[drwoof]

“Everyday things that people actually want are going to get more expensive or disappear, and the products that will be available will be more expensive but not better. People are going to wonder why life is worse.”

Yep. Recently bought a t-shirt at the hardware store. Of the same brand I’d purchased years back. Just threw it in the cart, thinking it’d be the same comfortable, long-wearing shirt. Nope. Once home, I noticed that it felt like sandpaper, and also felt kinda light. Huh. (Yes, should have been more careful when purchasing...). Finally weighed the damned thing: yep, lighter than the old one, even after the old one had been washed and dried dozens of times. Fabric was crap.

[Dr. Sivana]

“Everyday things that people actually want are going to get more expensive or disappear, and the products that will be available will be more expensive but not better. People are going to wonder why life is worse.”

We've been through this before. The '70s saw a lot of metal and wood products made out of plastic or particle board, and cheap replacements like interior paneling, shag carpeting, and folding plastic closet doors.

We had a bit of a bounce back in '80s and '90s, and then with the off-shoring of everything, and the outsized role of technology, things have changed again, and getting worse, likely staying there.