How is it to the benefit of everyone? Can you explain it please?
Discussion
The incentive to the (greedy) capitalist is to create a product which best serves his (greedy) customers. The better the product, the more customers. It's a win-win situation.
What we usually have though, to give an example, is an "army" that works in advertisement and marketing, to convince us that we need a product, while at the same time the product is designed in a way that it breaks after some time and it needs maintenance, so that the producer gains more money from after sales or from the purchase of a new product. And that's also a huge waste of resources etc. Let's face it. Capitalism benefits whoever is privileged in the private sector and it's all about the profits of the private sector. There is no benefit for all... That's a wishful thinking.
You are confusing individual morality with a some major flaw in an economic system. I am convinced that capitalists can be morally-upright and honest actors.
Every system benefits the already-privileged because the world is not a Utopia, but capitalism results in more benefits for more people than any other system.
no, i'm just responding to the presence of extortion in your expression there, which was not material really, but i just wanted to point out that criminal activity reduces market efficiency
I can't tell who that was in response to.
I am not at all convinced about the second paragraph. I will argue the opposite. There are indeed capitalists that are morally upright etc but the capitalist system pushes them the other side.
Also, consumer have consistently refused to buy longer-lasting products at a higher price, so it's disingenuous to make it seem like anyone is being sneaky here.
When someone invents a longer-lasting product at the same or lower price, the consumers will buy their product. And not a moment sooner.
in the case of UHT milk it lasts longer but the processing destroys the value of the food entirely
Yes, but I was thinking more about cars and computers and clothes.
A lot of things have simply become lifestyle items and most people don't want to wear the same shoes for 15 years. They wouldn't pay three times the price to get the shoes to last 3 times as long. Same thing with cell-phones. They like getting a new phone every 2 years. They get upset, if you suggest they keep using the old one, since it's paid off.
Could this change? Probably not, in the near-term, as everyone is poorer now, so they can't afford the longer-lasting version, even if they wanted it.
yeah, unfortunately i precisely want the boots that last 15 years but probably never gonna happen until i either become a leatherworker or i live near one who is happy to make them for me and keep them nice
also the same for the tailor, that would be nice
we live in a situation where the main costs of providing such custom clothing services are cheap due to automation on small scales but still waiting for the penny to drop to people that we don't need to live in an industrial society anymore, with its standardisation and one size fits all mentality
I think redwings apparently last this long or longer. With resoling obviously.
*assuming they are still made how they used to be made. Which is very often not the case, sadly
Red wing? Didn't know them. Thanks. I like very much MEINDL. CRISPI also...
I have my computer since 2013. Use linux 😜
That depends on the customer, the case etc.
But yes, not everyone is sneaky. Good that you mentioned that 👍