A self-declared “repair geek,” Gay Gordon-Byrne is a driving force behind the right-to-repair movement, which aims to empower people to fix their stuff. She describes how the movement is gaining legislative momentum and breaks down how the global shift away from “throwaway society” can literally turn trash into treasure in a circular economy — so we can all experience that “Yes! I fixed it!” feeling.
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Mikael Arkanghel
March 16, 2022 at 4:24 pm
Not “deserve”.. rather You have the Right to repair what You own. Otherwise it’s not really yours is it?
General Obi Wan Kenobi
March 16, 2022 at 4:34 pm
Louis Rossmann Likes this
PonyCar Resurrection
March 16, 2022 at 4:53 pm
Everyone over 50 years old knows that the ability to repair the things is preferable. Why did we ever buy anything that can not be repaired? Why would I buy a car that I cannot repair and improve? I still drive a 65 Mustang. I have a 2021 luxury Truck, but I love my old cars because I can work on it. All I can do with the stupid truck is wash it.
MWhaleK
March 16, 2022 at 5:05 pm
I don’t repair myself, but I fully support others right to do so.
radfaraf
March 16, 2022 at 6:12 pm
that’s what it’s about too, if nobody can get parts, then you can’t even pay someone else who knows how!
Solairith
March 16, 2022 at 5:11 pm
Sounds great, but old devices can’t run current software. My old iPad works like a charm, but the apps don’t work and can’t be updated because it’s old. My 2 older laptops can’t run modern browsers or games. You’ll have to do more than make things fixable. You’ll need to require continued support of older software as well.
kermitefrog64
March 16, 2022 at 5:11 pm
Great conversation. I have a 1955 Caddy. A 1964 Ford pickup f250. A 1981 Mercedes 240d. And a 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis and I enjoy working on my cars rather than buying a new car all the time I keep making the updates. I have an electronic ignition on both my Caddy and my 1964 pickup. That is when they built cars when you could still work on them.
FirstName LastName
March 16, 2022 at 5:13 pm
I was absolutely like this as a kid back in the 80s. I’d be delighted when something around the house stopped working because I’d have an excuse to take it apart; I’d even be asking my mother for permission to take things apart, even if they weren’t broken, just to look inside and see how they worked. And she mostly let me, with pretty much everything except the TV.
I also found that a lot of the time taking something apart and then putting it back together would fix it.
Just last week I took my dehumidifier apart because it was making a rattling noise, and when I put it back together it was fixed!
Redpoppy
March 16, 2022 at 5:21 pm
It is sad the state of our consumer economy has become. I didn’t grow up in the era but I do remember how the outdated cars, appliances and goods would outlive the newer items forcing us to buy more than we would otherwise have to because repair has become a dirty word today. And we wonder why we have climate change.
Ser Ta
March 16, 2022 at 5:26 pm
Yes you do
TheJs12347777
March 16, 2022 at 5:47 pm
Polymorph, instamorph otherwise known as heat mouldable plastic is very usefull for fixing all sorts of damaged or broken things.
Candace Kerwan
March 16, 2022 at 5:51 pm
Fantastic!!The way of the future.
stereomike111
March 16, 2022 at 6:16 pm
you deserve the right if you don’t willingly give it up
make those choices as a customer when ever possible
Things I Buy
March 16, 2022 at 6:33 pm
Mkbhd made a great video on this topic check that out too
My Independence
March 16, 2022 at 6:35 pm
So exciting that this conversation is underway.
yourmanwatson
March 16, 2022 at 6:46 pm
I’m with her 1000%… but can someone tell her that owner’s manuals are never hidden behind paywalls.
Also – planned obsolescence is a lot older than the internet. And, at least in the case of electronics, a lot of the inability to make things reparable by the end user is because of the manufacturing methods. Surface mount components pretty much have to be installed by machine.
Still with her about the right of repair though. Where possible, we should have it.
Remy Lebeau
March 16, 2022 at 7:32 pm
Right to repair is a bipartisan ideal. There is no reason to be against it unless you are in the pocket of businesses that don’t want to give up the consumer economy.
Kiragan Mercer
March 18, 2022 at 3:03 pm
Well said!
Obsession of the Month
March 16, 2022 at 7:47 pm
in the late 80’s early 90’s I fixed my own computers. I did this for years before I found out that there were computer repair shops. I thought everyone just fixed it themselves.
gabi po
March 16, 2022 at 8:03 pm
i hope jonh deere is seen this and tesla a bunch of assholes
gabi po
March 16, 2022 at 8:04 pm
a yeah chrisler too
wordsculpt
March 16, 2022 at 8:58 pm
My parents (they were older) bought a standing freezer in 1952-3; in spite of a major power surge in about 2010 that destroyed virtually everything else that ran on electrical power, it was still working well when the house was sold in 2016. “Planned obsolescence ” is something that needs to be addressed on a national, regulatory, level. Designing breakdowns is dishonest, especially now when a. The enviornment is at stake, and b. Consumerism is already in place to encourage people to buy the newest, shiniest version.
