In a world where the products we "consume" are designed to irreparably break (euphemistically called "planned obsolescence"), we no longer buy products, we lease their utility.
Really, what is the difference between (1) the manufacturer of a product, unbeknownst to you, rigging the product to self-destruct three years from the day you buy it, and (2) the manufacturer of that same product walking into your home three years from the day you bought it and destroying it, or simply taking it away? In either event, you will have to "buy" something to replace it, if you need the utility the product provided.
We're taught that when we buy something, we own it. It is our property. But how can it be our property when we do not control its disposition?
