When I moved back to Iowa I brought with me two new Shark vacuum cleaners. I was in love with them. They were of the upright type, were bagless and had a seemingly endless amount of configuration options. They were light, nimble and My mom kinda scoffed at them and told me she preferred her Electrolux Epic 6500. But mine were new, I thought. Why would she like an old, heavy, and let me say it ugly vacuum that still took bags that needed to be replaced.
The Electrolux Epic 6500
Well now that my mom is gone and so are the Sharks, I have begun to understand her love of her Electrolux. I was smart enough not to get rid of it (or the similar one she had upstairs) and when my Sharks both bit the dust I started using it. These machines just keep sucking until all of the dirt in gone.
Planned Obsolescence was not in play with this Electrolux model.
Gone are the days of products that last. I look around the farm and see lots of things that I remember being there as a kid that belonged to my grand-parents (maybe even my great-grandparents) – hoses, garden tools, lawn chairs (all metal), lawn mower (the kind without a motor), hedge trimmers, coffee pots and a whole lot more. When you bought something back then, you didn’t have to replace it – ever. This stuff still works two generations later. Now, everything is shit – and designed that way on purpose so you have to purchase it again. You’d think that with as much competition out there that quality products would be easy to come by, but I guess selling a product once to a customer isn’t enough anymore. Keeping anything in good working order anymore is virtually impossible.
Those vacuum cleaners built 30-50 years ago are still selling for $500, probably more than they were originally sold for. Why? Because even at 50 years old, that thing will last infinitely longer than a brand new one bought today.
Old vacuum cleaners can last generations.
Find one laying around? Don’t ditch it even if it doesn’t work – they are easily repaired and work better than anything you can buy today.
This is a long one. Grab a cup of coffee or a beer or something.
I hope that people reading this post understand that I am not trying to paint a picture where *all* members who identify as <said group> believe what I am claiming. There are no black and whites in anything – everything in this world is a shade of gray. Few absolutes exist, especially when discussing constructs of the human mind. What do I mean by this? For those of you who are having difficulty grasping this concept, let’s consider an example.
Let’s think about a room with no windows. The only source of light is a single bulb in the center of the room. If you go into that room and shut the door with the light off, it is pitch black. There is a switch on the wall that will turn on a light bulb that emits 20,000 lumens (a light so bright it would be difficult to see due to glare).
With the light off, you see nothing but black. Black is frightening, you have no idea what could be lurking in the corner, and without proper knowledge of what to expect, you cannot plan for necessary protective procedures. With the light on, you see nothing but glare. Although less scary than the black, it’s overwhelming to the point that removal of the stimuli becomes necessary for comfort. Let’s install a dimmer switch and see what that does.
Dimming the light a bit allows you to see shapes of objects in the room. Although you can’t fully see everything, you can get an idea of what might be in there. You become more comfortable. As you dim the light a bit further, you start to see further details. Objects become familiar, and those that aren’t familiar can be examined to gain the familiarity necessary for comfort. In the end, there is nothing in that room that would cause any harm. But one won’t feel comfort until that familiarity is experienced.
Now let’s apply this concept to ways of thinking. We can call them the same:
Black and White thinking
Shades of Gray thinking
Some examples of black and white thinking:
Personal Black and White Thinking
I failed the test, that means I’m stupid.
I’m didn’t complete this project perfectly, I am a complete failure
Black and White Thinking in Relationships
My partner didn’t text me back right away, they must not love me anymore.
My partner thinks he is sexy, I’m getting dumped.
Black and White Thinking at Work
I didn’t get the promotion, I’m a total failure.
I didn’t get a raise this year, I must be doing a very poor job.
Black and White Thinking in Morality and Ethics
People are either good or evil.
I made a mistake, I’m a terrible person.
Black and White thinking is thinking in absolutes. It creates stress and anxiety by making small problems seem huge. It limits personal growth by preventing learning from mistakes. It damages relationships by making people seem all-good or all-bad. It is the the source of discrimination, hatred of cultural, ethnic or affinity groups and is based on fear of the unknown.
Think about what happens when you first start a new romantic relationship. The potential for new love throws us into a state of black and white thinking (the honeymoon stage) where “blinders” force us to ignore red flags, personality flaws and potential relationship issues. Then when the “honeymood period” wears off, we see the reality of the situation.
Now let’s talk about Gray Thinking. Gray Thinking allows for more balance, understanding and flexibility. It leads to healthier emotions, better decision-making and when it comes to others, peace. It makes for a psychologically healthier mind, longer lasting and stable relationships, and a better world marked with peace, understanding and tolerance.