Akibana Zero
March 16, 2022 at 9:15 pm
There’s nothing like the feeling of bringing something your own back to life, especially when the manufacturer refuses to even do the job right. Nintendo has been sweeping a problem with their latest console’s joysticks (look up “joycon drift”) under the rug. Even though they’re willing to fix your controllers for free, the whole process is like pulling teeth. What’s worse, your “repaired” controller shows the same issue maybe even days after it was allegedly fixed. So, you might begin to understand the infinite pleasure I took in buying the spare part I needed from a third party and following iFixit’s tutorials to finally make my controller work as intended.
CierraReynoso
March 16, 2022 at 9:20 pm
I love your hair!!!
Overonator
March 16, 2022 at 11:02 pm
This is the lady that Louis Rossmann talk about when he talks about right to repair.
Louis Rossmann
March 16, 2022 at 11:23 pm
Go Gay!
BeerPatio
March 17, 2022 at 12:36 am
@LuisRossmann, come enter the chat please.
Thomas Outt
March 17, 2022 at 2:37 am
I am attempting to have the Lane Cedar Chest that belonged to my mother repaired. The nastiness with which this request (sent to supposedly experienced restorers of wooden furniture) has been met, would stagger the strength of a team of horses in terms of the rudeness & sarcasm that I got in terms of eMails. I do not want to take an item of furniture that I inherited & put it in a dump. I had hoped that a non-mechanical item, would be appropriate for restoration. I am still working with this…it may become my ‘right to repair,’ but I had the idea that restorers of wood furniture would be the answer. I am now more inclined to go within & do it myself. Thank you for the inspiration. It may not qualify as eWaste, but you have to start some place. If the Lane Cedar Chest company reads this, please weigh in! Thank you!
Ben Barnett
March 17, 2022 at 4:30 am
I don’t know why I bother flagging the Cryptobots, most of the -legitimate- paid ads on channels like TED are crypto/share/property traders, all variants of the send me money and I’ll tell you how I got rich scam
Tracey Taylor /Lord
March 17, 2022 at 12:21 pm
I so agree i broke a handle on a cleaning equipment . couldn’t get a new handle had to send the whole machine back and get a new one . total waste
Noukz
March 17, 2022 at 4:10 pm
I’m surprised she didn’t mention the planned obsolescence which has become a main part of the strategy since the 90’s, and is a big part of this same problem. I wish Elon Muskox listens to this amazing lady…
Gaasuba Meskhenet
March 17, 2022 at 4:55 pm
My landlord is disgustingly bad at repairs. Give people control over their own homes!! Rent is extortion! No more evictions from primary residences!!
LTVoyager
March 17, 2022 at 9:49 pm
I agree 100%. I am surprised that the “green” community isn’t all over this as making most things last longer is far and away the most environmentally responsible thing to do. And I was saddened recently to learn that BMW will no longer make service manuals for their motorcycles available to consumers. This is a disturbing trend and I hope we can overcome this with legislation.
Anastasia Beaverhausen
March 17, 2022 at 10:07 pm
It’s so annoying to have to keep replacing computers that could still be used except the company (microsoft, chromebook, etc.) won’t ‘support’ your planned obsolescent device, no updates, no security.
Lieve Leysen
March 19, 2022 at 11:44 am
🤩😇💖
Invox
March 20, 2022 at 11:19 am
I live in Europe and in my country, in my street, we still have a electrical repair shop, a shoe repair shop, and my aunt does dress “repairs”. But these business are dying.
The problem is with lots of brands demanding either an insurance for the product or that you cannot repair stuff yourself, so you have to fix it with them or buy a new one This goes from cellphones to cars.
We need goverments/companies to allow people to cherish and fix our own stuff. It’s actually the poorest countries that are leading the way in this because of necessity rather than enviroment improvement… Sadly.
5 Star Vids
March 20, 2022 at 4:48 pm
Ha I got a mate called Gordon Gay 🤣
imnotmatthew
March 20, 2022 at 8:49 pm
This is what I was thinking just a few days ago… I was about to throw out my Logitech G903 just because of a broken “left click” Switch. And then I thought… “Why would I throw this away?… It works, just a broken switch. That shouldn’t be too hard to exchange” And now I am looking forward to fixing it. I just glued together a “power socket outlet” with 3 outlets and 2 USB outlets. The plastic parts that the screws were screwed into, broke. So I can’t really change them. But I could glue them together, and I did. Now I got outlets that I can use again! Better than throwing it out.
Federico Jimbo Smithson
March 21, 2022 at 2:27 pm
aren’t we making this issue complicated than necessary – we can repair things as long as we have the know-how knowledge.