![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
talktoolooseI upset myself writing yesterday's post about child porn to the point that I had trouble sleeping last night. But everything always looks better in the light of day. I'd be a crappy vampire.
I should follow up Saturday's suicidal appliance post by saying that though we never found the receipt, the technician at the repair joint showed us the manufacturing date inside the microwave and said that Panasonic was obliged to honour the warranty even without a receipt. He had me phone Panasonic who were very nice about it.
The appliance tech and I got into a discussion about the disgraceful quality of manufactured goods today. Some facts:
• Our last microwave (a GE) lasted 14 years without any problem other than the turntable dying in its last years.
• The tech said that in those days, 80% of the machine was put together by hand in the factory. That figure has dropped to 20%.
• Previously, every box was quality checked before leaving the factory, now only random checking is done.
• He regularly sees machines in his shop within weeks of their purchase.
• Panasonic is not unusually lemonesque (thank you, 33mhz), but rather average. He thinks they are preferable because they counter their wildly irresponsible manufacturing ethos with good customer service such as I experienced.
• If we didn't care about the environment, the lack of a meaningful ife created for workers who are given no opportunity to take pride in what they do and the outsourcing of jobs to countries with ruinous labour conditions, none of this would matter.
As I see it, the only solution is to support quality whenever possible even if it costs a bit more and, most importantly, to simplify our lives so that we only purchase that which we really use. Also, we should examine our own work and see if our energy is being spent on that which makes the planet a better place. If our work only adds to a culture of waste and depression., we should do what we can to move on.
I should follow up Saturday's suicidal appliance post by saying that though we never found the receipt, the technician at the repair joint showed us the manufacturing date inside the microwave and said that Panasonic was obliged to honour the warranty even without a receipt. He had me phone Panasonic who were very nice about it.
The appliance tech and I got into a discussion about the disgraceful quality of manufactured goods today. Some facts:
• Our last microwave (a GE) lasted 14 years without any problem other than the turntable dying in its last years.
• The tech said that in those days, 80% of the machine was put together by hand in the factory. That figure has dropped to 20%.
• Previously, every box was quality checked before leaving the factory, now only random checking is done.
• He regularly sees machines in his shop within weeks of their purchase.
• Panasonic is not unusually lemonesque (thank you, 33mhz), but rather average. He thinks they are preferable because they counter their wildly irresponsible manufacturing ethos with good customer service such as I experienced.
• If we didn't care about the environment, the lack of a meaningful ife created for workers who are given no opportunity to take pride in what they do and the outsourcing of jobs to countries with ruinous labour conditions, none of this would matter.
As I see it, the only solution is to support quality whenever possible even if it costs a bit more and, most importantly, to simplify our lives so that we only purchase that which we really use. Also, we should examine our own work and see if our energy is being spent on that which makes the planet a better place. If our work only adds to a culture of waste and depression., we should do what we can to move on.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2004-11-20 06:51 am (UTC)Ah, lemonesque.