How do the examples above change when we switch our Black and White Thinking to Gray Thinking? Let’s have a look:
“I failed my test, but I didn’t study hard enough or devote enough time to learn the material. I can learn this and will improve on my next attempt.”
“I didn’t complete the project perfectly, but no one is perfect and everyone has thinks that they do better than others. I have strengths and weakness, just like everyone else.”
“My partner didn’t text me back right away, but it was right in the middle of the workday and there probably was a reason a response to my text was’t given immediately.”
“I didn’t get the promotion, but there were many candidates with more experience than I. I just wasn’t the best fit for the position. I am still valued at my current position.”
“I didn’t get a raise this year, but nobody in the company got a raise. The company probably had a need to cut back on financial obligations to cover all of the expansion efforts we completed last year.”
“All people have qualities and can be considered good or bad, and context of the situation does matter.”
Gray Thinking is NOT making excuses. It IS taking into consideration nuance, external factors, and middle ground. Gray Thinking is contemplative, Black and White Thinking is reactive.
Now that was a bit of a diversion, but necessary I believe for this conversation.
Consider these facts about me when evaluating your opinion of this article:
I am a gay, white male.
I have a degree in Psychology from an accredited, secular, and respected higher learning institution.
I was raised Protestant Lutheran (LCA, then ELCA). I was a lay minister in my teens, running the services most Sundays. I was circumcised, baptised, confirmed, and was active in church youth groups and attended youth conferences. It was widely expected that I would go to seminary after high school.
I believe in the tenets of Christianity. I do not consider myself a Christian.
I am an ordained minister.
I believe that there is a large group of people who call themselves Christians but do not follow the tenets of Christianity or practice the teachings of Jesus Christ.
This is all a result of gray thinking on my part. I don’t believe that religion is inherently bad, there are many, many good things that come out of religious beliefs and practices. I also believe that some people use a combination of religion and black and white thinking to cause a lot of harm to themselves, their relationships with others and the world at large.
I remember the exact moment when my thinking changed from black and white to gray. (and this is the exact reason why the powers that currently be do not want us to be educated). I was in a philosophy class in college and we were discussion religion. Something the professor said made be doubt the existence of the God I was brought up to believe in for a split second. I had so much guilt over that split second for months after it happened. I was convinced I was going to hell because I had a thought – a simple thought that ended up changing the course of my life. I came to the conclusion that I must have been brainwashed because no God that I would believe in would banish me to hell for having an original thought. I immediately flushed every thing I thought I knew about life, the universe, my existence, everything down the toilet and started over. This time I observed, I thought, I came to conclusions based on observable facts that I witnessed.
HUGE preface into my discussion on the United States moving towards a Christian Theocracy! Sorry for the squirrel, but I do have ADD and I do believe that the above was necessary before I continue.
Let’s start with some facts about the US Constitution.
The First Amendment to the US Constitution guarantees citizens the right to free speech, freedom of religion, the right to protest, the right to gather and prohibits laws restricting free press or favoring any particular religion.
Now keep in mind, this is not a law, it is ONE OF THE PRINCIPAL foundations of this country.
What is happening: Some powerful black and white thinkers are restricting free press by threatening, buying or bribing news agencies to report what they want the people to know. People aren’t exercising their rights to free speech because of fears of retaliation against our current administration. How many news articles have you read recently where quotes are from anonymous people who didn’t want their name to be published for fear of this retaliation? There are many. If you haven’t seen them, you aren’t reading.
Laws, policies and enforcement for years have provided favoritism for the Christian religion. Churches don’t pay taxes, are exempt from adhering to laws and maintain a large amount of power in our political system.
Project 2025 aims to replace our current political system with a Christian theocracy. What does this mean? Let’s break it down.
Definition
A Christian theocracy is a government where Christianity directly dictates laws, policies, and governance, often merging religious and political authority.
Key Features of a Christian Theocracy
Government Based on Christian Doctrine –> Laws are created and enforced according to Biblical principles rather than secular democratic processes. –> Religious leaders may have direct authority over political decisions.
No Separation of Church and State –> Unlike in democratic systems (such as the U.S., which has the First Amendment), a theocracy merges government and religion. –> Religious institutions control political power, often outlawing secularism and alternative belief systems.
Legal System Enforces Christian Morality –> Laws regulate personal behavior, marriage, education, and social norms according to Christian teachings. –> Certain rights and freedoms (such as LGBTQ+ rights, reproductive rights, or religious diversity) might be restricted or outlawed.
Religious Leaders Hold Power –> The government may be run by clergy, bishops, or other religious figures, or secular leaders may consult with religious authorities when making decisions.
