ADKO

fridge

3 min read

The author and his wife are living with his in-laws and need to buy new appliances. They are presented with two refrigerators: a new, large, stainless steel LG fridge and a circa-1979 Hotpoint fridge. While his wife is drawn to the new fridge’s size, the author is intrigued by the old one. He questions the common narrative that newer appliances are significantly more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly. He argues that analyses often omit factors like appliance lifespan, repair costs, and the environmental impact of manufacturing and disposal. The author criticizes Google’s search results for being biased towards promoting new appliances. He discusses how planned obsolescence leads to more waste and argues that the perceived cost savings and efficiency of new fridges are questionable when considering their shorter lifespans and increasing repair costs. He also touches upon the environmental concerns surrounding refrigerants like HFCs and the lack of research on newer alternatives like HFOs. The author then broadens his critique to the appliance industry, using General Electric (GE) as an example of a corporation that has diversified into numerous sectors, including media and finance, suggesting a consolidated control over industries and a manipulation of consumer demand through propaganda. He highlights GE’s history of price-fixing and planned obsolescence, citing the Phoebus cartel as an example. The author proposes a return to simpler living, suggesting alternatives to modern appliances like not having a fridge at all, growing food, raising animals, and forming local cooperatives. Finally, he delves into the ancestry of Kate Upton, linking her to Whirlpool founder Louis Cassius Upton and a vast network of historical aristocratic and influential families, suggesting a persistent lineage of control and influence that extends to modern corporations and political figures, including J.P. Morgan and the Vanderbilts. He concludes that the consolidation of power has created a “One World Corporation” that controls various aspects of life.

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