On the universally declining standards of living

Published on August 28th, 2012

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In terms of living standards, I think the law of diminishing returns have been reached and that relatively speaking living standards are declining. Now, anecdotally speaking, it seems that the 1960s was the peak of living standards(*). At that time a single income bought a house, a car, and a nice life. Today, most need two incomes to “make a living” and some have problems with that even.

(*) As far as I am concerned the last and greatest achievement was the Saturn V rocket.The second closest was the computer.

Either we must be spending money on stuff that the previous generation did not or we are not as productive as we think anymore, that is, money is worth less and people are not as productive as they think. It is interesting to note that energy use/world capita peaked in the late 1970s. In other words, population growth outran total energy consumption about a generation ago.

I would also like to think that technological advances should have made a difference in terms of standards of living, but it seems to have translated into maximum quantity rather than maximum quality. In other words, rather than surrounding themselves with better things, people chose to surround themselves with more things. There are more rooms in the homes, but the homes are uglier than ever and poorly constructed. Clothes get worn once and then thrown in the back of the closet. New cars break down after 10 years, whereas old motorcycles and bicycles seemingly run forever. This is sad and not sustainable. If the focus was on quality, a person would inherit one Rolex from his father and hand it down to his son rather than buying his way through 25 $25 watches over a life time. He would inherit one Dutch grandfather cycle, take care of it, and hand it down, etc. However, popular culture is all about the new and the novel because that is what is profitable for industrialization.

I’m trying to resist this. I’m slowly learning and trying to replace every day use items with very nice things that are built to last forever (my latest acquisition is an Underwood typewriter). Relative to consumer goods (bads?), such things cost a fortune (I got the type writer on freecycle 😉 . Forsooth, normally we are used to things being quite cheap. Of course this is an illusion because if companies made good things they would soon run out of customers. Therefore most companies have a business model that either involves subscription (phone, cable, utilities, subscriptions) or shoddy products that need replacement — effectively the same as a subscription (would you rather buy a new computer and replace it every 4th year or simply rent it like a cable box. I’m actually tempted towards the latter!). The few companies that make good products charge exorbitant amounts, obviously also because making good products requires more effort. For instance, in my quest to build a small machine shop, I was momentarily taken aback learning that a caliper could easily cost several hundred dollars or as much as a new laptop.

However, that is what it is, and durable quality items are what I would call real wealth. They enhance your life whereas poor products simply take your life away as they need to be replaced when they break down. Not only do they take your life, they also take resources out of the ground and pollute it, when they are put back in. I don’t like it.

Originally posted 2009-04-04 07:47:07.

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George said,

Cars – our ’98 Mazda Protege went 10 years before we traded. Only compelling reason for the trade was that the engine has a minor design flaw, which, even though it was repaired, did not leave me feeling comfortable. The ’77 Toyota pickup that my mother bought new had lasted 10 years before we sold it on. Both of these items would still be in our possession if we were willing to perform the required repairs and maintenance. I think most modern cars will last provided one takes care of them… Dodge economy products (Omni and original Neon) seem to die at about 10 years as they rattle apart (and yet I like some of them, too). It’s really hard to go wrong with a 6-cyl BMW provided it doesn’t have too many electrical gadgets that can die.

Manual garden tools – fiberglass handled shovels from Home Depot have lasted 15 years. Even though I cracked the handle on one when trying to pry out a tree stump, it is still in use without repairs! I suspect the axes & hammers with solid molded plastic handles are equally reliable, provided the metal is decently stout.

Furniture – leather couch & chairs from some Italian manufacturer (bought at Meier & Frank, what was a Pacific NW department store), about 12 years old now. Wasn’t particularly expensive as furniture goes, the burgundy dye on one chair hasn’t resisted the afghan hound very well, but none of the stitching has torn nor has the dog worn through the leather by getting in & out of it. Metal file cabinets gotten from various office supply stores have lasted 20 years, but they mostly sit in place.