Other Religions or Beliefs May Be Restricted –> Non-Christian faiths may face discrimination, legal restrictions, or even persecution. –> Religious pluralism and freedom of thought are often limited or eliminated.
Goals of Project 2025
Project 2025 is an initiative led by The Heritage Foundation, aiming to prepare a comprehensive conservative policy agenda for the next U.S. presidential administration. The project seeks to reshape the federal government and consolidate executive power to implement right-wing policies effectively.
Key Goals of Project 2025
Restructuring the Federal Bureaucracy: The initiative plans to replace nonpartisan federal employees with individuals aligned with conservative ideologies, thereby ensuring that the executive branch operates in accordance with conservative principles.
Expanding Executive Authority: Project 2025 advocates for increasing presidential powers to facilitate the swift implementation of its policy agenda, potentially at the expense of traditional checks and balances within the U.S. government.
Reversing Progressive Social Policies: The agenda includes rolling back rights and protections related to abortion and LGBTQ+ issues, aiming to enforce policies that align with conservative social values.
Promoting Fossil Fuels: A significant aspect of the project is to prioritize fossil fuel energy sources, including restructuring agencies like the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to support fossil fuel initiatives over renewable energy projects.
Eliminating Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives: The plan proposes dismantling programs focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion within federal agencies, viewing them as contrary to its policy objectives.
Noodle on that a minute.
What is happening now is that we are having a Christian Theocracy thrust upon us. Project 2025, Donald Trump and his administration and Elon Musk’s actions are a) completely in line with Project 2025 b) are completely OUT of line with the US Constitution and c) directly and immediately threaten our rights (everyone’s rights, not just marginalized groups) guaranteed to us by the Bill of Rights.
The Christians I know do not think like this. The Christians I know practice gray thinking. Either that, or they are good actors.
You can make a difference.
If we don’t act now, we won’t be able to act in the future because our voices will be silenced, our right to express our thoughts will be eliminated and our lives as we know them will be changed forever, and not for the better.
Donald has essentially eliminated the competition for your jobs. You can commence being incompetent, lazy and unproductive.
Not that every straight, white male is incompetent. That is far from the truth, but for those that are, there isn’t any worry that a woman or minority might get paid the same to do the same job anytime in the next four years.
But, you are going to have to start doing some things you aren’t used to. Like hard labor – things that were being done by undocumented immigrants who are no longer here or will be leaving soon. Thing agriculture, service industry jobs, meat-packing, cleaning, and construction jobs to name a few. Since the number of you that will have to come off of disability and re-join the workforce isn’t enough to cover the needed jobs, companies will have to raise wages to attract and retain workers which will cause the cost of virtually everything to increase. Throw in a tariff or two and wonder where your tax cut is (you’re don’t make enough to benefit from any of the tax cuts) and you’ve got a serious problem. Well, can’t women do some of this? No. Sorry – their new job is to be barefoot and pregnant and since abortion is no longer an option, you’ll have several more mouths to feed or a very high level of sexual frustration.
Let’s look at the situation in Iowa, a state that has been struggling with a labor shortage for some time. Iowa’s unemployment rate is 3.2%. There are currently 50,000 unfilled jobs in the state. Now let’s remove 150,00 people from the population (the estimated number of undocumented immigrants in the state). Let’s say 1/3 of those people work. Now we have 100,000 unfilled jobs, a loss of tax revenue (undocumented immigrants contribute $29,000,000,000 (yes billion) dollars to state and local government. So the end result is higher prices, higher inflation, slower production of our goods and a decline in population. Iowa is not growing without immigrants. BAD for the economy for sure.
Well, I guess there will be plenty of laid off federal workers that can take up the slack. With an estimated 209,000 layoffs so far, there should be plenty to fill in. I wonder what the unemployment rate is today? And what will happen without these federal workers? Where did they work?
Probationary workers, about 209,000 – mostly younger people have been let go.
The Department of Agriculture
Department of the Interior (parks): 2300.
Department of Education>: 60 so far, but Trump vows to completely dismantle the department.
Department of Agriculture
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: 100, but only because the courts stopped any more layoffs.
Department of Energy: 2000, including a lot from the National Nuclear Security Administration which manages our nuclear weapons.
Department of Health and Human Services: 1300 from the CDC were fired and additional firings happened at the NIH.
Department of Homeland Security: 400
Department of Veterans Affairs: 1000
EPA: 388
GSA: 100+
IRS: estimate is 16,000
Office of Personnel Management: dozens.
SBA: 144
US Forest Service, 3400
USAID: 10,000
Department of Agriculture: 3400
Please note that departments that make rich people richer were not cut: the military. War is always a money maker, we will definitely see war in the next 4 years.
