So true, this is why the quality of practically everything was better generations ago. Society's expectations have also been engineered in a way that we accept these sub-par goods as "normal". The entire system has been designed so that companies can make higher profits, quarter after quarter, year after year.

I bought a 1958 Raleigh three-speed bike about ten years ago. It had been neglected for decades but with a little elbow grease I brought it back to life and it's the best bike I own.

Unfortunately it'll take something drastic, a financial meltdown, before people go back to the old ways.