You Learn Something New Everyday!

Dearest Darling Readers,

Hello, I have a question for all of you readers out there...have you ever bought the newest or coolest gadget, or even some trendy clothes? The answer for most of us is probably yes, if you haven't and you don't fall prey to those kinds of things, good for you. But, if you're like most teenagers out there, and can't help but try to fit in with the "cool kids," you've probably done this. We can't all still be rocking the Nintendo 64 and Gameboy Advanced. Anyway, my second question is has an even newer version of the thing come out, just when you finally get used to how the clothes fit, or you can finally work the gadget?
Isn't that the worst feeling? You finally feel comfortable and then suddenly you're a loser again. (just kidding you readers aren't losers) Well this business tactic is called Planned Obsolescence and was started in the 1920s. It consists of designing a product to purposefully become obsolete in a few years. Now granted, in this day and age that process has sped up. Apple comes out with a new version of a gadget every few months and car companies make slight changes to models every year. See you do learn something new everyday.
But anyway, this has been going on for a very long time...and i don't like it, personally. If you do...well OK then to each his own. I won't judge you...much. I don't think it's fair that companies create a product with the sole purpose of creating a product that's better than it. If you buy that new gadget, for a while you're cool, or at least you feel that way. When the new version comes out though, you go from cool to an out of date wanna-be with the snap of some greedy CEO's fingers. Because that's all this business practice is really about: greed.
The big companies want more money, so they create a product with bugs in it and release it without working them out. Then, after it's been released the company starts to work out the bugs. And once it's a huge hit they release a version with "fewer bugs." Then the process begins again. Lather, Rinse, Repeat.
And everyone just blindly falls for it because they want to be cool. Companies play on people's need to fit in to make as much money as they can. For those of you who don't fall prey to their Dark Side mind tricks, I applaud you. You don't believe their lies about cookies. I know I have fallen for it a couple of times, and now the only things that those products are good for are paper weights and, in the case of clothes, cat scratch toys.
Yeah I can understand the true economic side of the argument, that these companies need the money to stay in business and pay their employees. But, coming out with a new product every few months is just ridiculous. If you must practice planned obsolescence then return to the way it was in the 1920s, where a new product came out every few years.
For those big companies and their greedy CEOs, there's a lot more to life than making money and playing on the insecurities of the population. So go home and play with your kids, or your pets. Just stop messing with our minds and selling in adequate products.
Thank you for listening to (reading) my annoyed rant...and pay attention next time a new product comes out, wait for the third or fourth version before you truly consider buying it, at least. But, really don't fall prey to this, just keep rocking the equivalent of a Nintendo 64 (or the actual Nintendo 64, I know I do).
~Freak