I’ve NOT been impressed with natural gas furnaces. Their lifespan in my experience, even on a good unit, appears to be under a decade and friends have confirmed that. The heat pump we currently have is only 5 years old, so time will tell.

Power garden tools – BCS 8 HP rototiller that I don’t use it all that often, but after 5 years, it doesn’t sound tired and I wouldn’t hestitate to press it into daily use (compare to 1970’s 5 HP Wards rototiller that lasted my mom a mere decade). Black & Decker 5 HP cordless electric lawnmower with plastic body has gone 12 years with only one battery replacement; aggravation spots are the handle and the wheels like most mowers, but it sure is nice not to have to mess with oil and gas!

Luxury Appliances – Sony HDTV (38″ tube-type) is 9 years old and watched far too often 🙂 Likewise, the pair of Sony 300-disc DVD changers are holding up nicely (there are some occasional glitches necessitating patience) and about to hit their decade. JVC Super VHS tape deck is 15 years old and hasn’t even needed a tune-up, but doesn’t see as much use as the DVD changers. I’ve got a whole host of stereo receivers & speakers from the late ’80s that are mostly being used now with the computers (instead of those little powered speakers).

Kitchen items – there are a whole host of pots & pans from a range of ages that are just dandy. Wife and I have been married only 8 years, so it’s a little early to tell you which of the wedding gifts are legends. I do like our Toastmaster waffle iron (biweekly use) and Krups toaster oven (daily use!). The old microwave from the mid ’90s died after the smoke escaped…

Computer gear – APC uninterruptible power supplies (pity they were bought out by someone else [Emerson?] a couple years ago)… apart from changing batteries as they age, I’ve never had one fail.

George said,

Two more furniture items: “wall desk” & a hat rack from a modern furniture store that are pushing 20 years now. The wall desk, despite having plastic/formica covered particle board shelves, has been great at holding up books while providing a small desk surface (how many particle board-based pieces of furniture do you know that make it 10 years?!?). The hat rack is powdercoated steel tubing with plastic end caps; the metal doesn’t rot, the powdercoating is unscathed, the plastic end caps haven’t split, and it’s always holding coats and hats.

Both items have survived 3 or 4 moves.

George said,

Back on your thesis… in my experience, my standard of living consistently improved until 2002 after being born in 1962. It could be argued that it’s improved since 2002, too, but the rate of improvement is glacial if it’s moving forward.

Items of note:
– Healthcare benefits are reduced.
– Retirement benefits are reduced.
– Wage growth is stagnant.
– And I’m fatter & slower (2001 marriage, work is desk bound since 2003, eating more, etc.)
– Pollution continues to concentrate poisons.
– Pharmaceuticals of dubious benefit being pushed over real cures.

On the beneficial side:
– Automobile fuel economy, safety, & emissions have vastly improved, especially compared to the ’70s, but now the weight of the vehicles are sapping City economy ratings.
– Information access is far faster and more pervasive.
– Cell phones.
– Medical treatments for things we didn’t even know were diseases or were considered untreatable.
– Favorite foods available whenever you want them (even if globalization is bad for the planet and the quality/flavor isn’t the best, it’s still pretty neat that you can get fresh tomatoes and strawberries and grapes and melons any time of year).

Kevin W said,

Everyday things that can last indefinitely:
– stone houses
– safety razors
– artisan furniture, e.g. a Maloof chair
– bonsai trees
– certain audiophile-grade stereo components
– classic cars
– high end musical instruments
– Craftsman hand tools with the unlimited warranty
– any of the following provided they are timeless: art, jewelry, leather bound books

One observation, craftsmanship alone doesn’t seem to be enough to keep something going indefinitely. It also needs to be intrinsically appealing enough that people are motivated to do the required maintenance. For instance, practically any car could be kept going indefinitely, but only a few are special enough that the owner will perform major repairs instead of scrapping the whole thing. The latter are the “classics.”

