Landfill Economy

If you were born before 1980 or so, can you remember the TV you had growing up?  Rabbit ears antenna with aluminum foil strips to increase reception?  Check.  Bang on the side of the TV to stop it going fuzzy?  Check.  No remote control?  Check.  One dial for regular TV and a second for UHF?  Check.  Vacuum tubes that your dad would change when the TV went flooey?  Check.

Think about it.  Your dad could fix the TV when a tube failed.  Or, the TV repair guy would come to the house.  And years later when you finally gave that TV to Goodwill it was still working.

Remember the lonely Maytag repairman?  Me neither.  Our Maytag never broke.

Growing up did your town have a fix it shop?  Mine did.  Mr. Birney could fix broken fans, blenders, radios, you name it.  If your dad couldn’t fix it Mr. Birney could. 

How about today?  Is there a Mr. Birney in your town?  I looked in my area and found no one.  I’ll bet if you look near you, you won’t find one either.

What happened?

Over the last 50 years we’ve entered something that can be referred to as a “landfill economy.”  What this means is that we used to be able to buy products that lasted longer and, when they break, fix them for yet a longer life.  Now we manufacture disposable products.  They die and go in the trash.

This isn’t new.  I remember back in the 1980s my dad bought a top-of-the-line Sony VCR.  I think he paid close to $1,000 for it.  Lotta money.  After a couple of years of use it stopped working.  My dad called Sony and was told that the VCR was unrepairable!  We were shocked. The VCR went in the trash.

Remember retread tires?  They used to make them for all cars and trucks.  Now they’re used for trucks and very rarely for cars.  Need new tires? Your old ones are trashed and they sell you new ones.

Clothing is falling apart.  Have you bought a new shirt or skirt and after you wear it a few times a seam’s stitching comes apart? 

Shoes are no better.  I bought a nice pair of slippers back in the spring.  A name brand.  They were quite comfy and I only wore them for a few trips between my recliner and the refrigerator before the heel fell off one.  Verdict?  Send ‘em to the landfill.

Planned obsolescence?  Yup.

The landfill economy maintains growth by forcing consumers to replace worn out goods.  The growth comes from decreasing the time from purchase to “worn out.” 

Just think: If we improved product quality our economy would fall apart like my slippers.

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Doc

Some of you have asked for an update on Doc, the beagle mix dog we were fostering for the Delaware Humane Association.

I’m sorry to say that Doc is no longer living with us.  We reluctantly returned him to the shelter after a few unpleasant behavioral problems surfaced.

We do hope that Doc finds his forever home.

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“What is freedom of expression? Without the freedom to offend, it ceases to exist.”

- Salman Rushdie

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Perhaps this is the most amazing shot in the history of golf!

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