We live in a throwaway society. Dang neart everything we use is designed to be chunked, possibly recycled, and more importantly, replaced with the newest version.
Cell phones–Who has a cell phone older than 5 years? Nobody has one that gets as good of a signal as a bag phone. Of course, these smart-ass phones do more, but don’t do the ORIGINAL job of being a phone as good as the bag phones. Okay, go buy the new one. And buy the new chargers, otter box, etc. That’s the game. I’ve had people here recently, who went “Wow! I have 4G.” Well, who gives a hairy monkey’s bald ass if you have 4G if you can’t make a call.
Computers–They are out-of-date when you take them out of the box. But dang, we have to have them in order to write/read blogs, check email, facebook, online sales, and whatever else you want to look at. HHMM?! Nice rack. On the goat, you perverts. Of course, you can look at it (the rack–goat or otherwise) from your phone, if you have a signal or wifi. Unless, well, you get the point. Computers and cell phones both need thrown away as often as a diaper after a kid ate a jar of pickled okra. Get rid of it.
Hotels–Have a thriving metropolis? Need rooms? Pass a hotel tax and look out. All of the chains will move in, build brand new hotels, keep the rooms full for 5-8 years and then sell to a family that is in the business of running run-down motels. These chains are like locusts/grasshoppers. Move in, leave and head to greener pastures. In 10 or 12 years, these once name-brand hotels will be being rented by the hour.
Vehicles–Go try to buy a 20 year old vehicle. There aren’t any sitting at any dealer lots. You might find one at Honest Mike’s used car lot, but not at an actual dealership. Cash for clunkers took in some good vehicles and depleted the dirt roading, fixer up special. There are still plenty of them on the road, just not for sale. Why? Some can’t trade up, some know that they have a good ride and it isn’t depreciating and most people trade every 3-6 years. Get the new one paid off and then trade. That trade in is sold and the next trade in is sent to wholesale. GM, Ford, whomever, wants them gone and a lot full of new ones with cheap interest. FInance. Depreciate as soon as you drive off of the lot.
Tractors–In this part of the world, there is a pile of 40, 30, and 20 series John Deere tractors. These things are 3, 4 and 5 DECADES old. Why are they still around? One, NW Oklahoma is where tractors go to die. Two, they were built good and easy to work on. Newer tractors, well, not so easy to work on and we’ll find out if they last as long. One thing is for sure. If the tractor is green, it will hold its value, unlike those new cars/pickups. They hold their value, but trust me, Deere likes to see stuff being traded in a regular cycle. The other brands are dang sure throwaway crap. Buy an orange/blue/red tractor…take it home…use it…get pissed and then trade it in on a green one. We’ll take it and sell it south of the border where it belonged in the first place.
Extension cords–Buy it, use it, as soon as it turns to a POS then get rid of it and get a new one. They are cheap. They used to have a lot of copper in them and lasted for decades. Now? They recylce some copper colored crap and wrap it in plastic. That will work for a while. Then go buy a new one. Everything electrical is throw-away.
Food–It is scary to think about how much food is thrown away. Whether it is at a fast food joint, your fridge, that all-you-can-eat buffet, that hotbox that they have at every Allsups and other quick stops, or that high end restaurant that you just couldn’t eat everything so you got a to-go box and it started growing penicillin in the back of the fridge; most of us throw away enough food to feed the world. I’m guilty. My mom isn’t.
Politicians–“That one has to be better than the last one. Heck, how much damage can he do in the next 4 years?” Chunk them and replace with new ones.
TV programs–Gunsmoke ran for 20 years. MASH ran for how many years? Cheers ran for 11 years. Andy Griffith had two different runs of 8 & 9 years with the Andy Griffith show and Matlock. Friends ran for a decade and Seinfeld for 8 years and it has been a decade since either was on tv. The exception–Law & Order. It ran for 20 years on its own and still has spin offs that are running. Other than that…..? TV shows have a shelf life shorter than a kardashian marriage. Chunk them and go find a new one to put on the air.
Movies–These may be the exception. Don’t throw it out. Heck, we may need to recylce it because we don’t have any original thoughts anymore. That, or we will just make a sequel. Hopefully, the third one will draw a crowd because we know that the sequel will suck mud like an evinrude boat engine at Ft. Supply lake.
Talent–How much talent is lost to drugs, alcohol, caught in a bad mental rut, injuries, etc. and most importantly, lack of use. We all know people that could excel, but just need that little push that the right person can provide. Teacher, coach, boss, etc. There is talent out there if we can just utilize it.
Show animals–I’m guilty. If I paid a pile for it, I will keep it around to see if it turns into a prince. But once I lose faith….taco here we come. That’s the problems with feeding a steer. You are married to that dude for a year before you know if he is a great one or a really expensive steak. A hog…short shelf life…if it isn’t doing it, crank him, then kick him to straight ground corn for a month to clean him out. Then, Gage Locker here we come. Wether goat…cheap to feed, but takes up time. Once their time is up, pick a cooking method…. smoker, cabrito burrito, a dish with curry, etc., here we come. Sheep, whew, hope Easter is nearby on the calendar. Otherwise, cut the tags out and give them to a petting zoo.
Most of us are all guilty of being a part of this throwaway society. It’s the American way. Me, I decided to quit using aluminum cans for the night and switched to a heavy glass tumbler w/ ice cubes and a little bit of purple sack. The spare tires all safe.
Speaking of throwing stuff away, I think I will check out the online auctions and see who threw how-much money away tonight. And I might check out the chive to see who threw away their dignity while still being clothed.
