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The Light Bulb Conspiracy US Screenings Start on Saturday

By Core Jr - October 19, 2011

in Events

"Planned obsolence: the desire, on the part of the consumer, to own something a little newer, a little sooner than is necessary."

Filmmaker Cosima Danoritzer's documentary The Light Bulb Conspiracy will be screening in several cities across the United States starting this Saturday, October 22nd, in Miami, followed by screenings in Chicago on the 24th, New York on the 25th, Albuquerque on the 27th and Stanford on the 29th.

The synopsis:Once upon a time... products were made to last. Then, in the 1920s, businessmen were struck by an insight: "A product that refuses to wear out is a tragedy of business!" Ever since then, manufacturers have been engineering their products to fail.

This film tells the story of Planned Obsolescence, showing how long-lasting light bulbs were suppressed by a secret cartel and how ladder-proof stockings disappeared without trace. Modern electronics come equipped with inbuilt 'death-dates', sending them to the landfills before their time.

But consumers have started rebelling, to save the planet and the economy...

The trailer:

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nunya

13 years ago

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This is ridiculous. Bulb lifetime went down to 2/3 and brightness/efficiency went up 10X. Your argument is invalid. The reduced lifetime is due to stressing better materials and engineering. Fear mongering, it's the second line on your business card?
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M4RK

13 years ago

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It's a great watch.
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Totor

13 years ago

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Made a relative big buzz on the Internet after the broadcasting in France. Many anti-conspiracy people have (almost) prove it's a hoax or at least too much slanted.
To watch with hindsight !
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paul

13 years ago

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This is one of those things that makes me not want to believe it, that people would rather keep making things less good than they could be. I liked gregeb's insight on the unchangeable battery and it makes sense: if the battery can be made to last that long, why design a mechanism for removing it? When the unit gets exchanged that battery can be replaced in the refurbishing process. I can recall changing the battery in my old iPod, back when they did not last 2-3 years, and it was not easy, but still far cheaper than a new one (it still works too, original disk drive and all, 8 years after manufacture).

The Ford anecdote reminds me of what I heard about Lexus's early days. The story is that the engineers bought some Mercedes-Benz cars and took them apart, completely, measuring the tolerances and fit as they went, so they could replicate it. What I take away from that it that, yes, engineers may design for warranty periods but in many markets or product lines, there is some price point above which they design for longevity. Finding that seems like a valuable exercise.
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tixe

13 years ago

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I don't quite understand the definition used here: "the desire, on the part of the CONSUMER"? The film trailer would indicate that planned obsolescence was first and foremost a desire of COMPANIES and CARTELS.
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Jono

13 years ago

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Engineers design for warranty periods.

At least LED light fittings should change attitudes towards home lighting.
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gregeb

13 years ago

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On the other hand, "planned obsolescence" can be a sound, green value proposition. Henry Ford was famous for prowling junkyards- if he discovered a Ford car part that still worked, he made it cheaper so it would fail simultaneously with the vehicle. Why waste resources unnecessarily? If people abandon perfectly good cellphones every three years, then why make the battery replaceable, it that adds a connector and more plastic for the access panel?

I cherish old tools my grandfather once held, and still use them in my shop today. But he never used two screws, where one would do.
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