My brother-in-law told me about a light bulb that had been burning for 80 years somewhere in the States. I was curious because I've always felt that many of the things we buy have a built-in expiry date.
I typed in "light bulb 80 years" and began my search. Lo and behold, there is not only a light bulb that's been burning for 80 years in a fire station in Oklahoma, but one that's been burning for 100 years in a Fort Worth museum.
Built-in obsolescence means we must repurchase over and over again. This is easily apparent with "fashion" but not so easily detected in the necessities of life like the light bulb. With fashion, we have the opportunity to choose whether we want to be with the times or an old fuddy duddy. With light bulbs, we just accept that they can only last so long and then they burn out. Most of us don't question why.
The new light bulbs on the market have a longer life span...and a much larger price tag. I will bet my Old Age Pension that it doesn't cost one cent more to manufacture them.
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