Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Back in my day...

Everything was better... They don't make 'em like they used to. I know I'm not the only one tired of hearing these hollow maxims. People continue to propagate the idea, based on scant evidence, that everything used to be better. Consumer electronics, household appliances, books, movies, people, and society in general. Typical examples of proof of this include the television bought years ago that outlasted two newer ones, or classic films from back in the good old days compared to the tripe that's out in abundance right now.

Bollocks. This is simply not true - at least, not based on the so called 'evidence'. I'm not going to comment on people and society except to say that I think they sucked just as much in the old days, it's just that back then the world wasn't as connected and people weren't as aware of how much everything sucked. I will, however, take a closer look at manufactured products and entertainment.

Do people actually keep track of all the old stuff they bought years ago that broke down? It's easy to point at the one item that survived for years, but what about all of those that didn't last? Did everything from the good old days survive? When someone buys 10 items today and 8 break down within a few years, it's immediately proof that these things are inferior. And 10 years from now, the 2 out of those 10 that did survive will be cited as proof that things made back in the 00s were better than all the crap being made in the 10s. Bah!

Is there any empirical evidence to show that electronic devices are of poorer quality today? And even supposing that they are, do we consider the comparative functionality and relative cost of what's available today? Seriously, most things made today are considerably better designed and useful, and often cost less in real terms. I can appreciate that in some cases additional complexity leads to problems (like, say, having moving parts like CD/DVD drives in video game consoles that result in them breaking down quicker than the old cartridge based ones), but that's a trade off between reliability and functionality that I find to be reasonable.

Then let us consider films. Apparently there were so many better films years ago than there are today. Were there? Or is it simply that the good films are remembered and the crap forgotten? When someone describes how crappy modern films are, I ask them to name an old classic. Then I ask them to name 10 other films from the same year as the film they named. They will almost certainly fail to do this, but they'll probably be able to name 10 films from this year (or last year) because they are CURRENT and still fresh in our minds! Bah! There's plenty of good stuff out there now, it's just that they'll only be widely recognized as classics decades from now. I will acknowledge, however, that the volume of output (or the ubiquity of output) seems higher these days, and assuming a constant ratio of good stuff to bad stuff, the sheer volume of crap can result in the impression that today's entertainment sucks more than yesterday's.

I realize that my arguments are just vague thoughts and that I lack any real evidence to support them other than hand wavy logic, but I contend that there's more thought behind what I've said than there is in the casually uttered 'modern stuff sucks' statement.

This must be my worst blog post ever, but I will not apologize. Everyone's entitled to the occasional rant...

8 comments:

sanity index said...

I don't know if they are "better," since technology has improved so much since way back when, but there's some truth to things lasting longer...

Don't you always hear from people that they don't make laptops like they used to?

We have a Sony radio/tape player that is 30+ years old, has endured several moves, and still works like a charm. That was THE only radio we had! On the other hand, a boombox I bought in 1995, which has a tape deck, has recently gone on the fritz. Still a pretty good run, though. That's my anecdotal evidence. :D

Antimatter said...

That's what I mean! If technology has improved, then the stuff using that technology today is inherently better! :D

I do hear stuff like that from people, that's what I was ranting about! Heh heh... I'm not saying that there's never any truth to these things. In the case of laptops, I've heard objective assessments that conclude that some newer ones are worse, like the IBM laptops which are now made by Lenovo.

But this is a specific thing, and I don't think it can be applied as a broad generalization. There may well be truth to the idea, but hearsay and anecdotes just aren't evidence. I can just as easily cite 'evidence' to the contrary, since I have had TVs and VCRs in the 80s that didn't last as long as ones bought in the 90s (and the newer products are substantially better)! :D That's MY anecdotal evidence.

A 30 year old tape player, now that is amazing! I'd wager it's an exception, not the norm! Have you kept track of all the other stuff from 30 years ago that did break down? 8) Besides, everyone knows that Sony's stuff sucks now...

sanity index said...

Problem is, things rarely break in my household, and there aren't that many gadgets. There is that 1 radio, which still works. There was a Sony TV that lasted 20+ years and finally broke about 20 years ago; its replacement lasted only around 10. A big floor fan that's also 30+ years old, still works. A table fan that's close to 40 years old, still works. Various desk lamps that are decades old, still work. I could go on. :D

So, no purchases of new equipment necessary. But there was a Panasonic VCR from the late 80s that lasted only to the 90s. Then there's my own laptop, which is about 4 years old and endured 3 changes in motherboards in its first 2 years. There is also a discman purchased in 1998 that stopped working about 2-3 years ago.

You can see why I fall into the group you're complaining of. ;)

Antimatter said...

Holy antiques Batman! So, you live in a museum!?! :D

Fair enough, I can see your reasoning. Truth be told, I haven't experienced fans (ceiling, desk, pedestal) actually breaking down, we've got ones from 15+ years to more recent ones all working great. Ditto with lamps. I think their simplicity has something to do with that! :D

In my experience all VCRs suck. We've had several National and Panasonic ones, Sony, and one from some other manufacturer. Average lifespan must've been 5 years, tops. The oldest one lasted the longest, but that was only because it was repaired many times. It became more economical to just buy a new one than to fix em. And strangely, the newest, cheapest one seems to be holding out better despite being from a no-name brand!

TVs, a National that lasted just over 10 (with some repairs), and a more recent Sony that's lasted 12 without a hitch! I've got another old Sony that still works but has problems...

Computers are notorious for breaking down, though I must confess my oldest one lasted longest. But they were also used much less, and my more recent machines have been assembled out of cheap components, so that's neither here nor there... :)

I don't know about where you're from, but around here I've observed that people use stuff a lot more these days. People from older generations seem to take care of their things better and use them more conservatively, which is also a factor to be considered! ;) (I know, I just won't let it go!)

sanity index said...

I don't live in a museum, but we do have plenty of antique-y things around here. :) My entire family takes care of our possessions; I'm especially anal about keeping things in good condition. And we're not all old folks. :P People here are notorious for excessive use and waste. We are just different.

We've also been recently gifted with another Sony TV - don't know how old this one is, but it has knobs and dials! Gotta be decades old. And it didn't originate with us. :D

My desktop computers last a long time; the only reason they go is because they're too slow and need to be retired, otherwise they never break. Laptops are just too fragile, I think, due to their inherent nature/design as laptops. :D

Antimatter said...

Heh heh, I'm anal about taking care of my stuff as well. Unavoidable circumstances just get in the way sometimes, preventing me from doing so! It's cool you have all that old stuff... there's something incredibly satisfying about having stuff last. :)

Knobs and dials! Cool! :D I've seen a few of those over the years. Never owned one sadly...

Dunno about laptops, but my record with desktops ain't great. Mind you, they usually go when it's nearing time to upgrade, and I usually cannibalize parts and use 'em with some new components and a shiny new case! Where I live is incredibly hostile towards electronics - warm, humid, dusty, unreliable and unstable power. Actually it's a miracle they last that long!

sanity index said...

I've had other people cannibalize old desktops for me, but never actually done it myself. It's kinda cool when you can say things like, "I have a master and several slave drives on my desktop" and laypeople have no clue what you mean. :D

Come to think of it, I lived in a hostile climate too - humid, warm, dusty, lots of bugs - could explain why my laptop needed so much fixing. Thank goodness for extended warranties.

Antimatter said...

You should try it. There's no stress quite like the stress associated with mucking about with your computer and then watching as it make ominous beeeps and fails to start up! Aaah, happy times!