This next 4 years will have devastating effects on the lives of every living being on this planet for the remainder of our existence on this planet. Every little piece of legislation we will see will harm our environment, make the people poorer and the rich richer.
The Endangered Species Act has saved countless species from extinction, including the hump-backed whale, the grizzly bear and the bald eagle. Now with animal populations decreasing by 60% since 1970, 3 billion birds vanishing and one million other species facing extinction by 2050, Trump has weakened the Act by redefining what a habitat it. By doing so, he will open up lands for oil extraction which we know further harms our existence in countless ways. This is criminal.
But what do you expect from the first elected convicted felon of the United States? This crime will seem insignificant as we sell what else will unfold.
Subject: Defective Flip-Flop – Request for Assistance
Dear Reebok Customer Service,
I am writing to express my disappointment with a recent purchase I made from your brand. On June 18th, I bought a pair of Reebok flip-flops, which I was looking forward to using throughout the summer. Unfortunately, I have encountered an issue with the product.
Just a few weeks after purchase, the toe strap on the right flip-flop broke, rendering the footwear unusable. Given Reebok’s reputation for quality, I was quite surprised and disappointed by this defect, especially considering the minimal use they have seen.
I will let you decide how to make this right.
I’m less concerned with the outcome about my flip-flop complaint than I am in making a statement of dissatisfaction regarding the decline in quality I’m seeing in your products and those of other brands. If this statement falls on deaf ears with you, I have hope that it may have a small impact via social media, where I post the letters I write to companies.
I don’t find it acceptable to make an inferior product knowing that it will fall apart and assuming that the consumer will just buy another. I’m not doing that. Now I will throw these flips away and the machine will have to turn, making another pair and contributing further to the decline in the habitability of our planet. But it won’t be me who purchases them this time.
Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
Jay Larson 3219 370th St Stratford, IA 50249 jay@jaylarson.com 515-709-3114
I have been looking for a compact printer for my camper for well over a year without much luck. I ended up buying a Canon Pixma which ended up not being compatible with my version of MacOS. A few weeks ago I found an HP LaserJet Pro M15a at a second-hand store for a very attractive price. The box hadn’t been opened and was marked new and works (not sure how they knew this, but I’m just reporting the facts).
Everyday for about 2 weeks I attempted to get the damn thing to print. I tried it on my home Mac and my work Mac (both running Sequoia 15.1.1) and my older Macbook Air running Monterrey. Nothing. In all cases the printer would appear to be installed, say Ready when looking at the status, would cause Print Center to open and show the document printing, but the printer would do nothing.
I scoured the web, attempted to call HP Support, who couldn’t even confirm that my printer model/product number/serial number was something that existed. I was about ready to give up when something occured to me – I hadn’t asked ChatGPT what to do.
ChatGPT immediately gave me the solution. I carefully crafted the prompt to ensure the assistant had enough information in order to help me. He came back with several things to try and the first one worked. I still can’t find this solution myself anywhere on HPs site or on the web in general. Here was the solution in case someone else needs it:
Open System Settings and choose Printers & Scanners.
Right or Ctrl-Click in the area that lists the printers installed and choose ResetPrinting System.
Click Add New Printer.
Choose the printer from the list.
Select HP LaserJet Pro M14-17 in the Use field and click Install.
Open the Mac App Store and search for HP Smart.
Download and Intstall.
Open it.
Click Print Documents.
Browse for the document to print.
Print from the HP Smart Dialog, not the applications or the OSs.
This leads me to a really baffling question: How can Amazon know that I merely thought about a warmer jacket and then display to me repeatedly on its own website and the website of many others ads for jackets for several months when HP can’t even retain what printer I’m looking for support for from one page on it’s site to the next in the same browsing session?
Rule #1:Term Limits.Representatives and Senators should have a limit of 2 terms and then give up the seat for someone to have their voice heard.
Rule #2: Congress men/women get paid the median salary in their state. If they want to make more money, then they can work to raise the median salary in their state. This would make them understand the people of their state.
Rule #3: No more travel to DC or oversees travel. There is no fucking reason everyone has to be in the same room in this day and age. We have the technology to do this remotely. These people are representatives of their state, they should be staying in their fucking state rather than traveling to Paris with the taxpayer footing the bill.
Rule #4: All bills voted on should be single issue bills. If a bill can’t pass on its own merit, then it shouldn’t pass.
Rule #5: Anytime a member of Congress speaks in the media to the American people, it should be assumed that they are under oath, and can be charged with perjury for lying to the American people.
