110305Sa
Product Dumping & Planned Obsolescence
The Machine?
Sentiment by Communities toward living 'Greener', has soon to address the little-PROTESTED-against 'product dumping', which caters to the worst aspects and cases of 'planned obsolescence' cheapest quality consumer products.
Surely one of the least 'environmental' aspects and, long term, capital-intensive by-products or, 'aftermaths' of 'product dumping' is that this valueless range of consumer goods too soon fails the purchaser, and so cheap, not worth repairing nor even returning to the typical 'K-mart'-type superstore, (product-dumping's major culprit) is discarded first to the back shed or cupboard, only to end as Council landfill?
Also, never are the let-down customer-purchaser-consumer's energy, time, fuel and money considered, let-alone 'peace-of-mind', when the cheap item fails and has to be returned, for replacement. When one has to return the busted item, the counter assistants try to palm-off a positive attitude because they are doing everything they can to delude us into feeling like we just had a 'win' over the system because they honor our receipt and hand-over ANOTHER piece of crap!
When, all things considered, the overall personal, Community and Environmental costs are tallied, it will be blatantly obvious that Australia cannot allow such 'negative' products to be imported and sold, and that all People, if we want to correct our 'Enviro-habits', must get-off our fat-cells and 'PICKET' these major multinational corporate, and 'desperate-to-compete' smaller retail franchises etc., , to demand a STOP to the importing of their 'zero-quality' crapitalist products.
Would 'K-mart' survive?
Any Stand by Australians against such corporate (and foreign governments') profiteering, which is proven as being against Australians' and against our Environmental best interests, would have to include a 'multi-pronged assault' on this eco-enemy of product dumping and it's crap quality products.
But HELLO!?!?! Where can an Aussie go to buy product which is NOT subject to this demon of planned obsolescence???
Pretty much EVERY retail outlet city-and-rural, small business or corporate, Australian or multinational, is/are stocked with the cheapest crap they can flog us!
Where can an Aussie go to buy product which is not there only because the retailer has no integrity, or 'merchant ethic', but sees a profit if they can fool us into buying it?
The rude facts are that Australia and Australians are drowning in foreign bottom-of-the-range zero-quality junk products, almost as if Australia has been designated by the IMF to be the test-nation for both crap retailing ethics, and a test nation of just how stupidly, materialistically gullible a people can be made to be!
ALAS! 'Twas ever-thus in Brit-Eurapean retail!
Recommended reading Bertolt Brecht's “Three Penny Novel”, transcribed by Brecht from his “Three Penny Opera”, written in 1928, an adaptation of a play written by one John Gay some 200 years earlier, called “Beggar's Opera”, which was, even then, written-up as 'a biting satire on decayed capitalism'. Well..., that's what's written on the dust cover of the 1975 paperback edition! NEVERTHELESS...., a 'shocking' and brilliant book, indeed!
So..., therefore, and however...., about actually DOING SOMETHING about the terror of planned obsolescence and imported crap product dumping.....
First, the problem has to be brought to the attention of the governments which 'house' those manufacturers.
It is their business how they curtail unsound methods of making a profit, but, as China is possibly the global 'powerhouse' of cheap consumer goods, like Japan was following their repatriation and inclusion into the world trade marketplace after world war 2, then China and coy have a responsibility to the whole of the planet to address this.
China is doing her best to Green-Up, but this level of manufacturing low-quality consumer goods for export, is basically what has driven their economic rise from the classified 'third world' or 'undeveloped nation' status. (That, and their Wise application from the 1940s or so, of Land Tax for government revenue.)
It appears China, and other 'third world nations' have some way to travel yet, until they make it, nationwide, to 'first world status'.
But ALAS? Is there a nation on earth which is all first world? I think not! Switzerlandenenen, the most likely?
(A further, and in fact allied project, would be for Australian students to investigate the Swiss 'system of government'. Inquiries will bring very interesting results, I'm sure, and thus informed, future voters here will know a lot more about where our own corruption club called 'politrixxxx' persists in failing us!)
Of course, one has to question exactly what 'first world status' is, because it's clearly a 'value-judgement' made by those who stand to profit most from basically, ripping-off consumers who are lured to desire a superficial, generally trivial and culturally-and-environmentally-destructive materialistic lifestyle.