Consequently it is easier to find high quality durables at an antique store than at a mall. The stuff that was junk 30 years ago was lost to the sands of time, and only the good stuff remains (i.e. survivorship bias).

brauhster said,

I am using craftman tools purchased by my Dad more than 60 years ago. I also have several farm tools more than 70 years old that are quite usuable. I still usen my Dad’s WWII army gloves with wool inserts and carry his Case pocket knife (65 years old).

P said,

Maybe declining (or stagnant) living standards are correlated with peak U.S. energy of the 1970s. Another factor may be the hoarding of wealth by the top 1%. Middle class productivity may be rocketing up, but the top 1% is raking in the gains, thereby keeping the middle classes running the same speed on the treadmill.

Also, it takes two incomes these days, but that may be because women wanted to enter the work force, and voted themselves all sorts of work friendly goodies, such as affirmative action. And generally women don’t want to “marry down”, so that means two incomes are more of a social / political phenomena rather than an economic one.

john said,

My favorite durable, high quality product is a 4D flashlight made by Mag Instruments. It would be a stretch to say I use it daily, but I do use it weekly. It can take a lot of abuse and is still functions the same as when I bought it.

My grandfather was a police officer, and he still has his Mag that saw 30 years of use on the job. It’s scratched and banged up, but still works fine.

Another nice feature is that their website has a very detailed instruction guide for replacing parts if they should break. I’ve never needed to do this, but knowing I could repair it myself makes the product even more valuable to me.

justyn said,

I still have and use hand tools I bought when I was on the spanners up to 18 years ago (Snap on, Britool, Craftsman and stahwille)that excludes the stuff my Dad passed on to us, most of which my brother still uses daily in his auto shop business (someone has to keep the old Land Rovers of the world running) they reckon that at least one part from 96% of Land Rovers ever build is still in use on a Land Rover today (1950’s ones are still used as the main transport in places like Darjeeling, India)
I have a leatherman tool that goes with me everywhere (had my original one stolen, but even this one is 5+years and has seen extensive use)
A Maglite torch I will agree with 100%
I have just replaced my sunglasses, I have very light blue eyes, sensitive to sunlight, the Vaurnet glasses I use still have glass lenses, the last pair I have just replaced are still going strong, but they had rather too much weld spatter and grinding spark marks on them to be doing my eyes much good in the long term! I use the ones with Nautilux lenses and this last pair took daily use and abuse for 10 years.
I have a small travel bag, made by a small manufacturer in Zimbabwe,(Fereday and Sons) which I still use on my working travels after 19 years, haven’t managed to find a replacement, every other I have tried has died within 6 months (I have lived and worked throughout Southern Africa and Russia and the CIS for quite a 14+ years lots of travel)
I agree on quality and not replacing anything often, good stuff does last, I have 3 work shirts, that although a bit worn, still look very presentable after 15 years (Lowe Alpine Wilderness Shirts) and are unmatched in hot and humid climates!!

Robyn said,

I have a very old AT&T phone. Not rotary, but push-button, old desk version, grayish. I bought it 20 years ago and I love it. I like that I can hold the receiver to my ear and still “dial”. Interesting how that term is still hanging on even tho we all “push” or press the numbers. People comment on my old phone when they see it. I don’t have a cell (got rid of it in ’02) and have no intention of getting another.

Also have a few pots handed down from my mom that must be 30+ years old. Revere Wear.

Marlene said,

I have a 2007 Toyota Corolla, purchased new. I went against the advice and purchased it new because when I did the same thing in 1989, I finally got a car that didn’t take up all my disposable income in repairs. That 1989 Toyota Tercel lasted until 2006 when it didn’t pass emission inspection. I should have traded it in two years before but spent over $3,000 for a rebuilt transmission or new, whatever. Learned my lesson. The repair was not worth having the car for only 2 years.

