View Full Version : Why is this world a heap of shit?
Rare Bird
17-06-2010, 15:14
Everything you buy these days regardless of how much it is be nothing but crap.Stereo's, cars, household appliances etc etc...Exceptions of course but they are very few & far between, even so you have to pay idiot prices to obtain something thats more that likley stuffed with cheap crap anyway.You can still buy stuff over 40 years old that still works, be a miracle if something lasts a fraction of that
People who argue against it obviously don't know quality
On a simular note I would love to live out in the middle of nowhere totally away from gagets & technology, you know the days when you had to use a phone box instead of a mobile phone.I try very much not to mingle with modern society & influences but it's hard..
Just a moan cos i'm pissed off with it all.
But it's such a nice day! :lolsign:
As I read this, rather prophetically, the end of "God Save the Queen" as covered by Nouvelle Vague - the refrain:
No future, no future,
No future for you
No future, no future,
No future for me
No future, no future,
No future for you
No future, no future
For you
(repeat to fade...)
I swear I'm not making this up!
Sounds more like the pistols!
prestonchipfryer
17-06-2010, 19:31
Yeah know what you mean everything seems to be total c**p nowadays or maybe it's me
Sorry Mike, yes - it is the Pistols, but as covered by French lounge/bossa nova group Nouvelle Vague... If you've never heard of them (guessing you haven't!) they do covers of punk/new wave, but in a completely different style - I loves 'em - YMMV!
http://open.spotify.com/artist/4h7NLIlg1oYdEtfQJfyto0
Mark Grant
17-06-2010, 20:19
I dont do crap :)
I know what you mean Andre, nearly everything is built as cheaply as possible from the cheapest possible parts with the cheapest labour from the Far east and is often made from recycled second hand materials.
Although most people demand cheap products so the companies build cheap products.....
Mark.
Covenant
17-06-2010, 20:24
Andre, you are being a miserable old bugger twenty years before your time. Years ago there were just as many crap things as there are now. Take British Leyland as just one example (Dont get me going about my Austin 1300GT). What about food? Remember the spam egg's and spam sold at motorway cafe's? Coffee-20 years ago I would defy you to get a drinkable cup of coffee anywhere in the UK. What about the way people were treated if you were not white and middle class?
look around, there are lots of good things to balance the bad. Dont be afraid of change-enjoy it.
Andre, you are being a miserable old bugger twenty years before your time. Years ago there were just as many crap things as there are now. Take British Leyland as just one example (Dont get me going about my Austin 1300GT). What about food? Remember the spam egg's and spam sold at motorway cafe's? Coffee-20 years ago I would defy you to get a drinkable cup of coffee anywhere in the UK. What about the way people were treated if you were not white and middle class?
look around, there are lots of good things to balance the bad. Dont be afraid of change-enjoy it.
Bah Hum Bug!!!
The world belongs to Sam Waltons Walmart.
There has always been high end stuff/middle of the road stuff and cheap shit stuff the problem is the middle of the road stuff has shifted to cheap shit aswell.
Leaveing us with high end or crap.
Rare Bird
18-06-2010, 15:36
I dont do crap :)
You don't it's about time their were more like you :)
Where abouts in Yorkshire are you Mark?
aquapiranha
18-06-2010, 16:17
I will hopefully soon be living in a semi-rural idyll. Well, it is at least very picturesque, nestling next to the winding river Roe and within rolling hills and glens. One shop, no pubs (yipee) and at night it is very, very quiet, silent in fact other than the occasional murmer from a distant farm animal. Of course all the modern trappings are still there- broadband, TV (don't bother with that though) electrickery and running water! but, and this is the clincher for me, when you get back you can relax, absolutely relax and that for me is golden.
this post in relation to Andre mentioning no phone etc... On the subject of quality I think lots of things were made 'better' years ago because there was simply not the same attitude towards profit we have today where every spare penny must be saved, every corner cut to maximise profit and minimise production costs. This is why I think truly well made modern items cost a packet.
Rare Bird
18-06-2010, 16:37
Give me Tom & Barbara Goods life anyday..