There's no doubt that many non-western, non-Christian, non-white Peoples and Nations, and more than a few of their elites, regard the global force for an over-consumptive, over-materialistic and anti-environment culture as 'ungodly', and as many no doubt see that such ambitions are false, foolish and hollow, and as never giving the consumer the Satisfaction-big-S, their pre-colonialist, pre-Christian Ways did.
However no-one from outside any of these third world nations can stop such 'progress', or tell those nations which make cheap quality stuff to desist.
It does not however, mean that there should not be any lobbying of those governments addressing the dangers long-term, to the environment, and thus to the Masses, from their turning a blind eye to this callous competing for incomes.
The reasons for such a phenomenon actually have some 'global egalitarianism' bases to them.
However, these have seen first world nations, America, Britain and Australia perhaps most effected, lose their own manufacturing companies and industries, and amongst other deeply flawed economic policies by major British, Eurapean and USA corporations and governments, have led them/us into our present employment, social, economic environmental and material crises.
So, first, any 'anti-dumping' organisation has to put the evidence against cheap goods-making and their product-dumping commerce to it's source nations and their governments, such as China, so-as to increase the government's efforts for Green industry in every field.
Secondly, at our border gates, at Customs, and in their departmental headquarters, other branches of a multi-pronged assault on this eco-enemy have to grow to force a national review of all duties, tariffs, taxes and importation laws. Because these have an effect on how easy it is to import junk product, and usually involve one kind of bribe or another, either to senior departmental officers or higher into the political arena. Bribes paid to ensure such debates are never tabled in our parliaments.
But that's politrixxx!
And thirdly, perhaps most crucially, which also translates as 'most beneficial for Local economies thus Local Communities thus personal/social harmony and happiness', is to set the foundations, the LOCAL foundations, via Local Democratic Autonomy, most suitable for Local Good-to-High Quality consumer products to be manufactured Locally.
If I knew a Local manufacturer or factory which made a product I want or need, if I knew that they'd still be in business and still Local in 10 years-unto-retirement, who made a product guaranteed to 1, be robust, 2, be serviceable locally, and 3, have it's maker and employees communicating-contributing members of the Local Community, only a couple of kilometres away, to most easily, efficiently-thus-to-me-economically give, for service, repair, maintenance, updating etc, plus if I knew there would be between us a Quality business and personal association, I would spend 10 times the price of any crap K-mart product.
Over recent years, our federal governments have sought to halt the import of crap product, but obviously to little effect.
Larger international corporate deals are secretly struck by-the-hour against curtailing product-dumping between cheap product-making nations and consumer-nations, so any announcements by government are 'minimalist' in being effective, when they tell us they are addressing this/these disastrous affairs.
And clearly, if anyone goes to the likes of Kmart, they see first hand the extent of such corporate disregard for their customers, the extent of such corporate disregard for any product quality or standards, and the extent of such corporate disregard for the Local and/or larger society and environment. Not to mention the corporate disregard for making the nation's, and the global laws better, so that none of these issues arise in the first place?
Another aspect that has to be confronted and exposed, is the effect of consumer-nation government impositions on Local producers and their products locally made, and imported, through the many and varied import laws, tariffs, duties and taxes, etc.
While these added costs to things like imports are purported to go to our government coffers, I'm skeptical.
I think it's far more likely that much more than any proportional imposts placed upon imports to Australia go almost immediately offshore and into the vaults of those who run the biggest corporation on Earth, which in essence, actually owns Australia - the International Monetary Fund, the IMF.
This, to my mind, is one major reason why good quality imported product is prohibitively expensive for many middle class and most lower class Australians, and is why therefore, they/we are forced to resort to buying crap product.
Therefore, there are plenty of sound reasons why everyone should take to the streets, preferably, to begin with, outside any Local stores which flog us the junk-junk-junk-junk, and 'PICKET-and-PROTEST' against their insane multinational corporate policies.
Pertinent to this latest rant-whinge-and-frothing, has been last week's federal parliamentary debate on introducing a 'Carbon Tax'.
I think it was Greg Combey of the ALP federal government front bench, who suggested that the carbon tax should, or could be applied to imports.
Therefore, if a carbon tax is suitable to apply to imports, then it fits well that it be applied to this most rogue brand of imported product, surely?