I have a Magnavox 13″ TV in my bedroom that I watch every day – it is 15 or 16 years old. I don’t think Magnavox makes good TV’s anymore though, and I don’t think you watch TV anyway, so….

Sharp Microwave is about 11 years old. Don’t think it looks like it is going to bite the dust anytime soon.

I even have clothes that I have been wearing for the past 25 years. Tops that were once favorites -then just wore around the house and to the store, now have become PJ tops.

In 2002 or 2003 I bought a new refrigerator, even though I didn’t really need one. I wanted the energy efficiency. It was a Kenmore. I had to call Sears to find out the age of the refrigerator being replaced – it had been my mothers. She had purchased it in 1972, it was also a Kenmore. I don’t think she ever had to have it repaired.

I always check consumer reports though when I buy almost anything over $100 – you can sit in the library and read to your hearts content.

I also have an old push button telephone, purchased from the telephone company – whoever they were at the time. I just didn’t realize it was like an antique. I guess I don’t notice people’s phones in their houses, so I am kind of “out of it.” Probably because they are using cells, but I just don’t think about it.

LivinlavidaIraq said,

I am still using the fist set of pots my paternal grandmother bought when they came to the US in the 50’s. Nice thick cast iron with a thick enamel coating, a few are chipped a little around the rim, but they cook great.

My maternal grandmother still has her first phone. She was so proud of telling me how she was the first one on the block to own her phone instead of renting it.

My jeep is an ’86 my parents bought in ’88, and outside of a small oil leak runs great. I was even thinking of putting a new paint job on it before it gets much more rust (20+ years of FL sun will ruin any paint)
My dad swears by his ’72 Mercades, but hes a good mechanic and knows more about diesel engines than I do. We both love craftsman hand tools since theyre so easy to exchange anything that breaks.

I have my grandfathers 1960’s craftsman mower, rebuilt the engine a time or 2 and patched the deck. Compared to newer mowers its truly a lawn tractor I’ve used on bunches of projects.

I’m looking into building my own home, possibly as early as next summer if I can find the right piece of land. Right now this my number 1 choice:
http://www.aidomes.com/
Theyre super energy effecient, should last just about forever and have low maintnance costs. I don’t want to move around a lot once I have a house of my own. I’m an AG student and facinated with permaculture and environmentally friendly design with long term project goals.

Well thats my 2 cents.

Judy @ Straw Cottage said,

My family of 4 has lived very well on what others throw away or donate. We have never made over 65,000, have only house debt and 2 kids in college. Thrift stores have been our mainstay for clothing (and I like to be fashionable) and household goods. I’m amazed at the actual prices of things when I venture into a “real” store.

Mo said,

I’m not convinced that quality of life or standard of living has decreased since the 60s or 70s. Certainly this doesn’t seem to be true in the southern part of the country. I didn’t have air conditioning until the very end of the 70s, and that is a big quality of life factor in the south. Compared to now, life expectancy was about 8 years less, and you were in a bind if you were allergic to penicillin back then. More people may have lived on one income, but they didn’t necessarily get more in return. Houses were smaller, and lacked some of the amenitites we take for granted now. No one had a microwave, and many didn’t have clothesdryers or dishwashers. Houses were around 1100-1500 sq/ft, and many had only one bathroom.

I think one of the great aspects of modern life is that if you strip away all of the superfluous, cheap, disposable garbage, and live life simply, you can live a much better life than people experienced in the 60s. Live in a 1960s size home, update it for energy efficiency, get rid of cable, manage with 1 reliable modern car, and you can have a great life on the cheap.

As for your question about quality made household items that are used regularly, I have found that Ethan Allen make very durable dining room sets and kitchen tables. The wood seems to be good quality and well made. Our 20 year old tables look almost new despite regular use. There is a strong second hand market for this brand, and I think that suggests a high level of enduring quality. Not many of the mass produced home furnishings are sought after as second hand items even if 20 years old, but Ethan Allen products often are.

freydaddie said,

I have an Eastpak backpack purchased in 1991. I have abused it ever since then. The straps finally started fraying…so I sent it to them and they repaired and shipped it back to me for free.