Ali Tait
18-06-2010, 16:39
Yes agreed,years ago the focus was on producing the best product at the price.Now it's about selling the cheapest possible product for the most money.
aquapiranha
18-06-2010, 16:41
Give me Tom & Barbara Goods life anyday..
I will settle for Barbara... used to love her when I was a kid! :stalks:
Mark Grant
18-06-2010, 17:32
You don't it's about time their were more like you :)
Where abouts in Yorkshire are you Mark?
Walkington, East Yorkshire
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&q=walkington&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Walkington,+Beverley,+United+Kingdom&gl=uk&ei=Gq0bTK-mO4X40wT_rMSNCQ&ved=0CB8Q8gEwAA&ll=53.820314,-0.487175&spn=0.130722,0.329247&z=12
A village with 3 pubs :cool: ( Not that I use any of them very often)
http://walkington-news.org/default.aspx
Mark.
I will hopefully soon be living in a semi-rural idyll. Well, it is at least very picturesque, nestling next to the winding river Roe and within rolling hills and glens. One shop, no pubs (yipee) and at night it is very, very quiet, silent in fact other than the occasional murmer from a distant farm animal. Of course all the modern trappings are still there- broadband, TV (don't bother with that though) electrickery and running water! but, and this is the clincher for me, when you get back you can relax, absolutely relax and that for me is golden.
this post in relation to Andre mentioning no phone etc... On the subject of quality I think lots of things were made 'better' years ago because there was simply not the same attitude towards profit we have today where every spare penny must be saved, every corner cut to maximise profit and minimise production costs. This is why I think truly well made modern items cost a packet.
It would be the fulfillment of my dreams Steve.:)
In fact working on it.My father left a legacy, the old house (actualy 103 years old).For some years, when kids grow up,definitely going to move there.There is no better than to wake up and lie down with the chirping of birds .I still have plenty of work around house.At the end of summer maybe put some pictures.
It is a small mountainous region, with plenty of trees around.10 minutes from a small town.Small vineyards, small orchards...peace in heaven.
The only problem that I see at the moment is no running water.Only rainwater,collected in tanks.:(
Regards,
aquapiranha
18-06-2010, 22:13
It would be the fulfillment of my dreams Steve.:)
In fact working on it.My father left a legacy, the old house (actualy 103 years old).For some years, when kids grow up,definitely going to move there.There is no better than to wake up and lie down with the chirping of birds .I still have plenty of work around house.At the end of summer maybe put some pictures.
It is a small mountainous region, with plenty of trees around.10 minutes from a small town.Small vineyards, small orchards...peace in heaven.
The only problem that I see at the moment is no running water.Only rainwater,collected in tanks.:(
Regards,
I bet most rainwater is just as clean as tap water! I am guessing from your description it is not in the UK? sounds nice better weather too I bet.
Rare Bird
18-06-2010, 22:18
Love to go croatia but not sure where to go, gotta be able to get the Venice without too much hastle so it'll have to be the North of the country
aquapiranha
18-06-2010, 22:19
Why, what's in Venice? other than boats and canals obviously....
Rare Bird
18-06-2010, 22:22
Why, what's in Venice? other than boats and canals obviously....
My thoughts entirly..but somewhere the wife always wanted to go
I would not bet.Although in Croatia is still a large amount of quality water (we still do not buying water in the store) I fear that will change too.:steam:
No it is not in UK. :lolsign: Only thirty minutes from my home.
Regards,
I was like "so what?" until I went there - blew me away - (especially the food & drink prices! :stalks:) Amazing place, though wrecked by tourism I guess.
aquapiranha
18-06-2010, 22:27
My thoughts entirly..but somewhere the wife always wanted to go
Right. Just wondered is all.
Spectral Morn
18-06-2010, 22:28
I will settle for Barbara... used to love her when I was a kid! :stalks:
Yes there is something about Felicty Kendal, particularly later on when she was in a sitcom called the Mistress.
Regards D S D L
Love to go croatia but not sure where to go, gotta be able to get the Venice without too much hastle so it'll have to be the North of the country
I think I told you before.Just give me a call.:) Really!
I was like "so what?" until I went there - blew me away - (especially the food & drink prices! :stalks:) Amazing place, though wrecked by tourism I guess.