But before any government is likely to get up and impose effective restrictions to the quality or standards of our imported purchases, thus ensuring an improvement of our quality of life generally, it's up to the Masses to start the ball rolling, by PICKETING and PROTESTING against these offensive stores and their callous retailing plans.
Out in Australia's rural regions, so-called 'Locals' jump-up-and-down about how government policies have decimated rural village and town populations, and because there is little or no work being done to the region, the rural population and thus everyone's quality of life goes down.
But never to we hear on the news or current affairs these rural locals getting to the core causes of such problems.
Most of them are all too happy to take a job down a nearby mine, or on a nearby mono-culture mass-production farm, all owned by billionaires and/or foreign multinational corporations, in a small ancillary business catering to the demands of the filthy mega-corps, etc., (“...for every dollar you make, the corporation makes seven...”) or to make-out they are 'self-employed' while in fact they're chained to an offshore corporate banking 'mortgage' or other bank debt/overdraft or excessive credit-rating, not-to-mention their shallow and utterly 'plastic' lifestyle.
None of them make an issue out of the fact that their region's failing conditions are stomped down on them by the same megacorps who own most of the land and industry, and which offer them the classic 30-pieces-of-silver to, in silence, betray their own Community, their own Country, and their own Souls?
Australia's rural 'Communities' have never seen such fractured, degrading and unsocial attitudes.
Or, if they, the Locals, are useless in any REALWork, they are encouraged by their own and the foreign corporations' stupidity to engage in 'tourism' to up their personal income so-as to afford a new 4x4, or some other commodity useless and even antithetical to the well-being of the larger village or region.
Certainly, across the Aussie bush, there is little or no effort by the Locals to get to the bottom of their Local problems, by taking-to-task these foreign, multinationals who set the rules so against our own national security and short-and-long term personal and community satisfaction.
Most of the time, the vast majority of any nation, do nothing substantial for the well being of more than their own.
Every politically-Progressive shift or any other type of reform to bad government, and to bad corporate behaviour begins with a few 'fanatical' stirrers.
Such is the Rectitude and Honor of these 'Whistleblowers' and 'Leakers' that they and their Selfless Work are being recognised more and more each day across the world by governments large and small, who are introducing laws demanding the respect and protection of those who act to expose to the public, corporate or government tyranny.
But it's usually not until the media or larger Social Justice Movement, Et Al, takes an interest, that any effective percentage of the populace get involved, and either win the support of government, through the evidence, or at elections, scare the booth out-of-them, that policies are reviewed and corrected. But again, never are policies truly and fully corrected.
Typically, those who stood up and made a noise against this type of corporate criminal behaviour, become either unnoticed or a statistic, once any movement grows to notoriety.
Or, like Private Bradley Manning, and Julian Assange, are ostracised to the extreme, when in fact, they deserve the Highest Respect and Recognition from government and the citizenry.
As the adage goes “Think Global, Act Local”!
Acting Locally in addressing this unaddressed toxin in our culture, of foreign mega-corps dumping zero-quality products onto our retailer's shelves, and before too long, onto our shed's 'broken-junk-shelves', demands that Locals - LOCALS - get together and research, collate, scribe and print their own appraisals and investigations as to the crimes committed by Kmart, Woolworths, Dick Smiths, and every other junk-importer, then paint-up a few placards and posters, to hand-out and hold-up outside the offending... offensive stores.
Crucially effective is tandem with these activities, is setting-up, LOCALLY, a 'Media Unit', which produces media releases for local and wider media publications. This, for me anyway, is fabulously exciting, and is more so for children, especially when they win a response from media and thus, from their reading/watching public. In doing this, it's important that a Quality Club and it's Media Unit are ready and toughened to handle the negative media, which the largearse megacorps have down pat, for whenever they become a target of the Public's Conscience.
Just remember, with tenacity, and the preparedness to endure for a while, before long, 'ANY publicity is GOOD publicity!'
And if you're literature, chants, public discourses, posters, announcements, placards and media interviews are also, of the essential Quality, victory over (this) evil, will be 'a given'!
Were one or a number of the worst corporate offenders targeted, at each or a significant number of their retail outlets, it would become a national, newsworthy and thus political issue in no time, and were the LOCAL PICKETS to Grow, major changes..., corrections, to many related fields like duties, tariffs, taxes, importation laws and user-pays carbon accounting would sail through the incredibly unAustralian federal and state Liberal/National parties and Oppositions' 'obstructionist' stonewall.
