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All of this reflects the relentless pursuit of "build it cheaper, so long as it meets the minimum requirements" mentality that has driven business competition in recent decades. Years ago, companies competed by building in quality that they could shout about in ads, to attract customers. Then one day OPEC, stagflation and belt-tightening came along, followed very closely by the WalMart effect... and the world will never be the same. Hammering down the cost of production, even at the expense of quality, became the world's business mantra, because that is what consumers have voted for, every time they (=WE) have decided to buy from WalMart (or almost any companies that remained in competition with them!).
It is a mixed blessing: more people can own more appliances and goods today than ever before in the planet's history...but gone are the days of over-engineered products like the 70s (and earlier) audio gear we talk so much about around here.
Individually, we can do little to change it, beyond:
(1)Where you see someone still trying to offer REAL quality, or someone still doing traditional repairs to keep stuff going, SUPPORT them, even if it means spending a few dollars more.
(2)When you can, buy quality stuff from yesteryear and refurbish it. Just today I found a seriously heavy-duty vacuum cleaner with a solid steel casing (it rolls around on solid casters). I will rebuild it, add a level of filtration and "upgrade" my much more modern plastic-housed vacuum to this decades-old model that should outlive me!
(3) Just accept it (like most people do) and keep buying the new stuff and throwing it out when it breaks in a year or two. In other words, stifle your disgust, silence your conscience and be "normal" like (almost) everyone else.
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