A Question On Technology And Products

[sav]

Ok, this may be a stupid question, but something I've been thinking about recently.

In the new society, what will be the average level of technology and products availiable to the people?
We see consumer luxuries like supercars and wide-screen home cinemas as playthings of the bourgeois, because they are not priced in the range of the proletariat. However, after the revolution, will this level of consumer products be availiable to all, or will there still be the choice?
Will all cars be built to the standard of todays Ferarri's and Mercedes (obviously with the Brand removed)? Will the standard TV set become a 42inch LCD digi-high def etcetc?

[loveme4whoiam]

Interesting question. I don't know the specifics of how much it costs to actually make a widescreen (HD don't forget :P) TV, but I imagine you could find out on the Net somewhere. If its similar in labour-time to whatever the then-current standard is for TVs then I can't see why not.

Cars I think are different, since they have widely different specifications in terms of performance. I imagine a car with best possible miles per gallon will become the norm, in order to best use the petrol. Then again, by the time of socialism/whatever hybrid or electric cars may be in general use *waits to be laughed at by one of the teched-up members :P*.

As a probably general rule, I'd say that with consumer goods it'll be the stuff that can be produced the most, with least amount of resources used, and least amount of labour-time required, that will become the standard. Then again, I could be wrong and we'll all end up with Aston Martin DB9's. Now thats a sweet car... :D

[which doctor]

I think there is something you fail to see about the revolution. Don't worry though, most other people on this board fail to see it as well.

After the revolution life will beradically different. Consumserism will seize to exist. We won't live life as mere consumers like we do know. We will live life to the fullest.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not a primitivist. I just think that a lot technology available today, serves to dehumanize people.

Ask yourself, what do you need a huge TV for? Is it to watch Everybody Loves Raymond? Do you like TV shows like that? Why? In my opinion we live out our lives on these shows. It's unfortunate. We watch these shows because we wish we were the people on them. What we see on the screen is better than the life we live now.

Now, onto the car. What do you need a fast car for anyways? Is it so you can make your co-workers jealous? Or so you can seduce that cute girl you've had your eye on?

[OneBrickOneVoice]

Originally posted by Fist of [email protected] 31 2006, 01:35 AM
I think there is something you fail to see about the revolution. Don't worry though, most other people on this board fail to see it as well.

After the revolution life will beradically different. Consumserism will seize to exist. We won't live life as mere consumers like we do know. We will live life to the fullest.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not a primitivist. I just think that a lot technology available today, serves to dehumanize people.

Ask yourself, what do you need a huge TV for? Is it to watch Everybody Loves Raymond? Do you like TV shows like that? Why? In my opinion we live out our lives on these shows. It's unfortunate. We watch these shows because we wish we were the people on them. What we see on the screen is better than the life we live now.

Now, onto the car. What do you need a fast car for anyways? Is it so you can make your co-workers jealous? Or so you can seduce that cute girl you've had your eye on?
True but one thing about humans in general is that they like nice things. I sure plenty of people will still have material needs like tvs and sofas. As for what quality, I think it'll be up to the worker councils and worker delegates.

[loveme4whoiam]

I certainly agree with you Fist of Blood; I personally despise the idiot-box - much better to read a decent book.

But the problem is that a lot of people do like the idiot box, and all the other consumerist stuff. It'll require a big change in societal behaviour for everyone to stop thinking like that - I'm not saying it won't happen, just that it won't happen over-night. On the other hand, it'll have probably happened by the time everyone has reached a degree of class consciousness.

[sav]

Ask yourself, what do you need a huge TV for? Is it to watch Everybody Loves Raymond? Do you like TV shows like that? Why? In my opinion we live out our lives on these shows. It's unfortunate. We watch these shows because we wish we were the people on them. What we see on the screen is better than the life we live now.

Nobody needs a TV, but people enjoy television, and not neccessarily for trashy daytime TV. But think of how it could be used post-revolution. Worthwhile programming, educational, programmes created by the likes of you and me. If people wish to act in their leisure time, then are we going to stop them because TV as we know it now is not what we desire? We will controll what gets sent out, not the fat-cats upstairs.


Now, onto the car. What do you need a fast car for anyways? Is it so you can make your co-workers jealous? Or so you can seduce that cute girl you've had your eye on?

A faster car gets you from A to B quicker. A car with sat-nav allows you to plan your journeys easier. A car with power-steering is easier to drive, etc etc. If modern 'luxury' cars became the default model, how could anyone get jealous?

I'm not looking at this from a consumer point of view, but from the point of view of what will become standard in society after 'price' becames a non-issue.

[Psy]

Originally posted by [email protected] 30 2006, 08:14 PM
Ok, this may be a stupid question, but something I've been thinking about recently.

In the new society, what will be the average level of technology and products availiable to the people?
We see consumer luxuries like supercars and wide-screen home cinemas as playthings of the bourgeois, because they are not priced in the range of the proletariat. However, after the revolution, will this level of consumer products be availiable to all, or will there still be the choice?
Will all cars be built to the standard of todays Ferarri's and Mercedes (obviously with the Brand removed)? Will the standard TV set become a 42inch LCD digi-high def etcetc?
I think we have to understand that community production would take priority of that for personal consumption, for example the automakers would only make cars after they have spare production, thus I doubt we would get Mercedes since priority for automakers would be vehicles for community use (like busses and ambulances) and production (like vans and trucks) thus the personal car would have to be easy to produce.

[loveme4whoiam]

Well the way I think of industry, all industry, post-revolution is this: within each industry (for example cars) workers will get together and choose the best design for its purpose. All factories that used to be owned by all the corporations, and who were in competition with each other, convert to the chosen design - production increases hugely, and there is less likelihood that people will have to go without.

I quite like the exampe of shampoo and haircare stuff for this (don't ask me why it came to me, I have no idea) - since all the competing companies churn out products that, in essence, do exactly the same thing, turning them all to make the same thing would boost production enormously.

I know this raises the issue of bland uniformity when it comes to stuff like cars and other "status symbols", but I'm should we not have gotten past that point by then?

Does that make sense or am I just talking weed-fueled shite?

[red team]

hybrid or electric cars may be in general use *waits to be laughed at by one of the teched-up members :P *.

Not really. I think they're cutting edge. I certainly wouldn't mind one. But, for something uberkewl hydrogen fuel cell vehicles with A.I. auto-navigation are waaay futuristic. :)