Dr. Marten’s shoes has a new line called “for life.” Buy the shoes once, and any time they need repair, just send them to Dr. Marten’s and they will fix or replace them. Not bad for 130 bucks.

Jacob said,

Thanks everybody! Keep’em coming. I’m making a large list which I will post eventually.

john said,

Another favorite of mine is a Weber Kettle charcoal grill. Mine has never let me down and it’s older than I am. A neighbor had it laying next to his shed and gave it to me while I was an undergrad.

A new one is $118, but since they only consist of about 7 pieces, a few refurbishments (new grates and cleaning with a garden hose) can turn a used one into something as good as new.

The company that makes these originally made metal marker bouys for Lake Michigan. Eventually, someone realized the shape was conducive to grilling, and they started making these. Needless to say, they are very durable and last a long time.

The obvious caveat is that one must like using charcoal for fuel. My theory is people get one of these as a gift, try it a few times, hate using charcoal and throw it in their back yards so they don’t offend the in-law that gave it to them.

Kevin M said,

I’m only 34, so my definition of durable may be somewhat short, but I’ve found these items to be useful:

1998 Jeep Cherokee purchased in 2002 – runs like a champ. Just regular oil changes and a new set of tires and it goes and goes. Throw in the classic Jeep design and I’ll keep it until it dies – only at 150k miles right now.

Merkur double-edged razor. I got sick of disposables going into the trash, so I picked one of these up last year. Takes some getting used to, but I like it. Plus, it’s got a “cool factor” unlike a little plastic razor.

Cast iron skillets – work great and don’t have nasty teflon that flakes off. Iron good, cancer bad.

I totally agree with you on homes become bigger, but infinitely uglier. We are having a hell of a time trying to find a new home to buy this spring. My hope is everyone is waiting until after Easter to put them up for sale (since that’s what we’re doing).

Rosie said,

Ok, not really on topic, but thought you might get a kick out of this recent article about income levels in Canada. For all those who say it can’t be done, 40% of Canadians in 2006 were living on less than $25K a year. And although this is a mainstream article, it suggests that we should be spending on quality instead of distraction…

http://finance.sympatico.msn.ca/savingsdebt/johncaspar/article.aspx?cp-documentid=18994327

Mo said,

I had a coworker from Texas a few years back who always wore the same boots to work. They seemed very versatile and appropriate for many situations. I asked him once how old the boots were, since they looked relatively new, and he said 12 years. The soles had been replaced twice.

I don’t own any quality western style boots, but perhaps another reader will know some quality brands to recommend. Apparently some of these boots are made to very high quality standards and are incredibly durable. Also, there are people willing to repair them when worn, rather than the “disposable” shoes most of us wear.

Will said,

1992 Buick Roadmaster – 320,000 miles. Still gets 20 miles per gallon. 1997 Mercury Mountaineer – 210,000 miles. The key? Synthetic oil and changing the transmission fluid every 30 to 60,000 miles, also with synthetic fluid.

Insurance Izzy said,

Quality items are definitely the way to go. Even as far as food, eating healthier expensive things is better long term because your overall health will be better. Eating cheap McDonald’s food will give you a heart attack.
A lot of people get rid of quality items just because they’re a little old. Cruising the streets on garbage day can yield some good finds.

csdx said,

Hmm being a homeowner has taught me “things fall apart” (the center cannot hold). Repairs and maintainence require time (money) to do. Moreso because a human has to diagnose the issue and then fix it. But to mass produce something, once you have an invariant process, just fire up the machine and it’ll spit out tons of widgets. So for simple things cost to repair quickly rises above that of the cost to replace.