But, it all starts with YOU!
Which is why I know Australia is ROOTED!
As it is clear that most if not all of our personal psychological and psychiatric 'issues' have their seeds in either or both 'culture and parents', then it should also be clear that any parents who disregard these types of calls to Democratic Action against bad corporate and government practices, are betraying their own children, and their own Nation.
Taking this further, it becomes clear that it is the responsibility of school teachers to engage their students in this type of issue, if only to encourage them to investigate such corporate/environmental crimes - product-dumping and planned obsolescence - and to inspire them to be effective on their Local scenes, against the bleak future forced on us all by those dark global, borderless, machine-men institutions.
A small group of students do not need to be church-schooled to get together weekly or such, to plan the tack of their approach.
Research-research-research is the key to success.
Another word for 'research' is 'preparation'.
Any expert in any field will tell you that for success '….it's all in the preparation!'
So who, from any school, primary, secondary or tertiary, cannot read-up on 'the issue', and organise a Local PICKET?
Only those who are lazy, unintelligent, selfish or are paid-off or howled-down by their employers/parents/governments.
Wake-Up Australia!
Prove to your children that you are not the lazy selfish bastards more ready to lick the corporate backside than care about the kids' future!
To end with more mellow sentiments about those multinational corporations like Kmart, Woolworths, (who own) Dick Smiths, etc., I can not deny that they do provide us with goods which are sometimes excellent value. I'm wearing a pair of jeans from Kmart which cost only about AUS$15.00. They do the job well, and seem to be robust enough, as are the other clothing articles I bought at Kmart early last year. But, I had to be 'discerning'!
While clearly in ideological opposition to such crapitalist marketplaces, and while their existence relies purely upon a large-enough sector - class - of society to stay, or be kept poor, so they cannot afford better quality, the largemarts have their product retailing down-pat so much that they always have some quality in their stores, so-as to deflect or lessen any bad reactions to the other zero-quality product.
Nevertheless, one main reason why such stores survive and prosper, is that our desires and fashion trends are set by those far above us, and who are usually in close contact with those who 'set-the-trend' in retailing in the first place, which lure us to believing that in order for us to survive in this culture, we need to acquire ANY product which helps us appear 'into' the deadly materialism of the times and of the social sette, most appealing to each of us.
While we blindly and blithely let ourselves be seduced victims of tyrannical consumer crapitalism, nothing any largemart can sell us will stop us all from drowning in the devil's shithole - coming to a megamall near you - SOON!
May I suggest that a, or a string of Local 'Quality Clubs' be established to address this/these dumping and planned obsolescence issues?
Locals, doing a bit of research into any retailer who sells garbage, then calling together, a Local Team who are prepared to discuss the issue, refine their collective thoughts and whatever is put to writing, dialogue with the shop-owners firstly - LOCAL - about how the retailer can improve the quality of what they sell, (it, the Quality Club concept, does not want to put enterprising locals who run the gauntlet of the ruthless marketplace, out of business. Rather, such Quality Clubs should also exist to improve a Local's business income, thus hopefully, improve their want to participate in similar and other less-related Community Activities and events), calling together a Local Team to raise Local awareness about the Local and Global problems arising from this 'imported landfill' phenomenon, and to picket or lobby whomever is involved, both in the creation of the problem, but also in the resolution of the problem.
School kids, even GOVERNMENT SCHOOL kids, could do all of this! And, it would not be any imposition on their parents' time or pocket to lend a hand, or a dollar or two.
But perhaps most motivating is that, such projects are a lot of fun, and bring fantastic rewards for all involved, and bring excellent preparation of the youths' minds for adulthood, so that, they become naturally discerning between Quality and crap, and know what is good for them and their Tribe, Et Al.
If parents fail to give to such as this little-large, micro-macro, Local-Global Cause, they are failing their kids, and theirs, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera......
All Praise the Immortals!
All Praise the Warriors who have fallen Fighting for a Just World!
From the Traveling 4x4 Tent of
King Commo
aka Countryzen bin Eartha
aka Omaxa bin Eartha
aka Max Earth
Outlaw, for
GLOBAL
Land,
Tax,
Housing,
Family,
Agricultural,
Cult,
Drug,
Work,
Education &
Environmental
LAW REFORM
ULURUBA
apologies for strange text size or formatting..., spooks in the machine!
