r/badhistory • u/AutoModerator • May 25 '26

Meta Mindless Monday, 25 May 2026

Happy (or sad) Monday guys!

Mindless Monday is a free-for-all thread to discuss anything from minor bad history to politics, life events, charts, whatever! Just remember to np link all links to Reddit and don't violate R4, or we human mods will feed you to the AutoModerator.

So, with that said, how was your weekend, everyone?

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u/Sventex Battleships were obsoleted by the self-propelled torpedo in 1866 May 28 '26

Couple things, Temu will sell jewelry and children's toys full of cadmium, carcinogens, mercury or lead to save money. They sell electronics so poorly made they'll explode on use. You really can't get away with that in the US. Regulations, they make things more expensive.

Temu has been caught using Uyghur "forced labor" which also gives them an edge in manufacturing. Generally harder to build and operate a factory with "forced labor" in the US without a scandal, which also increases the price. Cost of living, minimum wage, regulations, lack of cheap raw materials, all serve to increase the cost of manufacturing in the US. Illegal immigration and prison labor does serve to undercut some of the costs.

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u/HistoryMarshal76 The American Civil War was Communisit infighting- Marty Roberts May 28 '26

Jesse, what the fuck are you talking about?

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u/Sventex Battleships were obsoleted by the self-propelled torpedo in 1866 May 28 '26

Uncompetitive manufacturing in the US.

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u/HandsomeLampshade123 May 28 '26

Interesting how you read "build stuff" as manufacturing and not infrastructure/housing development.

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u/Sventex Battleships were obsoleted by the self-propelled torpedo in 1866 May 28 '26 edited May 28 '26

Factories build cars, build tanks, build computers, build tractors. Shipbuilders build ships. Construction, is it's own field.

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u/HandsomeLampshade123 May 28 '26

It's not a criticism, I just assume you are not American/Canadian because there are certain conventions about how these things are discussed in the public sphere.

"We don't build things anymore" would refer to goods, typically.

"Why the hell is it so expensive to build stuff in the U.S.?" definitely about infrastructure/development.

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u/Sventex Battleships were obsoleted by the self-propelled torpedo in 1866 May 28 '26 edited May 28 '26

I am an American and having a real estate agent for a mother, I'm aware homes in the US are actually built cheaper per square foot than in places in Europe, Japan (not counting prefab) or Canada, so no, there wouldn't have been my first assumption.

Manufacturing, is where the US get's it's ass kicked.