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Why is everything in consumer / American life so fucking shitty now - and companies literally just say 'oh bc profit margins' and we're now expected to swallow that and sympathize? (lemmy.world)

submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by _number8_@lemmy.world to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml

348 comments fedilink hide all child comments

like I went to taco bell and they didn't even have napkins out. they had the other stuff just no napkins, I assume because some fucking ghoul noticed people liked taking them for their cars so now we just don't get napkins! so they can save $100 per quarter rather than provide the barest minimum quality of life features.

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[–] CarbonIceDragon@pawb.social 13 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Uh, didn't the rich rather famously buy political influence back then as well?

[–] morgan_423@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Yes, but not at the same scale. They've become masters at it in the modern age.

[–] NOT_RICK@lemmy.world 17 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I dunno, from what I’ve read about political machines in the gilded age it was really just as bad back then.

[–] rambaroo@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

People worked 12 hour shifts 6 days a week back then with no minimum wage. A lot of people lived in company towns and didn't even get paid in real money. Child labor was legal and widespread, although some shit hole states are getting back to that.

Things are bad now but anyone who thinks it's as bad as it was in the gilded age is either delusional or extremely ignorant. There's a reason the progressive era happened, people were pushed beyond their limits and propaganda couldn't make up for that anymore.

[–] SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone 15 points 1 year ago

It helps that the field of psychology has come a long way, and it helps further that being a psychologist to help people pays peanuts, but being a psychologist who helps write ad campaigns to make sure the ads have the most psychological impact pressuring people to buy pays big bucks.