Planned Obsolescence is defined as the policy of producing consumer goods that rapidly become obsolete and so require replacing, achieved by frequent changes in design, termination of the supply of spare parts, and the use of nondurable materials.
Put simply, designers of everything we buy spend a lot of money making sure that our products do not last very long.
I live on family farm and a lot of the stuff my parents and grandparents had is still here. My mother’s Electrolux vacuum cleaners from the 60s (model 1205) have outlived every vacuum I’ve ever purchased. So I use hers. The hoses that my grandparents had on the farm are still going strong as I throw away kinked hose after kinked hose because the are leaking. Even the oscillating sprinkers I bought have been trashed because they fell apart within a year, but the ones my grandparents used are still going strong. I use the copper bottom pots and pans my grandparents got as a wedding gift (thank you, whoever you were). All of the yard tools that have been here for 75 years are outliving every shovel, spade and hoe that I purchase.
Am I the only one that is infuriated with this?
I make it a point to write reviews for every product I buy, whether it be good or bad. If it’s bad, I complain to the company, return the item and stop purchasing anything from that company. If you call and complain, 95% of the time the company will send you a new product. If that one also breaks, I will call and complain again. I’m tired of paying for shit that falls apart a week after it was purchased.
I think a lot of poeple have become complacent about this type of thing and have come to expect that the crap that they buy will fall apart. I wish that more people would complain. The only way this will change is if we don’t accept it the way that it is.
I also write to the Better Business Bureau and complain when companies don’t stand behind their product. I have gotten resolution to my liking 100% of the time.
I don’t think planned obsolescence will ever fully go away. But there are some things you can do to send the message to companies that you are not willing to accept it. And we shouldn’t accept it – it’s contributing to global warming, excessive dumping and growing landfills, labor inequality and resource depletion. Here are some things you can do to fight back.
Return things that break too quickly. Know the warranty and return the item to the store where you bought it. If they won’t take it back, contact the company for a return or an exchange.
Write product reviews on consumer websites and the website of the stores where you bought the product.
Make a commitment to repair when possible.
Tell your friends about brands that fall apart and ones that stand the test of time. Word of mouth referrals go a long way.
Complain to the Better Business Bureau.
Don’t unnecessarily upgrade products that still have a useful life.
Shop at second hand stores.
Pass along items for which you have no more use for to others who do have a use for them.
Maybe a pipe-dream but I’d like to save a little money rather than having to replace all of my stuff all of the time.
If you know me, you probably have an idea about what this article is about. Well, I’m here to tell you that…..
YOU ARE WRONG
You are wrong.
This article is actually about Dairy Queen. You know the place. I go there a lot. I was there the other day and got a blizzard. They are probably my favorites because they can actually satisfy my need. The sundaes just don’t do it for me.
You’ve probably noticed that they do a funny thing before they hand your blizzard to you. They turn it upside down and look at you like “See?!?” What I don’t really get is what point they are trying to prove. See what? That your frozen treat defies gravity? That the desert Im about to put in my mouth is made of super-glue?
I’ve thought extensively about it and come to the conclusion that it probably is their way of letting you know that they just made it, it hasn’t melted cause if it had been sitting around it would be liquid by now and would fall to the pavement.
So I was at Dairy Queen getting a blizzard. The girl flips open the window, turns the blizzard upside down and it all falls out down onto the pavement. Like a sloppy bowel movement. She looks at me in horror and I’m already pissing myself I’m laughing so hard. She runs off to make another one and this time delivers it without attempting to turn it upside down. She just hands it over and shuts the window.
So whatever it is that they serve they want you to see that it behaves like ice cream. But you should know that no where on any menu, sign, document or drive through window will you find ice cream on the menu at Dairy Queen. They don’t serve ice cream, you see. It’s an ice cream-like substance but it’s not ice cream or you can bet that it would be on their menu. Look next time. It’s a Buster Bar Parfait, a blizzard, a dip cone, a cup, but it doesn’t say ice cream. Cause it’s not.
Do you feel a little deceived? Yeah, me too. Here are some other things that aren’t what you think they are:
Truffle Oil
Olive Oil
Maple syrup
Honey
Anything with vanilla
Wasabi
parmesan cheese
instant coffee
crab meat
It’s called food fraud and it’s rampant. We are not eating what we think we are eating and what we are told is healthy is making us fat, lazy but much less likely to start a rebellion or over throw the government.
Did you know we are the ONLY species to drink the milk of another species? Most people are actually lactose intolerant, so the fact is that we take pills so that we are able to drink thed milk of another animal which is unnatural in the first place! Amazing what marketing can do.
Nope! Sorry, try again.
Green brings upon thoughts of eco-friendly, outdoorsy and money.