Is this refers to the Venice or Croatia?
Spectral Morn
18-06-2010, 22:49
getting back on topic.
Went into town today in order to get photos for a new driving licence (is it really 10 years. Next time its the big 55 :() anyway I went into HMV and thought I had walked into Dixons. No CDs well a few among the few DVDs on the shelves but the rest of it was a tech zone. Now why HMV is doing what Dixons does better is beyond me but the big issue was no music :(
So I thought okay its upstairs, so up the escalator I went and yep it was upstairs. I looked around in total horror, there was about a third less on display than there had been, and when it had been downstairs it was shrunk a bit, with DVDs on the shelves as well.
I must have had a right look on my face as a member of staff came up to me and asked if he could help. "Yes" I said "where is the music section ?" He looked gormless. I then said how horrified I was to see no music downstairs and a vastly shrunk music section. "You do know" I said "that some of us out there don't download" etc etc...he didn't care and walked off.
The Jazz, soundtracks, Classical section virtually gone, Dance was shrunk a bit and rock and pop was well reduced and stock so tightly packed you could not get it out of the display racks. On a positive there was some vinyl.
I walked out in disgust.
So the writing is on the wall, all the things I once held dear and enjoyed doing are to be replaced by computers and downloads what a terrible future. All I can say is support your independent and S/H music stores or frankly and please excuse the language we are all right royally fucked :(
Stop the world I want off...this is no longer my world.
D S D L :(:steam:
Rare Bird
18-06-2010, 22:54
here here..i hate this world it's utter bollox...
aquapiranha
18-06-2010, 23:02
There are some things I don't like about the world too. There are some things that you have no control over, even some things that have control over you. So you can either throw in the towel, or face it head on, I prefer to face it, at least until I know what I do will never make a difference. I have not had a bad life really, it could have been happier I suppose, but I am betting I could have made it happier myself, if I had a more positive attitude toward some situations and people.
Spectral Morn
18-06-2010, 23:08
There are some things I don't like about the world too. There are some things that you have no control over, even some things that have control over you. So you can either throw in the towel, or face it head on, I prefer to face it, at least until I know what I do will never make a difference. I have not had a bad life really, it could have been happier I suppose, but I am betting I could have made it happier myself, if I had a more positive attitude toward some situations and people.
Oh Steve I am going to do something, complain...as my Dad says " I feel a letter coming on....."
Your last bit I agree with totally but hind sights a great thing and you tell yourself you will do better or not make that mistake again etc, etc but guess what you do....that's life I guess you can only do your best and sometimes its not enough....
Regards D S D L
Rare Bird
18-06-2010, 23:09
We can't keep adapting our lives, ways & hobbies towards new fangled faddy fashions created by idiots with brainwaves, they are putting us through all the time.
I prefer to hang on to the past, i was more happy when i was a young lad.
Spectral Morn
18-06-2010, 23:11
We can keep adapting our lives, ways & hobbies towards new fangled faddy fashions created by idiots with brainwaves, they are putting us through all the time.
I prefer to hang on to the past, i was more happy when i was a young lad.
I do agree with the first part but not the last, as I am much happier now, than when I was a lad.
Regards D S D L
Andre,
Did you write Catcher in the Rye ?
Perhaps it might please some on here to know that none of this feeling that things modern are crap is in any way new, in fact it has been said that 90% of everything is crud for a while now at least according to one Theodore Sturgeon:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sturgeon%27s_Law
Perhaps it might please some on here to know that none of this feeling that things modern are crap is in any way new, in fact it has been said that 90% of everything is crud for a while now at least according to one Theodore Sturgeon:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sturgeon%27s_Law
Of course, it goes back longer than that; to the ancient Greeks at least. Every generation thinks the world is going to Hell in a handcart, that things were better when they were younger, or in their parents' time. Compared to my parents I've had it easy, but maybe a tougher upbringing would have been better for me, who can say?
