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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 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) by _number8_@lemmy.world to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml

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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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[–] morgan_423@lemmy.world 8 points 11 months ago (2 children)

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

[–] NOT_RICK@lemmy.world 16 points 11 months 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 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months 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 11 months 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.