as a tank (over 10 million keystrokes), or even the way IBM's mainframes were constructed), and you kept them for years (our first two computers lasted over 5-6 years, before we upgraded). Nowadays you're lucky if your computer lasts more than 2 years before you have to "upgrade" which means you toss out the old one, and buy a new one. And the new computers and components that are made nowadays are cheaper, but don't last as long (for example, the keyboards nowadays can be bought for $20, be made out of cheap plastic from China, and only last 1-2 million keystrokes, or for computers, why would you upgrade your old machine for $400 to make it an average computer, when you can buy a $500 brand new Dell that would *whoop* the old one? Toss out the old one, and buy the new one).
- Employees – 30-40 years ago people got a career with a company, and they stayed loyal to that company till they retired. It was not uncommon for someone to spend 20 years with the same company. Nowadays, most people will stay at the same job for 5 years at best, and then, either through choice, or more likely "downsizing" or "corporate restructuring", people get tossed out. Instead of products being disposable, people are becoming disposable.
- Marriage – 30-40 years ago, marriage was sacred, and respected. Marriage was meant to last for life, and it was not uncommon for people to be married for 25-40 years. Any problems, or disputes, were worked out, because both parties knew that marriage was meant to last for life, and so problems needed to be worked out. Also, marriage was a serious business, and people took their time in choosing who they wanted to be with, so that things would last. Back then, 80% of marriages worked out, and 20% ended in divorce. Nowadays the statistic is the other way around 20% of marriages work out, and 80% end in divorce. It is now easier to get a divorce than to work things out, and try and get along with the other person. People don't put the same kind of effort into marriage because the value of marriage is not what it used to be. And the saddest part is: people have become disposable.