M. A. Booth | Red Phoenix correspondent | Kentucky–

The cheerleaders of capitalist barbarity are oftentimes found defending their system of greed and exploitation on the basis that it creates new “innovations” for our society. What kind of “innovations” are they talking about here? Is it the choice of twenty different brands of cereal all owned by the same company? Or the algorithms that tailor advertising and marketing to us on an individual basis in order to sell more stuff we don’t need? Consumerism has always been upheld by our class enemies as one of capitalism’s greatest “perks.” When faced with the ongoing reality of our current situation, this myth continues to fade in the minds of working people who have been paying attention. Planned obsolescence has become the capitalist class’ favorite method to maximize their rate of profit.

What is “planned obsolescence” anyway? It’s the practice of manufacturing goods that are not designed to last, but to break prematurely and require replacement in the shortest amount of time possible. With brand loyalty being something that most companies can rely upon nowadays, the faster the capitalists can force us to cycle through their own products, the more money they make off of us. From cars to cell phones and electronics, just about everything is designed with planned obsolescence in mind.

Cell phones and consumer electronics are some of the most well-known products that are designed to break, be non-rebuildable, and need replacement every few years. The Apple iPhone is a perfect example of this. For years now, Apple has deliberately slowed down older devices and compromised their battery life to “incentivize” their customers to buy a newer model. This was exposed to the public during the “battery-gate” scandal. While Apple was forced to pay out millions in court, it amounted to little more than a slap-on-the-wrist for a company that rakes in billions of dollars every single year. It hasn’t changed their business model. As a matter of fact, nearly all manufacturers of smart phones and consumer electronics have adopted some form of planned obsolescence. From deliberate slowdowns to “sealed battery” technology, capitalism continues to innovate new ways to make us poorer and more dependent on the system that exploits us.

Consumer televisions were once rebuildable. Back in 1970s America, it wouldn’t be uncommon to find a TV repair shop on just about every corner. Granted, they would cost far more per individual unit (oftentimes costing thousands of dollars in today’s money for a simple color television), but they didn’t need to be thrown in the trash once they broke. This is another modern “innovation” in the world of manufacturing. Home televisions are now cheaper to throw away and replace than they are to repair. The parts and tools used to modify motherboards are often inaccessible to the working class of this country. If they were more widely available, and if the knowledge was disseminated by those who “own” the technology and its affiliated intellectual property rights, the constant need for new replacement electronics would be abolished. We could enjoy the machines we’re familiar with for longer. Of course, this would hurt the pocketbooks of those who own the means of production, so don’t expect to see it happen anytime soon. At least, not under our current system of capitalism.

A more sinister example of planned obsolescence comes in the form of our modern vehicles, particularly those that are designed to break not long after the factory warranty has expired. Recent “innovations” in this area include the “wet belt” (a rubber timing belt soaked in oil) that causes oil pumps to self-clog; “Continuously Variable Transmissions” (CVT) that fail prematurely via a faulty “Flow Control Valve,” resulting in loss of pressure; “Gasoline Direct Injection” (GDI) that causes engine failure due to excessive carbon buildup on the valves; and the list goes on. To say that modern automobiles are more reliable than their predecessors is a flat-out lie. Turbochargers and All-Wheel Drive (AWD) systems have also become more abundant, further adding to the complexity and repair cost of the average car on the road today. While the manufacturers of these products claim different reasons for their addition of these various technologies, they all have one thing in common: they destroy the longevity and lifespan of the vehicle. When it costs more to fix than what it’s worth, why not throw it away and buy a new one instead? This kind of twisted logic is what the average person living under capitalism is coerced into following.

Let’s not forget that planned obsolescence also has a detrimental effect on our environment. Instead of reducing our overall consumption, reusing products that have already been made, and recycling the ones that can’t be fixed, we’ve become accustomed to doing the exact opposite. When something breaks we throw it away and buy a new one. Not only does this increase the amount of waste going into our landfills, but it takes more resources from the Earth and creates more pollution to continuously make these new, ready-to-fail products.

The existence of planned obsolescence gives us further evidence of why capitalism is unsustainable in the long-term and will ultimately lead human civilization to its own collapse. It shatters the myth of so-called capitalist “innovation” into a million different pieces. It’s only when the profit motive is no longer the driving force in society can we begin to see a way out of the situation in which we currently find ourselves. This can only be fully achieved through the establishment of socialism and communism. Until then, the working class fights for the most meager legislative bandages to dress this bleeding wound, such as “right to repair” laws, which have been passed in only three US states, that require “manufacturers to facilitate the diagnosis, maintenance, or repair of electronic or appliance products by offering documentation, parts, and tools to any owner on fair and reasonable terms.” The system of capitalism, with its own irreconcilable contradictions, offers us no real solutions and no sustainable way forward. Long outliving its progressive role in the development of human civilizations, it must be overthrown for the sake of all humanity.

Categories: Economy, Environment, U.S. News