Some things are better, some things are worse, but personally I'm horrified to see the revival of 70s interior decor because that was truly abysmal in its time, and age hasn't improved it; all clashing colours and abstract patterns.
anthonyTD
19-06-2010, 08:46
hi all,
as for most modern items made to a cost being crap, i totaly agree! unfortunetly the mindset of the majority of the british public demand everything but dont want to pay realistic prices for it so my friends what we are left with is a product of our own making! but then you say well,,, i didnt want this or that etc, but your not seeing the big picture, we are all brain washed every day with subtle subliminal messages everywhere we go, adverts for this, adverts for that etc, if we continue to live in the real world i am afraid we cant escape it. me,,, i try not to buy stuff i dont realy need or want, but if i do buy something i make sure its of the best quality i can afford because i expect it to last and last, unfortunetly the cost of such items are way beyond what most folk are prepaired to pay because they have gotten into the mindset that ohh,,, i have seen that cheaper etc, etc, but we all know you only get what you pay for, if its cheap, its crap!
i try to use the same mentality in everything i make, its not for most folk, but then i am not interested in pandering to the superficial needs of "most folks" i realy hope that one day the mentality of industry and people in this and other countries will change and realise that the best method is to make things better in order for them to last longer, but accept that they will be a lot more expensive to start with. as andre and others have acknowledged, every day things made half a century ago tended to last a lot longer than the stuff made today, but i suspect one of the reasons for this is: people appreciated things more back then because they were harder to come by, hence one of the main reasons why some of those items still survive today.
anyway, i think its good for like minded people to have a moan about issues like this from time to time, its a re-assurance for some that they are not alone in their thinking!:)
A...
Rare Bird
19-06-2010, 10:23
Andre,
Did you write Catcher in the Rye ?
:ner:
Rare Bird
19-06-2010, 10:54
Great post Anthony
Skilsaw modle 77 type 16 (the saw that built America)
They make a light weight modle but not the old heavy monster that has lasted me more than 20 years.
I'm told the new modle is much lighter and easy to carry around and cheaper.
For years the ol 77 was on every job site in America and now they don't even offer replacement parts.
I like to buy quality when I can and if it means buying new crap I'll often look for something used of better quality.
I do think there is still some good stuff being made but there is alot less of it than there used to be and not as easy to find.Most stuff here now is very cheaply made chine knock offs of better stuff,and even the new better name brands are made in china.
The old Eureka upright vacuum cleaners of comercial grade have been made the same for decades and can be kept running for ever by just replaceing the motor assembly ,brush roll or cord but now the new motors are being made in china and with 8 hour use 5 days a week they can go bad with in 90 days.
Other side of the coin computers and TV's work better and are cheaper.
So like it or not it is what it is...
This world isn't a heap of shit. This world is an amazing place, full of natural wonders, beauty all around and people whose love and compassion for one another takes ones breath away.
Our system of living, on the other hand, leaves a lot to be desired - and it's this desire that propels us to fill the void within with ever more crap we don't need, and in doing so we hasten the potential demise of our species... I say our species as the world will continue. Even if we blew it up tomorrow, in geological and evolutionary scales the planet wouldd bounce back fairly quickly. Humanity may find it a bit harder ;)
But you have one thing right Andre - by stepping of the consumer merry-go-round (in terms of hifi at least) you've freed yourself from one potential snare. The trick, I think, is to (as far as is practically possible) choose to consciously live your life NOT at the mercy of consumerist pressure, and the orthodoxy of mainstream media. It's a hard path to follow though - but it can be done. And in doing so you'll meet many of the people on this planet who don't have the 'crock o' shite' mindset - who are actively creating lives that don't buy in to what we are sold. Meeting people like this makes you wake up to the fact there's another way of living, infinitely more fulfilling even if 'material riches' are less apparent. I'm not talking about hair-shirt hippies or dropouts, but many many ordinary people who've reconnected with friends, family and community in a much more meaningful way.
Choose to shop locally, if you can. Connect with your local shop owners, farm shops if you have them... get an allotment, even! Anything to take back some control and empower yourself. The 'crock o' shite' mindset is, I think, a lot to do with the way modern western living disempowers us because we're so distant from all the fundamental things that give our lives meaning - shelter, food, family and community. Take back control over any or all of these, even on a small scale, and you'll start to view the world in a different light.
Jason
Excellent post, Jason! :clap:
Marco.
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