But I find most things are willing to last as long as I’ll tolerate them. I’ve had a cheap hanes shirt for near 10 years. Started as a regular shirt, then became a work shirt, and now serves life as several rags. I’ve got a 8 year old laptop I still fire up on occasion. I’ve even had a set of cheap Ikea furniture last me through college and several apartments. It only left because now that I have a house I was hit with the desire to have ‘proper’ furniture that ‘would last’. But given the Ikea’s track record I’m willing to bet that was more just a self-justification to upscale my lifestyle. I’d say disposability is more a mindset of people than any inherent lack of quality in most products.

Also the guy with the Rolex? Spends $5k on it, then $200 more every couple of years to keep it repaired and working. The guy with the 25 watches, $625.

I do think we use much more nowadays. With the cars that only seem to last 10 years, I wonder what’s the mileage per year on old cars versus now. Maybe it’s just we’re driving far more on vacations and road trips and further to work everyday.

deegee said,

Like Marlene, I have a 2007 Toyota Corolla bought new. It replaced a 1991 Geo Prism (basically a Corolla) which I bought slightly used in 1992. It needed lots of costly repairs in its final few months, repairs I did not get much use from. But I did not spend a lot on repairs in the other 14 years so on balance it wasn’t that bad.

I have had my microwave oven since 1987. It has two settings – cook and defrost. It has a dial for its timer.

My main A/C I bought in 2000 which replaced one from the 1960s or 1970s (before I moved here; it came with the apartment because it is in its own wall sleeve). The fridge I replaced in 2001 after its predecessor conked out.

I have a dishwasher since 1993 but I don’t use it any more once I stopped working full-time (switched to part-time) in 2001 and had the time and energy to wash all my own dishes again.

I go through TVs every 7-9 years but my current one is working fine at 7 years. I picked up a used VCR at a garage sale last year for $5 to replace the previous one which died.

My PC is from 2001 but it may be next to go or at least get the hard drive replaced because of its capacity.

My telephone is from the mid-1990s which has speed-dial and its own set of push-buttons. It works fine. The answering machine is only a few years old but doens’t need those mini-cassette tapes.

My dinette set is 20 years old but works fine. I acquired some furniture drt cheap from my cousin when he moved just after I did.

I have some kitchenware going back 20-30 years, things I picked up as I moved from place to place in the 1980s and others left behind for me.

I would say our technology has advanced well but our lifestyles have become more costly. I mean, 30+ years ago hardly anybody (or nobody) spent $$ on cable TV, internet, VCRs, computers, or cell phones, so that money could be saved or maybe spent on less costly leisure activities.

Robert Muir said,

I like the way you’re bringing back the old articles. Although I wish you kept the date of the original comments intact.

My most used tool is a standard Swiss army knife with philips screwdriver and scissors. I sharpen my knives with a very inexpensive and long lasting system like this one:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000N35D2E/?tag=oildepletio03-20

I think it’s been mentioned before; a great site for some awesome tool recommendations is Kevin Kelly’s Cool Tools.
http://kk.org/cooltools/

As for a decreasing standard of living from the 60’s, I have to strenuously disagree. Transportation, to communications, to health care (naming just a few) have all increased in efficiency and effectiveness.

Cars in the 60’s required massive maintenance. Gaskets, linkages, carburetors, etc. required constant adjustment and rebuilding. There’s no need to go over how bad the American autos in the 70’s and early 80’s were. Nowadays, I replace the oil on a regular basis and have a mechanic do a once-over every couple of years and the car keeps on running. Soon we’ll have LED bulbs and one more maintenance pain will be eliminated. I have two Ford station wagons (97 Escort and a 2000 Tracer). The Escort has over 250k miles. I’ve had to get the top end rebuilt on each car at around the same mileage, but other than than, minimal maintenance. I love computer controlled fuel injection systems!

We’re still at the very beginning of the Information age. I have the barest glimmer of understanding about the collaborative benefits for scientists. Pre-Internet, many researchers would have to wait until journals published findings before finding out where other scientists were in their fields; now they can communicate and collaborate in real-time.

