History lesson

I was at my dad's house this week and he said, 'Let me show you the difference between now and then in two objects.' He brought out this clothespin that was made in the 1960s - I probably played with it as a kid in the 70s. The other, in 2025.
The clothespin on the left (1960s) is made of dense, finely-grained hardwood (maple or beech?) It has weight and warmth and still works perfectly 60+ years later.
The one on the right (2025) is made of soft, pale pine or poplar. It’s lighter, splinters easily, and the metal spring feels like it might pop off by next week. (My Dad said it was described as "extra durable" online.)
One clothespin will end up in a landfill. The other will probably hang around for a few more decades. Sometimes, you can see the trajectory of history unfolding in your palm.

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Elessar · 26-30, M

This is actually a great example of this:

You're comparing a random product from 2025 with, necessarily, one of the products from the 1960s that survived to today. All the short lived stuff built in the 1960s has been in the landfills for at least 50 years now, so it's impossible to have a fair comparison

Planned obsolescence, which is the phenomenon you're describing (making stuff fragile so that it breaks easily and you'll have to rebuy it over and over again) has maybe deteriorated further but I can assure you was already a thing in the 60s. If I recall correctly it became mainstream in the 1940s.

Carla · 61-69, F

@Elessar i read once that edison and Westinghouse got together and decided to make light bulb filaments lesser to shorten their life. Not sure of the date.

Elessar · 26-30, M

@Carla Also nylon stockings if I remember well (DuPont?), though it's more recent

Carla · 61-69, F

@Elessar that kind of thing has turned us into a disposable society. Maybe you see them there but i cannot tell you the last time i saw a shoe repair shop

Elessar · 26-30, M

@Carla Curiously there's a guy maybe 10 older than myself (if not less) that opened one of those shops here and he's got a pretty big customer base. Though yeah, nowhere as popular as they were in the past.

However I saved shoes priced €50-100 with a total expense smaller than €10

Carla · 61-69, F

@Elessar if there was one near me i have some expensive boots, well worn, that I'd have new soles put on. Can't throw them away quite yet. Maybe an industrious and talented person will open up shop.