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Bridges

Why Does My Dishwasher Keep Breaking?
Planned Obsolescence, Peak Capitalism, and the Shift From Citizenship to Consumer Identity

May 5, 2024 

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Discussion Questions

Please discuss the questions in any order you'd like. Numbers are just there for easier reference. 

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  1. ​What was the last product you owned that became obsolete or broke too early?

  2. Do you remember a time when appliances and other expensive consumer goods lasted longer and/or were more readily repairable?

  3. "The key to economic prosperity is the organized creation of dissatisfaction."* 
       - Wha    t are your thoughts on this quote?
       -     Have you ever encountered "retail therapy" or buying things as an attempt at dealing with negative emotions, boredom, or stress?

  4. “Neoliberalism** makes citizens into consumers. The freedom of the citizen yields to the passivity of the consumer."***  
       - What does it mean to be a citizen? What responsibilities toward others and society does this entail?​​
       - What does it mean to be a consumer? How does this differ from citizenship?

  5. "Enshitification" was selected as the 2023 Word of the Year by the American Dialect Society, What do you think of Cory Doctorow's essay below on the term he coined?​

  6. What are your thoughts on the ideas engaged in the video interview below with the same author, as he’s interviewed about “Chokepoint Capitalism”?

  7. When you go to vote, do you consider the party’s policies on competition and regulation?

  8. How has deregulation in Alberta impacted environmental policy, consumer rights, worker wages, product and utility pricing, company profits, tax revenue, and other areas that impact our lives? 

  9. Have you discovered ways to support local businesses and creators?

  10. These topics can get complex. Are there ways we can simplify consumer and citizenship decision making?

 

*Charles Kettering, the Director of Research at General Motors from 1920–1947

 

** Neoliberalism definition: "a political approach that favours free-market capitalism, deregulation, and reduction in government spending" - Oxford Languages.

 

*** Byung-Chul Han, Psychopolitics: Neoliberalism and New Technologies of Power.

Background Discussion Material.

Material listed here is intended  to enhance discussion. The inclusion of these materials is not an endorsement of their authors or the organizations publishing them. We encourage you to fact check any claims made in these materials. 

‘Enshittification’ is Coming for Absolutely Everything.
The term describes the slow decay of online platforms such as Facebook. But what if we’ve entered the ‘enshittocene’?

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