Saying It Again

 

In addition to the appalling lack of education those workmen demonstrated, I was also disappointed again by my publisher. They shipped me a bunch of paperbacks printed on the wrong paper with covers "color shifted" to the red (wrong ink). Since I paid for those copies, which were to be presented to reviewers or sold, I am incensed. In the rush to dumb down everything and decrease costs, there is a minimum level of competence that can be destroyed. Does it matter if you print something that looks like a book, but simply contains a jumbled mass of words? Ann Coulter's books are a good example of what I mean.

I have also come to understand the recent preference for book covers that seem abstract, cubist or surreal: it is impossible to discover printing errors. What you see is what you get.

In my days as a computer software designer and developer, I usually worked between 60-80 hours weekly. I don't remember how many 12 and 16 hour days, and 7 day weeks, I worked, because I didn't write them down. What seemed important to me was to get it right, not how many hours I worked. I tried to implement designs that accomplish their purpose accurately. I promised my customers "no bugs," and I fixed any bugs they found for free. (Try getting that out of Microsoft.) Now, my policies were one of the reasons I made practically no money. But, I believe I made quality products. I am proud of that now-outdated work, in part because it used to be state-of-the-art. Retrospectively, it is clear my values are those of the artist or artisan. Perhaps that is why I detest capitalist business people and politicians whose philosophy is greed, and sole goal is gimme.

I still work over 40 hours weekly, trading stocks, writing and maintaining this website. I don't plan on quitting any time soon or, at least, no sooner than my medical conditions force me. I have the advantage that I like what I do, although I would prefer being sufficiently wealthy that I didn't have to trade stocks and count every penny. Even so, I think I am far better off than most people.

But it is far more than personal resentment or satisfaction that concerns me. I believe there is a growing consensus among thinking people that the United States is going down the slippery slope. I certainly endorse that perception, which was a major motive for writing GSQ. I will be shortly posting my review of Kevin Phillips American Theocracy which contains detailed support for the "decline and fall" thesis. One of the things that bothers Phillips is that Americans don't make anything anymore. He's right: they don't. The goal in America is to be a consumer, not a producer. Traditionally, conspicuous consumption was the role of the rich and, especially, nouveau riche; the ugly Americans. In a society of superficial, tittering aristocrats, there is little concern for quality; what matters is appearance. When things go far enough, all that remains is the Cheshire grin, the shell of a bubble. Then it pops.

Why are American jobs going overseas? Why are most cars on the road in California "Made in Japan?" Simple answer: the Chevrolet Vega.  In the early 1970s, an acquaintance bought a Vega. He drove his new car to our coffee shop hang out. Several minutes later, we heard the crashing of tin on the street. Thinking it was an accident, people rushed out to see the Vega's fender crushed by traffic. The fender had just fallen off into the street, while the car was parked. When the time came to buy another car, I bought Japanese. So did a lot of other people.

When I was in college, I owned a British MG TD (1953). I am sorry I didn't keep it, as now it is a valuable classic car. However, it's classicism is merely appearance, as otherwise the car was a maintenance mechanic's wish come true. Britsh steel parts were improperly made, as demonstrated in the MG's rear axle proclivity for shearing off. I replaced one axle which lasted about 75 feet, as I backed the car out of the garage into a long driveway. In the process of making the axle, somehow a fracture plane was created near where the axle was inserted into the differential. Those axles always broke at the same place with a sudden cracking sound. Then you stopped moving.

In the post World War II period, many Americans admired British products. For example, I always wanted a Raleigh bicycle. They seemed so elegant, with 5 and 10 speeds and thin tires. While they were far more expensive than the nearest thing Schwinn made, they were faster and easier to ride. On the other hand, those Raleighs required maintenance. The imported tubes and tires were particularly susceptible to destruction. At that time, there were no home-made substitutes. Many years later, another friend owned a Britsh motorcyle which had similar problems. British bikes and motorcycles, once top of the market, went out of fashion. The once invincible British Empire was defeated on the production line.

One of the things I admire about the Japanese is their appreciation of quality. It is a Japanese habit to buy for life, or, at least, for as long as possible. When a Japanese buys a house, it is with the intention of living there permanently. They hang onto their cars, crockery and knives. The idea is that these investments shouild be made to pay off for very long periods. A car that has to be traded every three years is worth less than one lasting seven or ten or twenty years. That attitude has something to do with the very high quality engines and car parts made in Japan. I own a Toyota pickup that was made at the now-defunct Nummi plant in Fremont, Calif. That was an joint venture of GM with Toyota, in which GM was supposed to learn how to make cars. For that reason, the plant was run by Toyota's people using Toyota's parts and methods. I own a very fine 1992 truck with 140,000 miles, which, so I am told by mechanics and afficionados, is only halfway through its useful life. Meanwhile, GM learned little or nothing from the Nummi experience, and appears headed for bankruptcy. American workers are already paying the penalty for GM's sloth.

The cost of titillation is very high. Celebrities pay thousands for a costume worn just once. Ordinary people are paying tens of thousands for show-off cars. What is the difference between a Rolls Royce and a Bentley? The hood ornament. What is the difference between a Camry and a Lexus? The gold plated rear end label. What is the difference between a Cadillac and a Chevrolet? A stretched out, weaker frame and a fatter body.

When people work and pay for those luxury items, for which most of the money paid represents no additional quantity or quality received, production is misdirected. If we spend most of our time and money preparing for Halloween and Christmas, eventually we are going to have problems eating on the Fourth of July. There is a connection between consumption and production. That connection is enforced by limitations of certain basic resources.

I don't know how to bring it about, and I certainly feel ineffective in convincing people that "Something Must Be Done!" With or without me, a society of ignorant people cannot live better than the level justified by what it knows. Perhaps, in the short run, a cruel Imperialism can exact tribute from subjected peoples. Perhaps people can eat the saved glories of another day for a while. But, the natural world does not long or often allow its denizens to live off the fat of the land. Soon enough, revelers become the fat.