It's short term thinking greedy thickos who have contributed to this, so they can save 50 cents on a t-shirt, and get a bigger hdd in their iPOd. ...
Basically, the crap we're in now, is the result of practices that have been hailed so far, voted for and even fought for, and yet no one can see it.
I've seen this for quite a while now.
I swear I'm going to write a book about it one day.
Where we are today is due in great part to what I call:
The Microwave Mentality of the Burger King Generation's Priceline/Price Match Plus Slacker Brigade
So, what does that mean exactly?
Let's break it down:
Microwave Mentality
People have no patience anymore.
None.
At all.
They want things fast and they want them NOW.
Gone are the days of saving up for something, looking around for a better deal, taking the time to earn something... just "give it to me NOW".
Burger King Generation
What's BK's motto?
"Have it YOUR way"
People don't want to compromise about things. They don't want to accept that sometimes they can't always have things the way the would like them to be. It must always be done to their exacting standards.
Heaven forbid you say "No" to anyone... it must always be done their way.
Priceline/Price Match
People don't want to accept that they cannot afford some things... but that doesn't stop some people.
What's priceline.com's motto?
"Name your OWN price"
Hunting for a bargain is one thing, but throwing all logic out the window and having companies allow the customer set the price is exactly what many consumers expect. So if they can't afford it, they feel that they are entitled to name their own price and have the company accept the offer graciously.
Also, people also don't want to accept that some places charge more for similar items. They want any and all companies to sell it for less than their competitor.
To Hades with actually taking the time and making the effort to purchase something from a competitor, just "gimme, gimme, gimme at the lowest price imaginable from YOUR store". This ideology leads into the next point...
Slacker Brigade
People are lazy. They have no desire to make one iota of effort to get what they want. It must all be done for them.
All of this leaves us with consumers who:
Want things as fast as possible, in the exact manner they dictate, at the cheapest price they dictate and without putting forth any work on their behalf.
It is extremely one-sided.
Sad thing is, this has been accommodated in many respects.
The fact of the matter is that things simply cannot work in that manner... at least not indefinitely.
When this type of behavior is allowed to happen, eventually something breaks... as it did.
But of course, it isn't the consumer's fault.
Which is the final nail in modern society's coffin:
People lack the ability to assume responsibility for their own actions.
There is always an excuse or someone else to blame.
It's the oil companies, the Wall Street crowd, the government, the education system, "false" advertising, the "fine" print, "nobody told me", it's inflation, it's China's/Katrina's/Iraq's/Afghanistan's fault, it's video games, the media, they guy that makes more money than I do, the kid down the street... etc... etc... etc..