I was at my dad's house this week and he said, 'Let me show you the difference between now and then in two objects.' He brought out this clothespin that was made in the 1960s - I probably played with it as a kid in the 70s. The other, in 2025. /1
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The clothespin on the left (1960s) is made of dense, finely-grained hardwood (maple or beech?) It has weight and warmth and still works perfectly 60+ years later. /2
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The one on the right (2025) is made of soft, pale pine or poplar. It’s lighter, splinters easily, and the metal spring feels like it might pop off by next week. (My Dad said it was described as "extra durable" online.)One clothespin will end up in a landfill. The other will probably hang around for a few more decades. Sometimes, you can see the trajectory of history unfolding in your palm. /END
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Survivorship bias. The crappy clothespins from the 60s didn’t last. The fact that only the best made things last 50 or 100 years gives that illusion that things were built better in the past.
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You can still buy American made maple clothespins. But they are $2 a piece.
lehmans.com/produ…
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I wonder if the C47s used on film sets are better than the Walmart quality. I know they hate things falling apart while the camera's rolling.
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It's only just occurred to me that most of my wooden clothes pegs are over 54 yrs old. The yrs I’ve been married
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No British people on this thread? We call them clothes pegs, for "pegging out the washing".
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If there’s a big tariff on machine-made foreign clothespins, would you borrow a bunch of money to set up a factory and make them cheaper in bulk?
Well all the old wood has been used up and newer wood is being used now for manufacturing. Also the trees used now are probably faster growing types.
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Planned obsolescence. When companies started to realize that light bulbs and other materials lasted long and they weren’t making any sales, they decided to make things not last as long in order for the consumer population to continue purchasing anything.
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I grew up in the 70s, west of the cascade range near Seattle, a small logging community. My town had parades of trucks hauling thousand year old trees to turn into lumber through strip logging of “my” mountains. They stole our ancient forests to turn them into clothespins
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Everything today is made so cheap. All for profits. Big companies stuffing their pockets.
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We bought a house built in 1952. I’ve had lots of ppl ask why we would by an older house…. But not contractors. Every contractor that has ever come to our house to do anything will lovingly talk about the stuff that makes our house soooo durable: built with thick cedar planks, concrete several inches thicker than necessary bc they over built back then, copper piping and wiring, etc.Every brand new build we hear about from friends or acquaintances they have all sorts of issues.
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Born In The Rock 7/20/1964: The late, great Chris Cornell, founder and vocalist for Soundgarden, Audioslave, songwriter, solo performer, joined that big band in the sky way too soon. #Soundgarden #ChrisCornell #RockHonorRoll
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I did not grow up around plants. My parents didn’t have plants and I don’t remember my grandparents having plants. I am learning this all on my own. 🎓
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