Yes, health care costs have increased, but then the “routine” procedures have greatly improved as well. Laser eye-care, knee replacements, by-pass surgeries are just a few of the procedures that are commonplace. A friend of mine was recently lamenting the slow progress of medical technology and I had to remind him that he had just had a knee replacement and his daughter had just had laser cataract surgery.

In the 60’s with no cable or satellite, OTA broadcasts were free for the three channels available (not that that was a bad thing). If you had a telephone, you sure didn’t make many long distance calls on your leased (no purchase allowed) AT&T dial telephone (any color available as long as it was black). No A/C. Food was a lot healthier though, since it was local and seasonal.

vga said,

What could have otherwise been a solid post was ruined by your assertion that 1960 was some kind of peak. Seriously 1960? Give me a break. Computers, the internet, all the medical advances?

Maybe you can’t grasp the magnitude of this, but if I was born in 1960 it is unlike that I would have survived. Should I have been lucky enough to live, I would have still been left significantly impaired.

AJ said,

One thing that I wonder about fathers handing down watches to their sons- do they just not have a watch after that? Or buy a new one?

naraj said,

What’s up Jacob. Kind of off the subject of your post, but what do you think about this guy’s grocery money-saving experiment?: http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2010/06/09/extreme-personal-finance-eating-well-on-one-dollar-a-day/ I thought about you when I read it and how it might add a little more variety to your diet and possibly even save you some money. It seemed a little complicated at first because I wasn’t sure how he found all the coupons without making a full-time job out of it, but then I found the website http://www.couponmom.com and it started to seem more realistic. These people appear to be eating for almost free. Any thoughts on if it’s a good fit for the ERE plan? Thanks.

Robert Muir said,

No, the father hands it to their son from their death bed. Then the son tears up, thanks the dad, and then places the beat up old watch in a place of reverence… the dresser drawer.

🙂

Jacob said,

@naraj – I was thinking of trying it out just to see how easy it was to learn. Dietwise, I’m not too sure about it since most coupons seem to be for preprocessed food. For anyone who eats preprocessed anyway, it seems like the way to go.

Jacob said,

In terms of whether the higher level of technology has been worth it, I stated my position in the first paragraph.

I don’t think it is worth doubling the work hours to gain internet, iphones, and lasik. Besides, Saturn V Rocket beats iPhone 😛

Robert Muir said,

Ah, but you might change your mind if you had glaucoma or a bum knee. 🙂

Surio said,

Jacob,
Thanks for recycling an old (and overlooked) post.
—

@vga,
I agree that use of 1960 does grate a little, but tell me some, was there anything as radical as that leapfrog that happened in terms of technology today as it happened back then?

I reiterate my early stance, the technology/medicine advances that we largely experience today can be easily lived without (except something so trivial and overlooked as access to clean drinking water and sanitation. If these fail, pestilence will wipe out entire cities in an instant)…. It would help if we were to engage in small experiments of our own as Jacob does to test this hypotheis. (I have done so, and hence my assertion that “Yes, We can” live without ;-)).

Regarding medical advances, less than 1% of the medical advances today is affordable to the larger population and, what’s life worth living for, if we’ve survived a certain (expensive) healthscare thanks to modern technology, only to find that we have to pay off the huge bill, for most of the rest of our (re-booted) existence!! 😕

@Robert Muir,
Clearly we humans also have a pre-determined shelf-life stamped on us, when we come out of the manufacturing plant… 😉 If we all lived all-rounded lives, most health-problems won’t even touch us (My grandparents were living examples of this, at a time when technology and medicine advances were not as great as now… so nothing will convince me otherwise).

Sure medical treatments for conditions you mention is great, but it is certianly not the end of the world. Where there’s a will, there’s certainly a way (Just one example of such determination. Thanks to Ryan Martin for pointing me to him).

