My blow dryer broke last week.  I had another one for backup.  Actually, I had a third one I gave to my mother-in-law when her blow dryer broke.  I have no idea why I had three of them sitting around.  I tried to fix the broken dryer by unplugging it, plugging it back in and pushing the reset button on the outlet.  I also tried cleaning out the spongy piece that captures lint.  Nothing worked.

My husband’s cell phone also died last week.  It was a little over two years old.  When he brought it in to have it replaced the clerk said most phones do not last that long.  Apparently our cell phone company’s “new every two” program is not an option but a necessity because the phone was not designed to last that long anyway. 

It is a great marketing gimmick.  Get people dependent on your product but design the product to break so people will need to replace it every couple of years.  The other marketing scheme that seems to work well is to create enticing upgrades.  I just bought a new lap top computer but it doesn’t work with my “old” printer.  The printer is 5 years old and it does not recognize the operating system in my new lap top.

This is depressing because my house is filled with this kind of stuff.

Most of my stuff will not wind up in an antique store.  Most of it will end up in a land fill.  It was designed to break, and I don’t know how to fix it.  It often costs more to repair a product than to buy a new one.  My grandparents probably knew how to fix a lot of the things they owned.  My husband and I are handy but we do not know how to fix a hair dryer, a fridge, a cell phone, a dishwasher, or a coffee maker.  The list goes on and on.

I am glad only one thing usually breaks at a time.  But what happens when every one’s cell phone takes a turn at breaking?  Apparently 426,000 cells phones are “retired” in the US everyday.  Some cell phones are recycled.  But what about all of those broken hair dryers?  There isn’t a recycling program for those. 

My Grandma and Grandpa worked hard.  Their hands and feet were their most dependable tools for getting the job done.  They did not exercise because their bodies grew stronger with use, and when their hands and feet stopped working someone else stepped in to literally “lend a hand.”  I like that warranty policy.  What Would Grandma Use To Get The Job Done?

The link for the cell phone statistic will take you to www.chrisjordan.com.  Chris Jordan does amazing photo art depicting products of mass consumption.  His art leaves me speechless everytime I look at it.