Best,
Surio.
—

HSpencer said,

List of my best possessions:
(In perfect working order)
Item Age/Year

Coca Cola Machine 1955
Craftsman Table Saw 1962
Colt .45 M1911A1 1939
Craftsman Drill Press 1970
Dining Table/4 chairs/
Sideboard (Handmade) circa 1900
Ithaca 12 GA Shotgun 1950
Smith-Corona Typewriter circa 1940
7 Day Chime Clock (German) circa 1915
Switchblade Knife (illegal) circa 1940
Glass Lamp circa 1945
Floor Lamp/Tiffany Shade circa 1930
Pocket Watch Gold Inlay circa 1920

These are but a few of my favorite items. Many from the family.

Betting on the Future | Invest It Wisely said,

[…] is that as living standards rise and as the middle class in India and China grow and prosper, the pressures on our limited resources increase. In order to support increasing living standards and stave off decline, we’ll have to get […]

Sunday Link Love: 27th June 2010 said,

[…] On the universally declining standards of living at Early Retirement Extreme […]

conpewter said,

Looked into the “For Life” Doc Martens, turns out when you do need to get them repaired, you have to mail them to Doc Marten on your dime, and pay a $25 administration fee (subject to change of course…). Seems like a better idea to buy a really good pair of boots anywhere you like, and get to know the local cobbler.

MPassmore said,

Tracking back to the original post and companies producing “shoddy products” I could not agree more. I used to work for an Electronics Retailer and the sheer volume of products that we had returned was both absurd and depressing. After a few months in the role I decided to learn a bit more about why so many products seemed to have an inbuilt early failure and came across an article on Planned Electrical Obsolescence. I can’t find the original article but I have chucked a Wiki link in for those who are interested http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planned_obsolescence

I find that this is an unsustainable and blatantly dishonest/greedy method for companies to operate, but sadly the market and our culture supports this approach. What I found even more disappointing when I worked there was that when I suggested recycling returned products or donating them to free-cycle computer repair groups it was shot down. Apparently this type of behavior constituted theft from the company even though no money whatsoever was changing hands. Instead the products were destroyed to ensure that dumpster divers would find no value in raiding our bins (or so people could not try to return products repeatedly). Rather than recycle a product or develop longer lasting units we trash them and ensure that they go to landfill, I wonder why the environment has seen such massive degradation in recent times…?

Carl said,

The 1960s may have been a peak in living standards for educated white people in America. Who needs lots of labor saving devices when you can just pay a colored woman — who herself lives in a shack — to clean up your house. I dare say that the permanently tanned couple who live in the palatial old house next door with the plantation style two story columns might beg to differ on the 1960s being the peak of prosperity.

Nowadays the upper middle classes pays high taxes so the poor can wreck public housing projects and smoke crack.

Neither arrangement is optimal, IMO. Replace the welfare system with either a negative income tax or a basic income guarantee and the upper middle class could afford servants again, but the servants would be better paid (and have more options for career advancement compared to the 1960s).

We also pay a lot for environmental regulations, but we’re getting something in return: clean air and water. I can remember when you could see the air in cities like Richmond VA or Washington DC. No longer. Cars are a LOT cleaner and so are factories.

The energy crisis is a security issue more than an energy issue per se. Breeder reactors could provide enough electricity to heat our McMansions with resistance heating while keeping a few windows cracked for fresh air. The problem is how to keep bac guys from getting hold of chemically separable fissionables. The thorium folks think the gamma emissions from U232 would make U233 an impractical bomb material. Maybe so for a terrorist cell. But what about for a government?

As for long lasting stuff, why bother? When the repair man made less per hour than the assembly line workers who made the original object, it paid to repair. When the assembly line workers are in China making a tiny fraction of a local repair man’s hourly wage, it pays to replace. Duh.

Starbucks, Blockbuster and Friday Round Up June 25 | OutOfYourRut.com said,

[…] at Early Retirement Extreme had a thought provoking post this week, On the universally declining standards of living. While we focus heavily on micro strategies to squeeze more out of each dollar on personal finance […]

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